Categories: Science

Odysseus farewell: US Moon lander captures Earth’s ‘crescent’ in parting shot


NEW DELHI: The first US spacecraft to land on the Moon since 1972, Odysseus, entered a dormant state as the lunar night began. While the mission marked the first private company‘s moon landing, Intuitive Machines SEO shared with reporters the intention to “wake it up” in around three weeks when sunlight returns.
Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus outlasted expectations despite landing on its side, facing issues with solar power and communication.
The end came as flight controllers received Odysseus’ last photo and instructed its computer and power system to standby. This paves the way for the lander to potentially wake up in another two to three weeks, provided it weathers the harsh lunar night. Intuitive Machines spokesman Josh Marshall said these final steps drained the lander’s batteries and put Odysseus “down for a long nap.”
However, prior to Odysseus’ moon lander entering the two-week lunar night, it sent a final transmission featuring the cratered lunar surface and a distant shadowed Earth crescent.
“Before its power was depleted, Odysseus completed a fitting farewell transmission,” Intuitive Machines tweeted on X (formerly Twitter). They added, “Received today, this image from February 22nd showcases the crescent Earth in the backdrop, a subtle reminder of humanity’s presence in the universe. Goodnight, Odie. We hope to hear from you again.”
Before losing power, Odysseus transmitted what Intuitive Machines described as a “fitting farewell message.” Captured right before landing, the image displays the lander’s underside on the moon’s pockmarked surface, with a small crescent Earth and Sun in the background.
Odysseus, funded $118 million by Nasa to carry six experiments, marks the first company in Nasa’s commercial lunar delivery program. Unfortunately, it failed to reach the moon, as its lander crashed back to Earth in January.

Seen as precursors by Nasa, these private landers aim to pave the way for upcoming astronaut missions in the next few years. The last US moon landing before Odysseus was by Apollo 17‘s Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt in 1972.
(With agency inputs)

function loadGtagEvents(isGoogleCampaignActive) { if (!isGoogleCampaignActive) { return; } var id = document.getElementById('toi-plus-google-campaign'); if (id) { return; } (function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s) { t = b.createElement(e); t.async = !0; t.defer = !0; t.src = v; t.id = 'toi-plus-google-campaign'; s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s); })(f, b, e, 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=AW-877820074', n, t, s); };

function loadSurvicateJs(allowedSurvicateSections = []){ const section = window.location.pathname.split('/')[1] const isHomePageAllowed = window.location.pathname === '/' && allowedSurvicateSections.includes('homepage')

if(allowedSurvicateSections.includes(section) || isHomePageAllowed){ (function(w) { var s = document.createElement('script'); s.src="https://survey.survicate.com/workspaces/0be6ae9845d14a7c8ff08a7a00bd9b21/web_surveys.js"; s.async = true; var e = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; e.parentNode.insertBefore(s, e); })(window); }

}

window.TimesApps = window.TimesApps || {}; var TimesApps = window.TimesApps; TimesApps.toiPlusEvents = function(config) { var isConfigAvailable = "toiplus_site_settings" in f && "isFBCampaignActive" in f.toiplus_site_settings && "isGoogleCampaignActive" in f.toiplus_site_settings; var isPrimeUser = window.isPrime; if (isConfigAvailable && !isPrimeUser) { loadGtagEvents(f.toiplus_site_settings.isGoogleCampaignActive); loadFBEvents(f.toiplus_site_settings.isFBCampaignActive); loadSurvicateJs(f.toiplus_site_settings.allowedSurvicateSections); } else { var JarvisUrl="https://jarvis.indiatimes.com/v1/feeds/toi_plus/site_settings/643526e21443833f0c454615?db_env=published"; window.getFromClient(JarvisUrl, function(config){ if (config) { loadGtagEvents(config?.isGoogleCampaignActive); loadFBEvents(config?.isFBCampaignActive); loadSurvicateJs(config?.allowedSurvicateSections); } }) } }; })( window, document, 'script', );

Source link

jaghit

Share
Published by
jaghit

Recent Posts

'मुख्यमंत्री कोविड-19 बाल सेवा योजना' के लिए नहीं है बजट? अब मंत्री नरेंद्र पटेल ने किया ये दावा

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Madhya Pradesh News Today:</strong> भारत सहित पूरी दुनिया ने 3 साल वैश्विक महामारी…

4 weeks ago

Inside Hina Khan’s Pre-Birthday Celebrations With Rocky Jaiswal And Mother In Goa

Hina Khan’s birthday is on October 2. (Photo Credits: Instagram)From a stunning view of her…

4 weeks ago

Swiggy IPO Gets Sebi Approval: All You Need to Know About Rs 11,000-Crore Issue

Food and grocery delivery major Swiggy has received markets regulator Sebi’s clearance to launch its…

4 weeks ago

‘Imprints of Make in India visible everywhere’: PM Modi lauds 10 years of flagship initiative | India News

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday lauded the efforts of each and every…

4 weeks ago

Waqf Amendment Bill JPC 1 Crore Emails Nishikant Dubey VHP Vinod Bansal Said it Email Jihad | वक्फ बिल पर 1 करोड़ से ज्यादा सुझाव: VHP बोली

Waqf Amendment Bill Email: वक्फ संशोधन बिल पर संयुक्त संसदीय समिति (जेपीसी) को सुझाव के लिए…

4 weeks ago

Georgia Meloni and Elon Musk date truth behind the viral photos

Meloni And Musk Viral Photos : दुनिया के सबसे अमीर शख्स एलन मस्क ज्यादातर किसी…

4 weeks ago