The upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket slammed into the Moon\u2019s\nsurface on Wednesday (5\/8) at around 02.35 EDT (06.35 GMT). The\n4,000-kilogram rocket struck the Moon at a speed of approximately 8,690\nkm\/h, which is estimated to have created a new crater up to 27 metres in\ndiameter.<\/p>\n
Scientists are now working to obtain images of the impact site with\nthe help of several spacecraft.<\/p>\n
\u201cNASA\u2019s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and NASA\u2019s ShadowCam instrument\non the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter will look for opportunities to\ncapture before-and-after images at the impact site,\u201d said NASA\nspokesperson Rob Garner.<\/p>\n
\u201cImage availability depends on several factors, including the impact\nlocation, lighting conditions, and when each spacecraft\u2019s orbit passes\nover the area, which may take several days to receive any images.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unlike the first stage of the Falcon 9, which can land back on Earth\nfor reuse, the rocket\u2019s upper stage is expendable. Normally, it is\ndirected to burn up in Earth\u2019s atmosphere. However, that was not\npossible after the rocket launched two private lunar landers, Firefly\nAerospace\u2019s Blue Ghost and ispace\u2019s Resilience, into high orbit in\nJanuary 2025.<\/p>\n
SpaceX\u2019s Director of NASA and Dragon Science Programmes, Julianna\nScheiman, explained that using most of the fuel to reach distant orbit\nmeant the rocket could not return to Earth.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor high-energy missions, we need to perform different manoeuvres to\nensure the second stage itself is safe according to applicable rules and\nregulations, and we have done so here,\u201d said Scheiman.<\/p>\n
However, the rocket body remained subject to natural forces over\ntime.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened is, essentially, a combination of solar activity and\ngravitational forces placed it on a trajectory towards the Moon,\u201d\nScheiman added.<\/p>\n
Although not a planned outcome, the incident provides researchers\nwith an opportunity to study the Moon further.<\/p>\n
\u201cNASA\u2019s Meteoroid Environment Office will attempt to photograph the\nimpact around the predicted time using ground-based telescopes at the\nagency\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville [Alabama],\u201d Garner\ncontinued. \u201cBecause the impact flash and plume are expected to be faint,\nthe chances of seeing anything from Earth remain low, and local weather\nmay also affect observations. Any data collected will help scientists\nbetter understand the impact of artificial objects and their potential\neffects on future lunar exploration.\u201d<\/p>\n
Initial observations from Earth have already detected traces of the\ncollision. Scientists at Lowell Observatory in Arizona reported\ndetecting a gas plume from the impact area.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can safely say that we measured a response from the rocket stage\nimpact as a sodium and lithium gas plume several tens of kilometres in\nsize lasting between 5 and 10 minutes after impact,\u201d said Carl\nSchmidt.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/spacex-rocket-hits-moon-at-8-600-km-h-nasa-hunts-for-crater-photos-1785984624", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }