Luna-25 Fails to Land (Properly) on the Moon

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Our Moon in all its glory. (NASA/JPL/USGS)

The message from Roscosmos was pretty bland:

During the operation, an abnormal situation occurred on board the automatic station, which did not allow the maneuver to be performed with the specified parameters.

Translated into normal speech, we learned that Luna-25 crashed during its attempted landing on the lunar surface.

This is a blow for Russia and Putin as well. The Soviet Union could threaten the world and run a terrific space program. The Russians are bogged down in Ukraine and unable to pick up a lunar program ceased about 50 years ago. It is sad to watch.

Roscosmos Director General Yury Borisov blamed the crash on Russia’s long absence from the Moon, stating,

The negative experience of interrupting the lunar program for almost 50 years is the main reason for the failures.

He may want to add corruption, economic sanctions, and horrible leadership to that list of reasons.

At least the Russian mission was able to share a few photos from orbit before it all ended.

The Moon’s south pole is still available for anyone who wants it. The Indian space program will give it a try this week. We can only wish them well as they fly over the Russian rubble.

A Day in Astronomy: The Launch of Voyager 2

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The launch of Voyager 2. (NASA)

On this day in 1977, NASA launched the Voyager 2 space probe from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in Florida to study the solar system’s outer planets as well as interstellar space beyond the Sun’s heliosphere.

The Voyager 2 space probe is still talking to us as it continues its journey beyond the planets with a special message for anyone it may encounter.

During its initial mission, the space probe provided us with many images from an little known region of our solar system, including the image below of Jupiter’s moon Europa.

Image (Credit): Europa during Voyager 2’s closest approach. (NASA)

Space Quote: If You Build It…Don’t Forget to Maintain It

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (NASA/Kim Shiflett)

“On average we have a $250 to $260 million dollar annual maintenance gap…Unplanned failures can have mission impacts, and the last thing we want to do is affect Artemis or some other significant mission.”

-Statement by NASA Facilities and Real Estate Division Director Eric Weiser regarding the maintenance of NASA’s infrastructure, as reported in The Register. He went on to say, “What that means is, on average, we’re renewing our infrastructure around every 200 years… A better number would be 60 to 80 years, and to do that we simply need more funding.” I know maintenance expenditures are boring, but this is no different than defense or highways. You get what you pay for, and also what you maintain.

A New View of the Moon

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The Zeeman crater as captured by Luna-25. (IKI RAS)

The first images from Russia’s Luna-25 mission have arrived. They show the far side of the Moon permanently hidden from those of us here on Earth.

The spacecraft is now orbiting the Moon, which was last done by the Russians back in 1976. The lander is expected to be on the lunar surface this Monday if all goes well.

For the sake of science (leaving politics out of it), let’s hope for a successful landing.

Pic of the Week: Cape Byron Lighthouse Moonrise

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): “Cape Byron Lighthouse Moonrise” by Kevin Hennessey. (Australia Geographic)

The winners of the Australia Geographic astronomy photography contest have been named, and the photo above is one that won honorable mention in the Nightscapes Category, “Cape Byron Lighthouse Moonrise” by Kevin Hennessey.

Here is a little more about the impressive image:

The full moon rises behind the Cape Byron Lighthouse at the most easterly point of mainland Australia, silhouetting a group of spectators gathered at its base. Taken through a high-powered telescope from a distance of 5.1km away makes the moon appear extraordinarily large in this photo. The shooting location had to be accurate to within a couple of meters, determined with the help of the “Photopills” iPhone app, Google Earth and an aircraft-grade GPS.