Russian probe may have formed new crater on the Moon – 9/1/2023 – Science

NASA released, on Thursday night (31), the image of a new crater on the Moon, probably formed by the impact of the Russian probe Luna-25, which fell on the surface of the Earth’s satellite about two weeks ago.

The photograph was taken by the LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter), which has been orbiting the Moon since 2009.

Teams from the American space agency compared images taken before and after the moment of impact and observed a new crater about ten meters in diameter and located about 400 km from the planned landing site for Luna-25.

NASA said it had sent orders to the LRO probe to observe the area reported by Russian space agency Roscosmos as the estimated crash site.

As the crater is close to the estimated point of impact of Luna-25, the US space agency teams “conclude that it is probably the result of this mission, and not a natural projectile”.

Nearly 50 years after Moscow’s last successful lunar mission, the Luna-25 probe crashed into the lunar surface on the 19th of last month.

The spacecraft spun out of control after a problem preparing for pre-landing orbit, underscoring the post-Soviet decline of a once mighty space program.

For the general director of Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, the probe collided with Earth’s natural satellite mainly because the country interrupted its space exploration program for almost five decades.

“The incalculable experience accumulated by our predecessors in the 1960s and 1970s has been completely lost, and the transfer of knowledge between generations has not taken place,” lamented Borisov.

The collision happened because one of the spacecraft’s engines failed to shut down as scheduled during a maneuver to land on the lunar surface. The engine ran for 127 seconds instead of running for 84.

A space commission was formed to investigate the exact causes of what happened, added the director general.

A space commission was formed to investigate the exact causes of what happened, according to the director general.

Just days after the Russian probe crashed, India became the first nation to land a spacecraft near the moon’s south pole, an unexplored area that is now the focus of all attention as it harbors water in the form of ice.