The United States is back on the moon, at least in a manner of speaking. Odysseus, a U.S.-built spacecraft, was the first to land on the moon since 1972. However, there was a mishap just before the touchdown, and it now rests horizontally on its side on the lunar surface.
Steve Altemus, the CEO of the Houston-based company Intuitive Machines that built the lander, said the team initially thought the unmanned six-footed lander reached the surface upright. However, data from it confirms that the lander is in a horizontal resting situation.
This happened due to a mishap when the lander was descending vertically and laterally. Experts believe it likely “caught a foot in the surface,” causing it to tip over. Altemus revealed this during a video news conference on Friday. While explaining, he was holding a model of Odysseus resting a few degrees above horizontal.
Evidence suggesting the lander is not fully horizontal comes from the amount of power the lander’s solar array is generating. That suggests Odysseus is “somewhat elevated off the surface horizontally,” he said. “So that’s why we think it’s on a rock or the foot is in a crevasse or something … to hold it in that attitude.”
ALSO READ: Potential Reasons Why Tiger Woods Parted Ways With Nike
According to Altemus, Odysseus still has “quite a bit of operational capability, even though we’re tipped over.” The lander was approaching the surface faster than the team foresaw. It may have possibly fractured one of the legs of its landing gear as it “tipped over gently,” he said.
Intuitive Machines hopes to get some photos in the next few days to see “exactly what the material is that’s underneath the lander,” said Tim Crain, the company’s co-founder and chief technology officer.
The company posted the first image from Odysseus on Friday on X, formerly Twitter. The craft will continue to collect data for NASA. Meanwhile, the agency prepares to send astronauts back to the lunar surface for its Artemis program. It will be the country’s first attempt since the last Apollo mission 52 years ago.
POLL—Is Climate Change a Major Threat That Requires Immediate Policy Action?
The Odysseus did not land properly, but the fact that it is already on the moon is a win on its own, especially since successful unmanned lunar landings are not a given.
In fact, only five countries – the U.S., the U.S.S.R., China, India, and Japan – have successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon. A Japanese spacecraft landed on the moon in January. But when it hit the surface, it was nearly upside down.
In an earlier attempt in April 2023, a lander designed by a Japanese company crashed into the moon’s surface. With Odysseus partially successful with landing on the moon, Intuitive Machines became the first private business to pull off a moon landing.
ALSO READ: Hawaii Residents Kick Against Mark Zuckerberg’s Plan to Own a House in Kauai
Last month, another U.S. company, Astrobotic Technology, had an unsuccessful attempt when its lunar lander developed a fuel leak. The crippled lander burned up in the atmosphere over the Pacific, along with the remains and DNA of more than 70 deceased people on board for a lunar burial.
You Might Also Like:
CBP Officers Seize 6.5 Tons of Meth in Eagle Pass Bust
Leaked Google Spreadsheet Shows Company’s Staff Salary
Anti-Abortion Group Calls for Removal of Shahzia Sikander Sculpture, Claims It is “Satanic”
US Officials Charge Four for Transporting Suspected Iranian-Made Weapons on Navy-Intercepted Vessel
