The US lunar lander Odysseus entered sleep mode on the Moon. The lunar lander entered the so-called lunar night and was no longer able to generate power with its solar panels.
The Odysseus spacecraft sent a farewell message to the control center on Earth on Thursday, commercial space company Intuitive Machines reported. The lunar lander did this before ending up in the shadows.
Earlier in the day, the control center instructed Odysseus to send a message as soon as she regained power again. In three weeks, the lunar lander will return to sunlight. It is not clear whether this would provide enough energy to reactivate Odysseus.
Before the mission began, Intuitive Machines predicted that the lunar lander would not have enough power to remain active on Wednesday. From that point on, the Sun was so low on the Moon's horizon that the designers believed very little power was being generated. Contrary to expectations, Odysseus managed to survive one day longer.
Intuitive Machines is the first commercial company to land a lander on the moon. Odysseus is also the first American spacecraft to land on the moon since 1972. NASA is participating in the Odysseus lunar mission.
Odysseus landed on his side
On Thursday, February 22, Odysseus landed on the moon. The landing did not go smoothly, causing Odysseus to lie on his side.
However, the lunar lander was able to transmit images of the Moon to Earth. Scientists were also able to collect research data using Odysseus.
Odysseus is researching the effect of charged particles from the Sun on the surface of the Moon. People traveling to the Moon are exposed to these particles. Hence there is hardly any protection from the magnetic field as there is on Earth. The lunar lander was also used to conduct precision landing experiments.
-
Op zijn kant liggende Odysseus weet alsnog eerste beelden van maan te sturen
-
Amerikaanse maanlander Odysseus staat niet rechtop, maar ligt op zijn kant
“Web maven. Infuriatingly humble beer geek. Bacon fanatic. Typical creator. Music expert.”