Odysseus, an American lunar lander that had a doomed, wonky descent on the moon, sent its final image on Thursday before its power banks depleted, said Intuitive Machines (IM), the private company behind the project that saw America reach the Moon after over 50 years.
The final image
The photograph “showcases the crescent Earth in the backdrop, a subtle reminder of humanity’s presence in the universe,” said IM. As per the company, the image was actually captured more than a week back on February 22, the day Odysseus touched down near the Moon’s south pole. However, it was only received on Thursday.
“Goodnight, Odie. We hope to hear from you again,” said the company to the spaceship that achieved America’s first lunar touchdown since the manned Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
Is Odysseus out of commission forever?
With the onset of the long lunar night, flight controllers cannot attempt to awaken the lander for another two or three weeks. However, nothing is certain. Recently, Japan’s SLIM spaceship, which in January had landed upside down, was successfully resurrected.
Toppled over craft
Odysseus reached the Moon last Thursday (Feb 22) after an 11th-hour navigational glitch and white-knuckle descent that ended with it landing in a sideways or sharply tilted position. This toppled position has impeded the spacecraft’s communications and solar-charging capability.
On Friday, Intuitive Machines said that two of the spacecraft’s communication antennae were pointed the wrong way and thus were knocked out of commission. Likewise, Odysseus’ solar panels were facing the wrong direction, thereby limiting the vehicle’s ability to recharge its batteries.
As per the company, the navigational issues were due to human error.
Source: https://www.wionews.com/science/goodnight-odie-wonky-us-moon-lander-odysseus-goes-dark-with-power-banks-depleted-695405
