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On April 11, SpaceIL, an Israeli non-profit organization, attempted to put a small robot on the surface of the moon. But a wandering software command apparently caused the main engine of the LG to stop.
SpaceIL restarted the probe, called Beresheet, and reactivated the engine, but it was too late. The probe hit the moon to never be heard again.
NASA scientists claim to have discovered the impact site of the spacecraft, weighing about 1,300 pounds, and having photographed it with the lunar reconnaissance orbiter of the moon. agency, which constantly captures images of the surface of the moon.
New before-and-after photos taken around April 22 and released on Wednesday reveal the results of Beresheet's high-speed crash. The images of the LRO camera system, called LROC, are presented in the animation below.
"As the spacecraft landed, it first hit the surface at about 1,000 meters per second [2,200 mph] faster than expected, "Mark Robinson, a lunar researcher at NASA, said in a blog post about the images.
This speed is about twice as fast as a bullet fired by a gun. Robinson added that Beresheet descended at an acute angle and disintegrated at the moment of impact, leaving a large scar on the moon.
According to Robinson, the speed of the Beresheet impact resembled digging the lunar surface instead of leaving a crater. This spread the soil about 100 meters and left a "dark spot" about 10 meters wide.
Below two images of the site of the impact. The photo on the left is not modified, while the one on the right is improved to enhance the contrast and highlight the ground patterns projected on the lunar surface.
Robinson, however, finished his article on the event on his blog.
"Despite this incident, it is important to remember that Beresheet was the first spacecraft developed and piloted by a non-profit entity to orbit the moon," he said. "And SpaceIL has announced that it will still try with Beresheet 2!"
SpaceIL has not yet announced any scheduled release dates or other details.
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