Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Image credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

Caught on camera!

The troubled Intuitive Machines IM-1 Nova-C Moon lander, known as Odysseus, touched down on the Moon Thursday, February 22.

The arrow indicates the craft’s location. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter’s (LRO) powerful camera system, the LROC, spotted Odysseus, within a degraded one-kilometer diameter crater “where the local terrain is sloped at a sporty 12 degrees.

Before and after LRO imagery of the IM-1 landing locale shows the craft.

Expiration date: getting the cold shoulder

The LRO imagery confirms that Odysseus completed its landing at 80.13°S and 1.44°E at a 2579 m elevation, explains Intuitive Machines.

“After traveling more than 600,000 miles, Odysseus landed within 1.5 km of its intended Malapert A landing site, using a contingent laser range-finding system patched hours before landing,” the private group adds.

“Flight controllers intend to collect data until the lander’s solar panels are no longer exposed to light. Based on Earth and Moon positioning, we believe flight controllers will continue to communicate with Odysseus until Tuesday morning,” note controllers and the Intuitive Machines mission control.

End-to-End communication requirements

Intuitive Machines also added this update to the situation with Odysseus:

Image credit: Intuitive Machines

Image credit: Intuitive Machines

“Odysseus continues to communicate with flight controllers in Nova Control from the lunar surface. After understanding the end-to-end communication requirements, Odysseus sent images from the lunar surface of its vertical descent to its Malapert A landing site, representing the furthest south any vehicle has been able to land on the Moon and establish communication with ground controllers.”

“As part of Odysseus’ descent onto the lunar surface, Intuitive Machines Hazard Relative Navigation algorithms detected nine safe landing sites within the targeted south pole region, which is an area that contains permanently shadowed regions that may be rich in resources, including water ice that could be used for future propulsion and life support on the Moon.”

Click on for before/after LRO photos. Image credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).
Credit: NASA/GSFC