Odysseus Mission Could be Cut Short After Sending First Picture of the Moon
Odysseus tipped over, which means not all of the solar panels will receive sunlight to stay charged.
I’m kind of glad Leslie isn’t here to cover this because it means I get to. I’m geeking out about it!
BACKGROUND: Columbia Commander Rick Husband was my neighbor in Houston. A lovely man with a lovely family. He always came around when my grandmother visited. She just loved him! My parents were actually at the shuttle launch. I couldn’t go because of school. My mom also worked at the optometrist, who did all the glasses for the astronauts! (HI, MOM!!)
Anyway, Odysseus sent back a photo of the moon. This is history, you guys.
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… pic.twitter.com/CuCkOVvBqu
— Intuitive Machines (@Int_Machines) February 26, 2024
As part of Odysseus’ descent onto the lunar surface, 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…
— Intuitive Machines (@Int_Machines) February 26, 2024
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. Image credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State… pic.twitter.com/FFt8CXZPIC
— Intuitive Machines (@Int_Machines) February 26, 2024
Odysseus touched down closer to the Moon's South Pole than any other lander. The South Pole is the intended region for our @NASAArtemis missions because of resources for exploration and potential for scientific discovery. https://t.co/E3i2bix2Bz pic.twitter.com/exMXrJs6Jj
— NASA Moon (@NASAMoon) February 26, 2024
For the first time since the Apollo era, new NASA science instruments and tech demonstrations are operating on the Moon after @Int_Machines' Odysseus lander arrived on the lunar surface: https://t.co/l1VaQujvOZ
The IM-1 mission team expects to receive images in the coming days. pic.twitter.com/CZZXLG43C1
— NASA (@NASA) February 24, 2024
This is the first time in over 50 years that America is on the moon.
However…we have a problem, Houston.
Odysseus tipped over. It’s still collecting data, but the mission will end after five days instead of seven:
The company said during its first post-landing news briefing on Friday that Odysseus caught the bottom of one of its six landing legs on the uneven lunar surface on final descent and tipped over, coming to rest horizontally, apparently propped up on a rock.
Intuitive Machines executives speculated that the forward speed of the spacecraft on landing, about twice as fast as expected, may have been a factor in stumbling. But it remained uncertain whether use of the original laser range finders might have made a difference.
In any case, Odysseus’ sideways posture substantially limited how much its solar panels were exposed to sunlight, necessary for recharging its batteries. Moreover, two of its antennae were pointed toward the ground, impeding communications with the lander, the company said on Friday.
Odysseus will also no longer have light:
Images from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera team confirmed Odysseus completed its landing at 80.13°S and 1.44°E at a 2579 m elevation. 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.
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.
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Comments
The solution is to put solar collectors on both sides of the solar panels. That way, when the lander tips over (as many of them seem to), there will still be plenty of power.
I hope Odysseus makes it to the wine dark Sea of Tranquility.
I think we need some Nazi scientist it’s really quite amazing that we actually made it to the moon with men and back yet we have had so much trouble ever since
The remaining NAZI scientists are still on the moon. Duh.
martians pointing at the odysseus laughing
Found the problem. One of the DEI hires put this sign on the side of the lander:
d∩ puƎ sᴉɥ┴
Not mentioned in any press release is the original name for this spacecraft: Guam.
It was christened the SS Hank Johnson.
So, as an engineer, I’m curious: Why do we still build these things with legs, and try to land them like a toy? If it’s got humans in it, I can see the desire not to tumble it all over, but if it doesn’t have humans…?
Look, there are a lot of ways to land a vehicle on the moon, but most of them entail a LOT of fuel being expended. Why not build a ball that can roll right on, then right itself once it settles? Maybe detachable solar panels it can jettison before hitting ground? Why are we still trying to land something upright at high speed with all these delicate doohickeys sticking off of it? Where is the innovation?
My thoughts too. If Armstrong had not manually landed their craft it too, may have tipped over. I believe one of the Mars landers was a big ball that opened once it came to rest.
Balls are way more expensive than sticks, evidently.
I for one don’t want my balls landing on a hard rocky surface. Everyone knows balls are expensive, otherwise we wouldn’t call them the family jewels.
Odysseus on its Life Alert: “Help! I’ve fallen down and I can’t get up!”
What a pathetic sh*tshow.
Should have used wind turbines as backup power (j/k)
I love the way NASA just sucks up the credit for other people’s victories, just like the NRA does. (Fun fact: the NRA actively fought to sabotage Heller, originally Parker, from ever being heard.)
“It’s still collecting data, but the mission will end after five days instead of seven”
That’s what you get when you involve the federal government — all your workers suddenly get windfall time off.
Why is this history? Is it because it’s the first non-governmental craft to land?
Build a lander that can operate any side up. It’s not to complicated.
That’s true. It’s the age of smartphones, people are perfectly used to photos that are sideways or upside-down.
SpaceX can land a huge booster on a floating, undulating platform in the open ocean but this company couldn’t successfully land a dinky module on dry land in 1/6th the gravity with no atmospheric conditions to have to negotiate.
SpaceX boosted the payload and were successful. I don’t think they had anything to do with the lander
I know. My point was that the company that did the Moon lander couldn’t even accomplish 1/20th of what SpaceX does every single week. The Moon crash lander was a complete joke.
I’d say it’s already ended early since they couldn’t manage to stick the landing. Maybe they should have designed it like a Weeble people, you know they can’t fall over.