Current:Home > ContactA Russian spacecraft crashed on the moon last month. NASA says it's discovered where. -Streamline Finance
A Russian spacecraft crashed on the moon last month. NASA says it's discovered where.
Will Sage Astor View
Date:2025-04-10 15:26:15
NASA has released images showing where it believes Russia's failed Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the surface of the moon two weeks ago.
NASA said its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) operations team used estimates of the impact point published by Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, on Aug. 21, two days after the crash. The team then sent instructions to the LRO spacecraft to capture images of the area, which it did last week.
When the LRO team compared the new images to ones that were taken before the impact, in June 2022, they found a new crater.
MORE: New York to London in 90 minutes? NASA exploring passenger jet that could do it
"Since this new crater is close to the Luna-25 estimated impact point, the LRO team concludes it is likely to be from that mission, rather than a natural impactor," the agency wrote in a statement.
The new crater is nearly 33 feet wide and is located at about 58 degrees south latitude, on the southwest rim of the moon's Pontécoulant G impact crater, created millions of years ago, according to NASA.
The Luna-25 impact crater is a little more than 200 miles from where the spacecraft had planned to land, which was at near 70 degrees south latitude.
Russia launched the Luna-25 mission on Aug. 10 in an attempt to return to the moon for the first time since 1976 and intended to land in the lunar south polar region, an area that has been largely unexplored and is believed to contain frozen water. However, Russia's space agency lost contact with the spacecraft, and it crashed on Aug. 19 at 7:58 a.m. ET, two days before its scheduled landing.
Four days later, India became the fourth country to successfully land on the moon after its Chandrayaan-3 craft touched down in the south polar region, where it was scheduled to remain for two weeks, conducting experiments and gathering data.
MORE: NASA asks for help studying Uranus and Neptune as it prepares to capture new images
The moon is covered with impact craters from asteroids and comets striking the lunar surface, according to the Lunar Planetary Institute. Scientists measure the size and the number of craters in an area to determine their age, which can be as old as three billion years.
While Earth has had its share of impacts from space rocks, those craters are harder to recognize due to weather and the erosion of the Earth's surface. Because the moon lacks tectonic activity and flowing water, and its atmosphere is negligible, most lunar surface craters are still visible, the LPI said.
veryGood! (826)
Related
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Could Starliner astronauts return on a different craft? NASA eyes 2025 plan with SpaceX
- Unlock the Magic With Hidden Disney Deals Starting at $12.98 on Marvel, Star Wars & More
- Amid intense debate, NY county passes mask ban to address antisemitic attacks
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- Real Housewives of Atlanta’s Porsha Williams' Bedroom Makeover Tips: Glam It Up With Picks Starting at $5
- Jay Kanter, veteran Hollywood producer and Marlon Brando agent, dies at 97: Reports
- Nevada county won’t hand-count in 2024, but some officials support doing so in the future
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- Euphoria's Hunter Schafer Says Ex Dominic Fike Cheated on Her Before Breakup
Ranking
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- An Activist Will Defy a Restraining Order to Play a Cello Protest at Citibank’s NYC Headquarters Thursday
- Billy Bean was an LGBTQ advocate and one of baseball's great heroes
- Taylor Swift Cancels Austria Concerts After Confirmation of Planned Terrorist Attack
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- A Georgia governor’s latest work after politics: a children’s book on his cats ‘Veto’ and ‘Bill’
- $1 Frostys: Wendy's celebrates end of summer with sweet deal
- Louisiana high court temporarily removes Judge Eboni Johnson Rose from Baton Rouge bench amid probe
Recommendation
Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
Paris Olympics live updates: Quincy Hall wins 400m thriller; USA women's hoops in action
Family of explorer who died in the Titan sub implosion seeks $50M-plus in wrongful death lawsuit
Census categories misrepresent the ‘street race’ of Latinos, Afro Latinos, report says
Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
RFK Jr. grilled again about moving to California while listing New York address on ballot petition
Hidden Home Gems From Kohl's That Will Give Your Space a Stylish Refresh for Less
Harris and Walz are showing their support for organized labor with appearance at Detroit union hall