NASA spots new Moon crater, likely caused by crashed Russian probe / Photo: - - NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Arizona State University/AFP
-
Brussels Education Unions Schedule Major November Protest Over Funding and Reforms
-
Crowds Gather at San Francisco Park for Elizabeth Holmes Lookalike Tournament
-
Making Your Home Safer for Aging Parents: Accessibility Renovations That Add Value
-
New 401k Gold IRA Investment Guide Explains the Best Way to Invest in Gold for Retirement (2026 Update)
-
iPS Cell Research Accelerates Drug Discovery for ALS and Spinal Cord Injury
-
Central Tokyo Apartment Rents Forecast to Rise 11% by 2030
-
Rene Eyre Revisits Autobiographical Performance 'Say A Little Prayer' in London
-
London Museum Granted 24/7 License Ahead of November Opening
-
UAE's HCT Holds Record Graduation and Announces Major Training Expansion
-
Dana White Confirms Flight to Washington for Trump Meeting on Press Secretary Role
-
NASA Awards $10B Lunar Contract Framework to SpaceX, Blue Origin
-
Dengue Fever Expands Into High Himalayas as Climate Change Warms Nepal
-
Katy Perry Tells Fans Ex-Husband Russell Brand 'Should Be in Jail' During UK Concert
-
IoT Refrigerator Hacks Disrupt Blood Labs and Supermarkets Across Europe and US
NASA spots new Moon crater, likely caused by crashed Russian probe
NASA has spotted a small new crater on the Moon that was likely caused by a Russian probe crash landing on the surface around two weeks ago.
The finding was made by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) by comparing before and after images of the estimated impact point, provided by Russian space agency Roscosmos.
The Luna-25 probe crashed on August 19, scuppering Russia's hopes of reviving its long dormant Moon program with the first ever soft landing on the lunar south pole.
That accolade went instead to India, which successfully landed its Chandrayaan-3 mission on August 23 and is currently exploring the polar region with its Pragyan rover.
LRO, which has been in orbit over the Moon since 2009, took its most recent "before" image in June 2022. This was compared to an image taken on August 24, 2023.
"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," a NASA statement said.
The new crater is about 10 meters (32 feet) in diameter, some 400 kilometers (250 miles) short of Luna-25's intended landing point.
NASA also plans to return to the Moon under its Artemis program, with the goal of building a sustained presence. Ice deposits could be exploited to support human habitats, or broken down into hydrogen and oxygen for use as rocket fuel.
S.F.Warren--AMWN
