2024-03-01 21:00:00
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Landing on the Moon is one of the most arduous challenges in space engineering and exploration. Despite significant technological advances since the last manned missions in the 1970s, only a handful of unmanned landers have successfully touched the lunar surface.
Thus, despite the miniaturization of technology and advances in computing and robotics, lunar missions must overcome enormous challenges, including precision space navigation to reach the Moon, safe landing on terrain that is unpredictable and dangerous, and the survival of equipment in extreme temperature and radiation conditions.
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The odyssey of reaching and landing on the Moon
The trip to space is already a feat, with the complexity of escaping the Earth’s atmosphere and traveling the approximately 384,400 kilometers to our natural satellite. Preparation for a lunar mission must overcome obstacles such as extreme thermal variability, deadly radiation and possible damage from micrometeorites, not to mention the meticulous planning required to ensure the spacecraft reaches its intended destination.
Once in lunar orbit, the immediate challenge is to accurately determine the location, speed and orientation of the spacecraft, crucial aspects for a successful landing attempt. The spacecraft’s navigation and control systems use complex data collected by onboard sensors and transmitted to Earth, where mission operators adjust the trajectory as necessary.
Why is the suit that astronauts wear to go to the Moon white?
Choose the landing site
The choice of landing site depends on multiple factors, including the scientific objectives of the mission and lunar geological characteristics. The lunar topography, with its plateaus, valleys and rocky “seas,” offers both scientific opportunities and significant landing risks.
The timing of landing is also crucial due to the long durations of lunar day and night, which directly affect the availability of solar energy for spacecraft operations. Planning the landing to ensure enough sunlight without risking the mission to extreme nighttime temperatures is a delicate balancing act..
ZUMAPRESS.com / Cordon Press
Odysseus, the last mission that has managed to reach the Moon.
The challenge of landing
The landing process is compared to landing aircraft on Earth, but without the help of GPS systems or radar towers. Lunar spacecraft must rely on their navigation systems and sensors to make a safe landing, a process made even more complex due to the lack of supporting infrastructure on the Moon.
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The final phase of landing involves maneuvering the craft to avoid hazards such as large rocks and craters, using advanced hazard detection and avoidance systems. This process is critical to ensuring a safe landing, especially on uneven terrain.
The success of a landing is confirmed when sensors on the spacecraft’s legs detect contact with the lunar surface, signaling the onboard systems to shut down the main engine and reactivate systems essential for communication with Earth.
Persistence in the face of failure: Peregrine
The recent Peregrine mission, carried out by the company Astrobotic Technology, symbolizes a significant milestone in lunar exploration, marking the United States’ return to the Moon after several decades of absence.
However, despite the leadership team’s efforts to stabilize the ship, a significant fuel leak occurred, forcing a rethink of the mission’s original objectives: a lunar landing was ruled out.
Faced with this setback, Astrobotic specialists are analyzing what valuable information can be extracted from the journey taken, seeking to maximize the benefits of the mission despite not reaching its main goal.
The mission’s other purposes included NASA’s ambitious task of identifying the presence of water on the satellite, along with measuring radiation and gas levels, and studying the lunar exosphere. These objectives sought to enrich our understanding of how solar radiation interacts with the lunar surface, providing crucial data for future exploration and possible human habitation on the Moon.
Yet despite numerous challenges and potential failures, lunar exploration continues to be driven by the desire to push the limits of our knowledge and technological capabilities. Each mission, successful or not, provides valuable lessons that contribute to the advancement of space exploration.
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