Current:Home > reviewsA Russian spacecraft crashed on the moon last month. NASA says it's discovered where. -WealthRoots Academy
A Russian spacecraft crashed on the moon last month. NASA says it's discovered where.
View
Date:2025-04-15 19:54:13
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! (53)
Related
- Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
- A federal grand jury in Puerto Rico indicts three men on environmental crimes
- RHOC's Shannon Beador Breaks Silence on Her Ex John Janssen Dating Alum Alexis Bellino
- Get the Holiday Party Started with Anthropologie’s Up to 40% Off Sale on Party Favorites
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Russell Simmons speaks out on 2017 rape, assault allegations: 'The climate was different'
- SAG-AFTRA members approve labor deal with Hollywood studios
- Court largely sides with Louisiana sheriff’s deputies accused in lawsuit of using excessive force
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Eduardo Rodriguez agrees to $80 million deal with NL champion Diamondbacks
Ranking
- Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
- Sara Bareilles admits she was 'freaked out' recording 'Waitress' live musical movie
- Officer and utility worker killed in hit-and-run crash; suspect also accused of stealing cruiser
- A woman hurled food at a Chipotle worker. A judge sentenced the attacker to work in a fast-food restaurant
- Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
- Wisconsin appeals court upholds decisions denying company permit to build golf course near park
- Former Polish President Lech Walesa, 80, says he is better but remains hospitalized with COVID-19
- Robert Pattinson and Suki Waterhouse Make First Public Appearance Together Since Pregnancy Reveal
Recommendation
Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
Did you get a credit approval offer from Credit Karma? You could be owed money.
Tony Hawk Shares First Glimpse of Son Riley’s Wedding to Frances Bean Cobain
A nurse’s fatal last visit to patient’s home renews calls for better safety measures
From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
Indiana’s appeals court hears arguments challenging abortion ban under a state religious freedom law
Azerbaijan to hold snap presidential election on February 7, shortly before Russia’s vote
Germany’s chancellor lights first Hanukkah candle on a huge menorah at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate