时间：2025-09-13 10:56:33 来源：网络整理编辑：綜合
NASA spotted a new crater on the moon. And it's likely not natural. While racing to become the first
NASA spotted a new crater on the moon. And it's likely not natural.
While racing to become the first nation to land a spacecraft in the moon's coveted south pole region, Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft — the country's first lunar mission in nearly half a century — crashed on Aug. 19. NASA's moon satellite, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, found the new 10-meter-wide (over 30 foot) crater.
"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 space agency wrote.
SEE ALSO:India shares video proof of its phenomenal moon landing and roverThe impact happened on the rim of the moon's Pontécoulant G crater, which is shown by an arrow in the image below.
The Luna-25 impact site at Pontécoulant G crater.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center / Arizona State UniversityTweet may have been deleted
It's not easy to land on the moon. Any lunar spacecraft must contend with a number of obstacles, namely limited fuel, lack of GPS navigation, and the lack of an atmosphere to slow down. Before Luna-25's descent, a thruster misfired, sending it into an erratic orbit.
Beyond showing Russia's renewed lunar ambitions and deep space prowess, the year-long mission also intended to research the moon's radiation, natural resources, and conditions for future lunar explorers in the murky south pole craters.
Want more scienceand tech news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable's Light Speed newslettertoday.
Yet just five days after the Luna-25 crash, India became the first nation to land in the south pole region. The Chandrayaan-3 mission softly touched down on Aug. 23, finding a safe landing spot in an area teeming with pits and craters. Soon after, the lander released its Pragyan rover, which is now exploring the south pole.
Indeed, the new space race is on. NASA's Artemis program plans to return astronauts to the moon perhaps by late 2025. An astronaut crew will land in the cryptic south pole, a place where the sun barely hangs over the horizon. Among a variety of scientific endeavors, they'll be looking for frozen water — an essential ingredient for future deep space missions.
TopicsNASA
Florida hurricane forecast remains uncertain, but trends in state's favor2025-09-13 10:55
J.K. Rowling has an inspirational piece of advice for budding writers2025-09-13 10:43
Baby born on a plane receives generous gift from airline2025-09-13 10:24
These celebrity Snapchats prove the VMAs got a little crazy2025-09-13 09:57
MashReads Podcast: What makes a good summer read?2025-09-13 09:53
Hasselblad's camera module adds 10x optical zoom to Moto Z phones2025-09-13 09:36
The Dead Sea's salty waters transformed this black dress2025-09-13 09:11
PewDiePie explains ISIS tweet that got him temporarily kicked off Twitter2025-09-13 08:48
Fake news reports from the Newseum are infinitely better than actual news2025-09-13 08:21
New mom calls out those who claim c2025-09-13 08:14
Plane makes emergency landing after engine rips apart during flight2025-09-13 10:33
'World's largest truffle' is worth thousands but looks like a lot of poop2025-09-13 10:04
Hurricane damage could triple in the U.S. if global warming goes unchecked2025-09-13 10:03
Joseph Schooling marks Olympic gold with new tattoo2025-09-13 09:55
The five guys who climbed Australia's highest mountain, in swimwear2025-09-13 09:44
'The Night Of' finale: Too good for a second season. Please don't ruin it, HBO.2025-09-13 09:19
Drunk man doesn't remember buying $40,000 bus2025-09-13 09:03
Optical illusion has everyone wondering what happened to this woman's torso2025-09-13 09:01
Florida hurricane forecast remains uncertain, but trends in state's favor2025-09-13 08:53
This totally redesigned condom just raised $1 million2025-09-13 08:43
