KONTAN.CO.ID – JAKARTA. On March 4, 2022, a rocket is predicted to hit the side of the Moon.
Prof Don Pollacco, director at the Center for Space Domain Awareness, University of Warwick, explained that this incident was actually nothing to worry about. He also said this is not a dangerous issue for life on Earth.
“The moon has actually become a useful dumping ground for objects like the Apollo spacecraft. Instead of letting it float, most of the first and second stages (of the rocket) hit the Moon,” Pollacco said.
Likewise, researchers who study objects in Earth’s orbit also admit that they are not surprised by the prediction of the rocket crashing the Moon. “There is a certain orbit where the rocket booster is thrown,” Pollacco explained BBC Science Focus MagazineWednesday (23/2/2022) .
“There are still about 50 objects, possibly more, from space exploration that are not being tracked right now. Sometimes things like this (rockets hit the Moon) happen,” he continued.
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His comments followed a statement by US astronomer Bill Gray who stated that pieces of space debris would hit the Moon. Gray said the rocket was part of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 about to hit the Moon.
According to him, the rocket that has been passing around Earth for the past seven years is on a direct collision course with the Moon. However, Gray clarified again that he had misidentified the rocket, and again announced that the rocket that was about to hit the Moon was from China’s Chang’e 5-T1 mission which was launched in 2014.
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This is also supported by an analysis from a group of researchers in the Space Domain Awareness lab at the University of Arizona. However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman dismissed claims the Chang’e rocket would hit the Moon, saying that the rocket had burned up in Earth’s atmosphere after the mission was completed.
The impact of the rocket hitting the Moon
In this regard, the Center for Space Domain Awareness has studied the potential threat space debris poses to technology, such as satellites in Earth orbit. Especially satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), which are less than 2,000 km from Earth.
So far, Pollacco said, there has been no major threat posed by an event such as a rocket colliding with the Moon. However, he noted that small debris from space debris could cause damage to a passing spacecraft.
Because, this object is moving at a speed of more than 28,000 km per hour, and the impact has the potential to cause significant damage. “The number of small objects, even 10 cm in size, is completely unknown. They’re not observationally verified, so it’s a pretty serious situation,” Pollacco said.
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He also reminded scientists to always be aware of any potential dangers, which could arise from space missions.
“I think (what can be done) is responsibility and complying with the space treaty, which means reducing (launch in) orbit, or paying a levy when you launch (the rocket) so that there is an agency that can destroy the dormant spacecraft that is there.” , ” he concluded.
This article has been published on Kompas.com with the title “Rocket Will Hit the Moon March 4, 2022, Is It Dangerous? This is Expert Word“
Author: Zintan Prihatini
Editor: Holy Kartika Nurwigati Sumartiningtyas
Editor: Barratut Taqiyyah Rafie
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