Odysseus Lunar Lander Tilted Sideways on Moon, Intuitive Machines Reveals
In a surprising turn of events, the Odysseus lunar lander, also known as “Odie” or IM-1, has been revealed to be tilted sideways on the moon. Intuitive Machines, the company responsible for building the spacecraft, made this announcement during a news conference on Friday. This revelation comes as a contradiction to their initial description of the lander as “upright” in an update posted on social media after its successful touchdown on the lunar surface.
According to Steve Altemus, the CEO of Intuitive Machines, data later showed that the spacecraft had likely tilted on its side after one of its feet got caught on a lunar rock during landing. Altemus used a small model of the lander to demonstrate this suspected issue during the news briefing, explaining that it came down at a speed of about 6 miles per hour horizontally and 2 miles per hour vertically.
Despite the tilt, Altemus assured that only one piece of cargo on Odysseus was affected – a piece of art sent to the moon by one of Intuitive Machines’ commercial customers. The CEO emphasized that the spacecraft remained in stable condition, with its solar panels fully charging its batteries. Some experimental technology payloads from NASA have already been tested, successfully achieving key mission objectives.
The revelation of the tilt came as a shock to Intuitive Machines, as they had already discovered a faulty piece of navigation equipment prior to descent. However, they managed to overcome this obstacle by using an experimental NASA instrument called the Navigation Doppler Radar (NDL), which happened to be onboard. Initially intended for a simple demo flight, the NDL was patched in by the company’s engineers in a hacking-like operation to save the mission.
The successful hack allowed Odysseus to make history as the first commercial spacecraft to soft-land on the moon. The last US spacecraft to achieve this feat was the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. However, both NASA and Intuitive Machines are still assessing whether Odysseus can fulfill all its science objectives. Joel Kearns, the deputy associate administrator for exploration in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, stated that they are evaluating if any measurements from the NASA-supplied payloads will be affected by the new orientation of the lander.
Despite these challenges, NASA considers the mission a significant accomplishment. Kearns praised the successful landing on the lunar south pole, an area of focus for future human Artemis missions. Intuitive Machines is currently working to assess the extent of Odysseus’ capabilities on the lunar surface and confirm the physical condition of the spacecraft after its unexpected fall.
The company plans to share images captured by the lander while on the moon, including a shot taken during its approach to the lunar surface. Additionally, they intend to deploy a device called EagleCam, which could capture an image of Odysseus from a distance. Tim Crain, Intuitive Machines’ chief technology officer, estimates that the lander will have approximately nine days to operate on the lunar surface, slightly longer than initially projected.
After nine days, Odysseus will face challenges as the sun moves beyond its solar arrays, leaving it in darkness. The batteries will attempt to keep the vehicle warm and alive, but eventually, it will succumb to the deep cold of the lunar night. At that point, the electronics produced by Intuitive Machines will not survive.
In conclusion, despite the unexpected tilt and challenges faced by Odysseus, the successful landing on the moon marks a significant achievement for both Intuitive Machines and NASA. The mission opens up new possibilities for future lunar exploration and paves the way for human missions to the lunar south pole. As we await further updates and images from the spacecraft, the world eagerly anticipates the scientific discoveries that Odysseus will uncover during its time on the lunar surface.
