Last week, the first US spacecraft Peregrine, which set out to land on the Moon after 50 years, unfortunately did not achieve the expected success. A critical fuel leak caused the spacecraft to burn up during re-entry into the atmosphere, severely disrupting the goal of reaching the Moon.
Astrobotic Technology The company announced on Sunday that they terminated the mission by deciding to allow the spacecraft to disintegrate in the air as it fell to Earth. This tragic outcome once again revealed the difficulties and technical problems in the field of space exploration.
NASAPeregrine, representing an important step in ‘s Moon missions Spacecraft, Kennedy Space CenterThis problem, which started immediately after its launch from , prevented the spacecraft from achieving the planned success. However, the spacecraft managed to spend just over 10 days in space before burning up in Earth’s atmosphere on Thursday. One detail that should not be forgotten is that the spacecraft did not refrain from sharing photos of the Earth and its last moments.
The Spacecraft Will Be Destroyed in a Controlled Manner
The 1.2-ton spacecraft, which belongs to NASA and carries the hair sample of US President John F. Kennedy and the ashes of hundreds of people.peregrine“, will soon experience a malfunction after take-off and be destroyed in a controlled manner. More than 50 years since the Apollo mission Unfortunately, the first US space mission to the Moon surface failed due to the detection of a critical burn in the spacecraft.
The reason behind this important mission supported by NASA is the detection of the critical loss of fuel of the “Peregrine” spacecraft developed by the company called “Astrobotic Technology”. The company said the spacecraft was in a controlled manner as it fell to Earth on Sunday. “to disintegrate in the air” He decided to give permission and ended his duty.
The company believed that the spacecraft had the potential to operate for several more weeks and could miss Earth if it ran out of fuel. In the latest statement, it was emphasized that Peregrine’s re-entry did not pose a security risk and that they believed the spacecraft would burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere. Astrobotic and NASA plan to share more details about the mission at a press conference on Thursday.
“I look forward to sharing our experiences after the mission ends on January 18,” said John Thornton, CEO of Astrobotic. “This mission has already allowed us to learn a lot and increased our confidence that we can successfully soft-land our next Moon mission,” he said.
Spacecraft Disposal Options
Astrobotic had several options for destroying the Peregrine spacecraft. The spacecraft could be abandoned deep into the universe and left in the dark void forever. However, the company “risk of damaged spacecraft causing problems” He announced that he gave up implementing this plan considering the situation.
Once the Peregrine lander ran out of fuel, it would become uncontrolled debris that could crash into other objects in space, such as operational satellites. The company also plans to launch Peregrine, as many spacecraft have done on lunar missions in past years. “Hitting” the moon He might have considered the option. However, this plan was not put into practice. Once the spacecraft reached Earth, it would crash into the planet’s thick atmosphere at high speeds and be destroyed.
Astrobotic stated that the decision to bring back Peregrine was shaped after receiving “comments from the space community and the US Government regarding a safe and responsible course of action.”
Critical Errors
If Peregrine were to reach the Moon, it would be the first US spacecraft to land on the lunar surface since NASA’s Apollo 17 mission in 1972. However, just hours after the spacecraft was launched on January 8, the company admitted that a soft landing on the Moon was not possible. Astrobotic later changed its plan and decided to operate the spacecraft as a satellite while the fuel tanks were emptying.
Peregrine’s fuel leak slowed in the days following launch, allowing the spacecraft to drift for thousands of kilometers. For the duration of the mission, Peregrine was guided solely by attitude control thrusters, which are small engines mounted on the side of the lander and designed to maintain stability.
The company later announced that it was able to briefly operate one of the lander’s three main engines. However, due to fuel leakage, it was not possible to operate the main engines in a long-term and controllable manner. As of Monday, the spacecraft’s distance from Earth was determined to be approximately 351,000 kilometers. Scientists were able to successfully operate some science instruments and other equipment on the lander.
What the Spacecraft Achieved and What It Couldn’t Achieve
Two of NASA’s five payloads, the Neutron Spectrometer System and the Linear Energy Transfer Spectrometer, were activated to collect data on radiation levels in space. The Peregrine lander also activated a new sensor designed to help it land on the Moon. Called “Navigation Doppler Lidar,” it uses lasers to perform precise position calculations and the Doppler effect to measure distance. “Measurements and operations of science instruments provided by NASA will provide technical information and scientific data for future Moon missions,” NASA official Joel Kearns said in a statement.
However, at least one of NASA’s science instruments, the Laser Retroreflector Array, failed to operate. Similarly, a number of other payloads specifically designed for use on the Moon appear to have been tucked away on the Peregrine lander. These payloads include a space rover developed by Carnegie Mellon University and five small robots from the Mexican Space Agency designed to be deposited on the lunar surface.
The Peregrine spacecraft also carries a variety of memorabilia, letters, and even human remains that customers pay to contribute to the mission. This diversity offers an interesting perspective, bringing together the scientific and personal aspects of lunar exploration.
