Moon lander tipped sideways on lunar surface but 'alive and well'

Reuters ^ | February 23, 20247:19 PM CST | By Steve Gorman and Joey Roulette

[Ronaldus Magnus III]

Back in January, a test Moon lander named SLIM landed on the Moon. Even though it landed upside down, it still functioned. It deployed 2 tiny rovers, one of the rovers is shaped like a ball. It was able to take photos of the upside-down SLIM.

Remember, much of the current activity is testing and proof-of-concept experimentation. Even the mighty Starship and Superheavy are still in the development/testing stages.

Before the Mercury astronauts climbed on top of the rocket, I remember many rocket tests where the rocket exploded. The bravery of those first spacemen was incredible.

[Red Badger]

Good idea......................

[devane617]

Camera will be taking pics of the sky and very close ups of dirt. Makes the Apollo missions even more remarkable.

[verum ago]

The company knew they had a problem last night. Very limited communication. No high speed communication. Many people speculated that it may have tipped over.

They initially explicitly stated it "is upright and sending data"

Which is interesting, as this article notes both the huge surge in stock value and trading volume they experienced after that.

Wonder how many people with insider knowledge cashed out on the stock's high after they lied and said it was upright...

[sphinx]

Time to rename “Odysseus” as “Brandon.”

[rfp1234]

Just like Odysseus, stranded on a beach, waiting to be rescued by Nausicaa and her retinue of fair maidens.

[RckyRaCoCo]

Has anyone talked to Hank Johnson for his thoughts on this matter?

Sheila Jackson Lee wants to know if the Mars rover can come and straighten it back up.

[MikelTackNailer]

[sevlex]

My design suggestion.....

[sevlex]

Great minds think alike.

[A strike]

I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up

[NWFree]

The landing was as goofy as the head of NASA

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Boston Dynamics needs to get involved. Too many moon landers tipping over that can't get up again.

[chud]

My design suggestion.....

Simple and effective, well done!

[dadgum]

Derp ping

[pfflier]

Hats off to Neil Armstrong!

That is certainly true!!

He had to clear obstacles as they landed too. He had to land long to avoid craters and boulders.

Advocates of unmanned aircraft should take note of this. The most advanced computer in an aircraft or spaceship is the human operator. They routinely deal with issues that artificial intelligence can't handle.

[Jolla]

was the Odysseus designed to lift off or return to earth?

[Red Badger]

Nope, it stays where it lays.

Until some future archaeologists bring it to the Lunar Museum in Luna City..................

[Bobbyvotes]

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/science/india-moon-landing-photos.html

[BenLurkin]

Nice