Current:Home > NewsA Russian spacecraft crashed on the moon last month. NASA says it's discovered where. -GrowthSphere Strategies
A Russian spacecraft crashed on the moon last month. NASA says it's discovered where.
View
Date:2025-04-18 13:10:41
NASA has released images showing where it believes Russia's failed Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the surface of the moon two weeks ago.
NASA said its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) operations team used estimates of the impact point published by Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, on Aug. 21, two days after the crash. The team then sent instructions to the LRO spacecraft to capture images of the area, which it did last week.
When the LRO team compared the new images to ones that were taken before the impact, in June 2022, they found a new crater.
MORE: New York to London in 90 minutes? NASA exploring passenger jet that could do it
"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 agency wrote in a statement.
The new crater is nearly 33 feet wide and is located at about 58 degrees south latitude, on the southwest rim of the moon's Pontécoulant G impact crater, created millions of years ago, according to NASA.
The Luna-25 impact crater is a little more than 200 miles from where the spacecraft had planned to land, which was at near 70 degrees south latitude.
Russia launched the Luna-25 mission on Aug. 10 in an attempt to return to the moon for the first time since 1976 and intended to land in the lunar south polar region, an area that has been largely unexplored and is believed to contain frozen water. However, Russia's space agency lost contact with the spacecraft, and it crashed on Aug. 19 at 7:58 a.m. ET, two days before its scheduled landing.
Four days later, India became the fourth country to successfully land on the moon after its Chandrayaan-3 craft touched down in the south polar region, where it was scheduled to remain for two weeks, conducting experiments and gathering data.
MORE: NASA asks for help studying Uranus and Neptune as it prepares to capture new images
The moon is covered with impact craters from asteroids and comets striking the lunar surface, according to the Lunar Planetary Institute. Scientists measure the size and the number of craters in an area to determine their age, which can be as old as three billion years.
While Earth has had its share of impacts from space rocks, those craters are harder to recognize due to weather and the erosion of the Earth's surface. Because the moon lacks tectonic activity and flowing water, and its atmosphere is negligible, most lunar surface craters are still visible, the LPI said.
veryGood! (15)
Related
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- Sabrina Carpenter Has the Best Response to Balloon Mishap During Her Concert
- Activists Deplore the Human Toll and Environmental Devastation from Russia’s Unprovoked War of Aggression in Ukraine
- A Legal Pot Problem That’s Now Plaguing the Streets of America: Plastic Litter
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Ocean Warming Doubles Odds for Extreme Atlantic Hurricane Seasons
- UPS workers poised for biggest U.S. strike in 60 years. Here's what to know.
- Now on Hold, Georgia’s Progressive Program for Rooftop Solar Comes With a Catch
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- Florida's new Black history curriculum says slaves developed skills that could be used for personal benefit
Ranking
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- Feds Will Spend Billions to Boost Drought-Stricken Colorado River System
- The Current Rate of Ocean Warming Could Bring the Greatest Extinction of Sealife in 250 Million Years
- Hawaii's lawmakers mull imposing fees to pay for ecotourism crush
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- Surprise discovery: 37 swarming boulders spotted near asteroid hit by NASA spacecraft last year
- Banks are spooked and getting stingy about loans – and small businesses are suffering
- White House to establish national monument honoring Emmett Till
Recommendation
Could your smelly farts help science?
Honoring Bruce Lee
Ron DeSantis threatens Anheuser-Busch over Bud Light marketing campaign with Dylan Mulvaney
A career coach unlocks the secret to acing your job interview and combating anxiety
Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
UN Report Says Humanity Has Altered 70 Percent of the Earth’s Land, Putting the Planet on a ‘Crisis Footing’
Ron DeSantis threatens Anheuser-Busch over Bud Light marketing campaign with Dylan Mulvaney
Hawaii's lawmakers mull imposing fees to pay for ecotourism crush
Like
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- Inspired by King’s Words, Experts Say the Fight for Climate Justice Anywhere is a Fight for Climate Justice Everywhere
- Gas Stoves in the US Emit Methane Equivalent to the Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Half a Million Cars