India landed a robotic spacecraft on the moon Wednesday, a feat that came just days after a Russian vehicle crashed into the surface after firing its thrusters for too long.
India’s spacecraft, without any astronauts on board, landed at about 8:30 a.m. Eastern time near the moon’s south pole, an area that several nations covet because it contains water in the form of ice in permanently shadowed craters.
Shortly after the lander touched down, the Indian space agency released a photo of the lunar surface taken from the craft but did not provide details about the health of the vehicle. Indian news reports indicated that a rover the vehicle carried had been deployed, but there was no official confirmation of that or whether the rover was operating normally. Plans call for it to operate for about 14 days to study the composition of the moon’s soil and rocks.
Congrats to India!
You'd think it would be a lot easier to colonize the moon than to try and colonize Mars.
India’s spacecraft, without any astronauts on board, landed at about 8:30 a.m. Eastern time near the moon’s south pole, an area that several nations covet because it contains water in the form of ice in permanently shadowed craters.
Shortly after the lander touched down, the Indian space agency released a photo of the lunar surface taken from the craft but did not provide details about the health of the vehicle. Indian news reports indicated that a rover the vehicle carried had been deployed, but there was no official confirmation of that or whether the rover was operating normally. Plans call for it to operate for about 14 days to study the composition of the moon’s soil and rocks.
Congrats to India!
You'd think it would be a lot easier to colonize the moon than to try and colonize Mars.
