Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2024 February 24
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                                 To the Moon
                     Image Credit: [3]Intuitive Machines

   Explanation: Intuitive Machines' [4]robotic lander Odysseus has
   accomplished the first U.S. landing on the Moon since the [5]Apollo 17
   mission in 1972. Launched on a SpaceX rocket on February 15, the phone
   booth sized lander reached lunar orbit on the 21st and touched down on
   the lunar surface at 6:23 pm ET on February 22nd. Its landing region is
   about 300 kilometers north of the [6]Moon's south pole, near a crater
   designated Malapert A. The lander is presently collecting solar power
   and transmitting data back to the Intuitive Machines' mission control
   center in Houston. The mission marks the first commercial uncrewed
   landing on the Moon. Prior to landing, Odysseus’ camera captured this
   extreme wide angle image (landing legs visible at right) as it flew
   over [7]Schomberger crater some 200 kilometers from its landing site.
   Odysseus was still about 10 kilometers above the lunar surface.

                  Tomorrow's picture: Phoenix over Iceland
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    Authors & editors: [19]Robert Nemiroff ([20]MTU) & [21]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([22]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [23]Specific rights apply.
              [24]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [25]ASD at [26]NASA / [27]GSFC,
                         [28]NASA Science Activation
                           & [29]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2402/im-moon-imageFeb23_1024.jpg
   3. https://www.intuitivemachines.com/
   4. https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-tech-contributes-to-soft-moon-landing-agency-science-underway/
   5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240117.html
   6. http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/237
   7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schomberger_(crater)
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240223.html
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  12. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  17. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=240224
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240225.html
  19. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  20. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  21. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  22. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  24. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  25. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  26. https://www.nasa.gov/
  27. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  28. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  29. http://www.mtu.edu/