April 20, 2024

A rogue rocket is on course to crash into the moon. It won’t be the first.

The publication contributed the article to Space.coms Expert Voices: Op-Ed & & Insights.Alice Gorman, Associate Professor in Archaeology and Space Studies, Flinders UniversityIn a few weeks time, a rocket introduced in 2015 is anticipated to crash into the moon. It is likely to take place on the far side of the moon, so it wont be noticeable from Earth.Related: SpaceX rocket phase on a collision course with the moon caught in telescope imagesFor those asking: yes, an old Falcon 9 2nd phase left in high orbit in 2015 is going to strike the moon on March 4. If they took off as planned, they would have scattered 144 medallions over the lunar surface.Read more: Tardigrades: Were now contaminating the moon with near-indestructible little creaturesOther crashes have been objectives gone incorrect, like the Israeli Beresheet lander in 2019. Its a chance to learn more about the moons mysterious far side.Changing attitudes to area junkIn the earlier Space Age, little idea was given to leaving what numerous call “trash” on the lunar surface.The moon is sometimes thought about a “dead” world because it has no life. The Declaration of the Rights of the Moon, created by a group of independent researchers, states the moon has “the right to exist, persist and continue its essential cycles unaltered, unscathed and unpolluted by human beings.

It is most likely to happen on the far side of the moon, so it will not be visible from Earth.Related: SpaceX rocket stage on a crash course with the moon captured in telescope imagesFor those asking: yes, an old Falcon 9 2nd phase left in high orbit in 2015 is going to strike the moon on March 4. Its an opportunity to find out more about the moons mystical far side.Changing mindsets to space junkIn the earlier Space Age, little thought was offered to leaving what many call “trash” on the lunar surface.The moon is in some cases thought about a “dead” world because it has no life. The Declaration of the Rights of the Moon, created by a group of independent researchers, mentions the moon has “the right to exist, continue and continue its crucial cycles unaltered, unpolluted and unscathed by human beings.