Open Menu
AllLocalCommunitiesAbout
lotide
AllLocalCommunitiesAbout
Login

Athena spacecraft declared dead after toppling over on moon

⁨289⁩ ⁨likes⁩

Submitted ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨cm0002@lemmy.world⁩ to ⁨technology@lemmy.world⁩

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/07/athena-spacecraft-mission-dead

source

Comments

Sort:hotnewtop
  • kokesh@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I think the only one that can solve all of their problems is elon. He would fix it in few weeks. Include him in next launch, he will troubleshoot directly on the Moon. Please, someone, send that asshole to space.

    source
    • roofuskit@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      And he’s so full of hot air he doesn’t even need a suit.

      source
      • kokesh@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        He would try to smoke the moon regolith and come up with some rad ideas. Occupy Moon! Yeeeeaah

        source
        • -> View More Comments
    • marshadow@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Had me in the first half, ngl

      source
      • kokesh@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Haha, that was the idea 🤣

        source
  • Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I’d like to share a design concept with IM given that this is their second moon topple:

    Image

    source
    • Cocodapuf@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I mean, you’re not wrong. A low center of mass is legitimately a good idea.

      source
    • HiTekRedNek@lemm.ee ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Weebles wobble, but they don’t fall down!

      source
  • Uniquitous@lemmy.one ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    The first one fell over and sank into the ~~swamp ~~ crater.

    source
    • makyo@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Sooooo we built another one

      source
      • Cavemanfreak@lemm.ee ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        That sank into a crater. So we built a third one. That burned down, fell over, and then sank into a crater. But the fourth one stayed up. And that’s what you’re going to get, Lad, the strongest spacecraft on all of the Moon.

        source
        • -> View More Comments
  • BestBouclettes@jlai.lu ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Breaking news, space is really really hard

    source
    • VonReposti@feddit.dk ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      It’s not space that’s hard. Its more the stuff you encounter when you run out of space that’s hard.

      source
      • Lemminary@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Like when you run into me bc I’m hard 4 u bb. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

        source
    • MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      A hard void.

      source
  • over_clox@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Well that’s a facepalm of a faceplant 😂

    You’d almost think that by now they might have learned something from the Voyager 1 and 2 power systems and not relied completely on solar power…

    allaboutcircuits.com/…/voyager-mission-anniversar…

    source
    • Cocodapuf@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Eh… I think they should stick to solar power. Given how much trouble they’ve been having, let’s not give them any weapons grade isotopes…

      For what it’s worth, just last week, Firefly stuck the landIng on their first attempt. They’re seriously killing it these days, I’m happy for them.

      source
      • over_clox@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Solar power? On the south pole of the moon?

        That would just barely work on its own, even if the thing didn’t topple over.

        source
        • -> View More Comments
  • veeesix@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    When one day we get people back on the moon, is there a chance these devices could be brought back online?

    source
    • gibmiser@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      More likely salvaged as part of a permanent moon base.

      source
      • bamboo@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        This was a plot point in The Martian which was pretty neat. There was also an episode of Futurama which was also neat

        source
    • x00z@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Brought back*

      No need for this trash on the moon, even if it works.

      source
    • Cocodapuf@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Well, if we have boots on the moon, at that point we don’t need probes like these. At that point you just drop a sensor, or whatever experiment you want directly on the surface.

      source
      • veeesix@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        I was looking at it from the perspective of all the failed probes we’ve sent and whether or not the lost costs/missions could be recouped or completed somehow.

        source
        • -> View More Comments
  • tonytins@pawb.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    He’s dead, Jim.

    source
  • 1984@lemmy.today ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Athena (goddess of wisdom and war, strange combo).

    source
    • Coreidan@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Why?

      source
      • 1984@lemmy.today ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        There is no wisdom in war.

        source
        • -> View More Comments
  • MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Company that topled a mooncraft… topled another mooncraft.

    source
  • Warl0k3@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Landing a fridge on those spindly little legs did seem a bit… optimistic…

    source
    • Cocodapuf@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I really don’t understand the tall moon lander strategy… I mean, if you’re going to design it with a high center of gravity, then design it to fall over… Just use two landing legs instead of four, to ensure it falls over on the correct side. Then you put the solar panels on the side, so that when it topples over they’re facing up.

      I’ve literally done this in Kerbal space program, it’s a pretty reliable landing system if your probe is tall.

      source