Researchers believe they have finally confirmed the identity of the object that crashed into the moon on March 4, 2022, and explain why a piece of space junk left two craters on the moon’s surface instead of one. .
A team of engineers-turned-detectives from the University of Arizona say the object is the body of a Long March 3C rocket discarded by China in 2014. Chang’e 5-T1 Mission. This mission was designed to test a subsequent lunar module.
Although the China National Space Administration (CNSA) has not publicly announced the double crater, it is most likely caused by the rocket’s additional payload.
But without a closer look, it would be difficult to determine what it was. Craters are on the far side of the moon and cannot be seen directly from Earth.
“This is the first time we’ve seen a double crater.” To tell Tanner Campbell, aerospace engineer at the University of Arizona.
“In the case of Chang’e 5 T1, we know that the impact was almost directly below, so to make these two craters about the same size, you would need two craters of roughly equal mass, far apart from each other. ”
Astronomers had been tracking the object, named WE0913A, from its discovery on the Catalina Sky Survey in March 2015 until its final encounter with the moon’s surface last year.
Initially it was thought to be a SpaceX booster, but doubts soon arose about China’s 2014 mission.
In this latest study, the researchers analyzed the unidentified object’s movement and changes in reflected light just before the collision to determine exactly what it was.
The object’s rotation through space (rolling upside down) indicates a second mass acting as a counterweight for the engine on one side of the rocket, which also explains the double crater.
CSNA has not said what the additional payload was and denies that it is their rocket at all.
“Of course, we don’t know what it was. Perhaps there were additional support structures, additional equipment, or something else.” To tell Campbell.
“We’ll probably never know.”
It’s nothing unusual for spacecraft to discard rockets into the void of space, or for rockets to crash into the moon, but this latest incident is a reminder that space junk is becoming a growing problem. Masu.
This could cause serious damage to satellites in orbit and the International Space Station. Although much debris burns up in the atmosphere before reaching Earth, objects do pass through.
The researchers behind this latest study say anything heading into space needs to be carefully tracked.
“As we launch more and more objects onto the moon, it becomes very important to not only track those objects, but also understand what they are going to do once they get there.” To tell Roberto Furfallo is a mechanical engineer at the University of Arizona.
This study Planetary Science Journal.