Planet Earth
hangs in the background of this space age selfie. The snapshot was captured by
the IM-2 Nova-C lander
Athena, just after stage
separation following its February 26 launch to the Moon. A tall robotic lander, Athena is scheduled to touch
down on Thursday, March 6, in Mons Mouton, a plateau near the Moon’s South Pole. The intended landing
site is in the central portion of one of the Artemis 3 potential landing regions. Athena carries rovers
and experiments as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program,
including a drill intended to explore beneath the lunar surface in a search for
evidence of frozen water. It also carries a propulsive drone dubbed the Micro Nova Hopper. After release to the lunar surface, the autonomous
drone is intended to hop into a nearby crater and send science data back to the
lander.
Image & info via APOD
Image Credit: Intuitive Machines
Source: Athena to the
Moon – Scents of Science
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