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#intuitivemachines

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Other companies said I was daft to land a lander on the moon, but I built it all the same, just to show 'em. It sank into the regolith. So, I built a second one. That feĺl over onto its side. So, I built a third one. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the regolith, but the fourth one... stayed up! And that's what you're gonna get, lad: the strongest Intuitive Machine in Mons Mouton.

So the moon lander is toast, tipped over in a crater.

The part that gets me is this quote:

"The bigger, four-wheeled rover never made it off the fallen lander, but data beamed back indicates it survived and could have driven away had everything gone well"

The thing should've had an explosive emergency deploy, and a tow hitch and four-way flashers and they could've had it drag the failed lander back to a good location and orientation. Beep, beep, beep, "backing up here."

Continued thread

"A private lunar lander is no longer working after landing sideways in a crater near the moon’s south pole and its mission is over, officials said Friday. The news came less than 24 hours after the botched landing attempt by Texas-based Intuitive Machines. ... 'The mission has concluded and teams are continuing to assess the data collected throughout the mission,' the company said in a statement."

apnews.com/article/moon-landin

Athena lying on its side / Athena liegt auf der Seite

".. lander, Athena, landed 250 meters from its intended landing site in the Mons Mouton region .. Images downlinked from Athena on the lunar surface confirmed that Athena was on her side. .. in the crater, Intuitive Machines does not expect Athena to recharge. The mission has concluded .."

intuitivemachines.com/im-2

7.3.2025

Intuitive MachinesIM-2 | Intuitive Machines

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

Robert Heinlein wasn't referring to landing there, which is almost always trivial in #SciFi, but I find that novel's title suitable for #IntuitiveMachines' trouble in landing #Athena on the #Moon.

Government funded #spaceEconomy, i.e. subsidizing private companies to supposedly get cheaper/quicker results, has yet to prove any of it is true. What is true though, is that it has made #billionaires richer. #Oligarchy is not an accident.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moon

en.wikipedia.orgThe Moon Is a Harsh Mistress - Wikipedia
Continued thread

"Private lunar lander, with help from Columbia Sportswear, touches down on moon, but status is unknown" by AP via KGW News (NBC Portland) - Second lunar probe landing attempt by #IntuitiveMachines sent no telemetry so far after touchdown. Portland OR area watching again because insulating covers are made by Columbia Sportswear using space blankets they adapted from spacecraft tech for winter jackets, now back to use in space. kgw.com/article/tech/science/a #NewSpace #Moon #space #science #business #PNW

Just hearing a bit of the #intuitiveMachines press conference.

They're still not sure if they are upright or not. One bit of data - from the "Inertial measurement unit" suggests they are on their side. Some rocket engine data suggested they were upright.

Good data comms apparently, so they'll be able to do some things.

Continued thread

#Athena was communicating with controllers and generating solar power, officials said. But 20 minutes after touchdown, Crain still was unable to confirm if everything was all right with the lander. #NASA and #IntuitiveMachines abruptly ended their live landing webcast, promising more updates at a news conference later in the afternoon apnews.com/article/moon-landin