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Credit & Copyright: Intuitive Machines
Explanation:
Methalox
rocket engine firing, Odysseus' landing legs absorb
first contact with the lunar surface in this wide-angle snapshot from
a camera on board the robotic Intuitive Machines
Nova-C moon lander.
Following the
landing
on February 22,
broken landing legs,
visible in the image,
ultimately left the lander at rest but tilted.
Odysseus' gentle lean
into a sloping lunar surface
preserved the phone booth-sized lander's
ability to operate, collect solar power, and
return images and data to Earth.
Its
exact landing site
in the Moon's far south polar region
was imaged by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Donated by NASA,
the American flag seen on the lander's central panel is 1970 Apollo
program flight hardware.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Moon
Publications with words: Moon
See also:
- APOD: 2026 September 1 Á A Plane Lunar Eclipse
- APOD: 2026 August 25 Á Earths Shadow Visualized with Lunar Eclipses
- APOD: 2026 May 11 Á Moon Setting Behind Teide Volcano
- APOD: 2026 May 9 Á Messier Craters in Stereo
- APOD: 2026 April 15 Á The ISS Transits the Moon
- APOD: 2026 April 11 Á Artemis II: Flight Day 6
- The Bay of Rainbows