The New Moon mission will attempt to make a historic landing

Editor's Note: A version of this story appeared in CNN's science newsletter Wonder Theory. To get it in your inbox, Sign up for free here.



CNN

On July 20, 1969, the world watched humanity land on the moon for the first time.

But the perfect landing of NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong's Eagle lunar lander was anything but easy.

While he and fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin were flying over the intended landing site, Armstrong looked out the window and appeared. He saw a treacherous rock field. Relying on his piloting skills, Armstrong manually navigated to a safe landing site, with only 30 seconds of fuel remaining.

After explorations of the lunar surface by the remaining Apollo missions, it has been more than 50 years since the United States landed a spacecraft on the moon. Now, a new robotic explorer is on its way to attempt the feat.

NASA

The spacecraft, nicknamed Odie, is about the size of a phone booth.

After launching early Thursday morning, the Odysseus lunar lander, or “Ode,” set off on a historic journey to the moon.

The mission, developed by NASA and Houston-based Intuitive Machines, aims to land near the moon's south pole on February 22.

The spacecraft carries a camera system called EagleCam to film its descent, an original sculpture designed in collaboration with artist Jeff Koons, and scientific and technological experiments that can… Assisting in future moon landing missions Like Artemis III.

After the death of naturalist Charles Darwin in 1882, his impressive library began to dwindle, and many of his books and publications ended up elsewhere over time.

See also  The unique parallel pathways of the human brain

Now, the Darwin Project has virtually reassembled its 7,400-title library after 18 years of painstaking research.

Project leader Dr John Van Wehe, a historian of science at the National University of Singapore, said researchers had to track down many previously unknown titles, resulting in “5,000 little detective stories” that helped them recreate his original collection.

Among the books were some surprising discoveries, including The last novel is said to have been read aloud by Darwin Before his death.

P. Hoy, University of Rostock, model created using Agisoft Metashape by J. Auer, LAKD MV

Researchers have created a 3D model of the submerged stone wall as it appears on the seafloor in Mecklenburg Bay, Germany.

While surveying the sea floor in Germany's Mecklenburg Bay, a team of scientists made an unexpected discovery of a living organism. A huge ancient structure sunken in the Baltic Sea.

The investigation, using diving teams and underwater robots, revealed a wall made of 1,670 stones extending more than half a mile (1 kilometre).

Experts believe that the wall served as one of the oldest known hunting structures from the Stone Age. The barrier was likely built about 11,000 years ago to help hunters and gatherers chase reindeer through the sparse landscape after the last ice age.

Separately, the wreck of the SS Arlington, a bulk carrier that sank in 1940, was found at the bottom of Lake Superior, but the discovery Only one of the shipwreck mysteries is solved.

Researchers have pieced together the amazing story of the oldest known Stone Age immigrant to Denmark.

See also  How NASA's InSight Data Is Rewriting Mars' History

Vitrup Man was violently killed and dumped in a swamp in Denmark 5,200 years ago, and his remains were first discovered in 1915. By studying bone collagen and teeth of Vitrup Man, scientists were able to establish a history of its geographic movements and diet.

Born and raised along the Scandinavian coast living on seafood, Vitrup Mann suddenly crossed the sea to live and eat like a farmer in Denmark when he was still a teenager. He lived this way until he was bludgeoned on the head between the ages of 30 and 40.

The team believes his death may have been brutal Part of the religious sacrifice in the swamp.

Gaurav Ramnarayanan

Wildlife photographer and safari guide Gaurav Ramnarayanan spotted this golden tiger in Kaziranga National Park in India.

The unexpected sighting of a rare golden leopard in Kaziranga National Park in India was nothing short of extraordinary Experience for photographers in January. But environmentalists consider the animal's appearance a worrying sign.

The park is home to the largest population of tigers in the region. There are only a few golden tigers in the wild, and they… The distinctive fur color comes from a genetic mutationUma Ramakrishnan, a professor of ecology at India's National Center for Biosciences, said these errors are like “spelling errors in DNA.”

With migration routes closed due to rapid development, inbreeding resulting from isolation could make the park's tiger population more vulnerable to genetic mutations and diseases.

Meanwhile, a new landmark report warns that human intervention could be causing this to happen Hundreds of migratory species on Earth are becoming extinct.

See also  Did dinosaurs reach their maximum size?

Dig deeper into these interesting stories:

— The history of kissing is more complicated than it seems, but evidence from the ancient world shows it Humans have been kissing romantically for at least 4,500 years.

– a A small surgical robot on board the International Space Station She successfully performed her first procedures on simulated tissue while surgeons operated the device remotely in Lincoln, Nebraska.

A shallow, salty lake in British Columbia, called Last Chance Lake, could help scientists Solve the mystery of how life appeared on EarthAnd how it could be formed on other worlds.

— Nearly 2,000 years after it was laid, an intact egg has been found at an ancient Roman site It still has liquid inside.

Like what I read? Oh, but there's more. Register here To receive in your inbox the next issue of Wonder Theory, brought to you by CNN Space and Science writers Ashley Strickland And Katie Hunt. They find wonder at planets beyond our solar system and discoveries from the ancient world.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *