<p><meta name="uuid" content="uuidvW0YBhtCk3dN" /><meta charset="utf-8" />The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Friday (Apr 5) released images of a mysterious silver surfboard-shaped object&nbsp;which was orbiting the Moon.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The identity of the object, which was captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) last month, has now been revealed. LRO has been circling and studying the Moon for 15 years.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The curious souls might think it's an Unidentified flying object (UFO), but it's not.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/moon-once-literally-turned-itself-inside-out-scientists-wonder-how-709404">Moon once 'literally turned itself inside out'. Scientists wonder 'how'</a>&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>NASA revealed that LRO last month captured several images of Korea Aerospace Research Institute's Danuri lunar orbiter, which may appear to be mysterious unless explained.&nbsp;</p>

<p>NASA said that the two spacecraft zipped past each other in opposite directions between March 5 and 6, 2024. Both spacecraft were travelling in nearly parallel orbits.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Danuri is Korea's first spacecraft on the Moon and has been in lunar orbit since December 2022.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/crushed-and-grounded-to-dust-a-violent-end-awaits-our-solar-system-709327">A violent end awaits our solar system as all planets will be 'crushed' to dust one day</a>&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>NASA said in its reports that the LRO operations team at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland needed "exquisite timing" in pointing LROC to the right place at the right time to catch a glimpse of Danuri.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The task, however, was not easy because of the fast relative velocities between the two spacecraft, which is about 11,500 kilometres per hour.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The American space agency said that LRO's narrow-angle camera captured the images during three orbits that happened to be close enough to Danuri’s to grab the images.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">To be clear, the Danuri orbiter is not a weirdly thin load of pixels—it's a fairly normal-looking orbiter. But the terrific speeds involved mean that it's smeared on the LRO's camera detector.<br />
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Here it is in "unsmeared" form, by the LRO team: <a href="https://t.co/qrcXH428CP">pic.twitter.com/qrcXH428CP</a></p>
— Paul Byrne (@ThePlanetaryGuy) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThePlanetaryGuy/status/1776303112883507357?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="und">I pronađemo. Orbiter 'Danuri', Južna Koreja, na 8 km ispod LRO <a href="https://t.co/S2IfS1GYpk">pic.twitter.com/S2IfS1GYpk</a></p>
— Underdog (@BLANKTIPLER) <a href="https://twitter.com/BLANKTIPLER/status/1776496012476981532?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Darkness blankets Niagara falls during solar eclipse</strong></p>

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<p>LRO was launched in 2009 and has collected crucial data with its seven powerful instruments. It has emerged as an invaluable contribution to the study of the Moon.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Although LRO's camera exposure time was very short, only 0.338 milliseconds, Danuri still appears smeared to 10 times its size in the opposite direction of travel because of the relative high travel velocities between the two spacecraft," NASA said in its report.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Friday (Apr 5) released images of a mysterious silver surfboard-shaped object which was orbiting the Moon.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Friday (Apr 5) released images of a mysterious silver surfboard-shaped object which was orbiting the Moon. The identity of the object, which was captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) last month, has now been revealed. LRO has been circling and studying the Moon for 15 years. The curious souls might think it's an Unidentified flying object (UFO), but it's not. Also read: Moon once 'literally turned itself inside out'. Scientists wonder 'how' NASA revealed that LRO last month captured several images of Korea Aerospace Research Institute's Danuri lunar orbiter, which may appear to be mysterious unless explained. NASA said that the two spacecraft zipped past each other in opposite directions between March 5 and 6, 2024. Both spacecraft were travelling in nearly parallel orbits. Danuri is Korea's first spacecraft on the Moon and has been in lunar orbit since December 2022. Also read: A violent end awaits our solar system as all planets will be 'crushed' to dust one day NASA said in its reports that the LRO operations team at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland needed "exquisite timing" in pointing LROC to the right place at the right time to catch a glimpse of Danuri. The task, however, was not easy because of the fast relative velocities between the two spacecraft, which is about 11,500 kilometres per hour. The American space agency said that LRO's narrow-angle camera captured the images during three orbits that happened to be close enough to Danuri’s to grab the images. To be clear, the Danuri orbiter is not a weirdly thin load of pixels—it's a fairly normal-looking orbiter. But the terrific speeds involved mean that it's smeared on the LRO's camera detector. Here it is in "unsmeared" form, by the LRO team: pic.twitter.com/qrcXH428CP — Paul Byrne (@ThePlanetaryGuy) April 5, 2024 × I pronađemo. Orbiter 'Danuri', Južna Koreja, na 8 km ispod LRO pic.twitter.com/S2IfS1GYpk — Underdog (@BLANKTIPLER) April 6, 2024 × Watch: Darkness blankets Niagara falls during solar eclipse × LRO was launched in 2009 and has collected crucial data with its seven powerful instruments. It has emerged as an invaluable contribution to the study of the Moon. "Although LRO's camera exposure time was very short, only 0.338 milliseconds, Danuri still appears smeared to 10 times its size in the opposite direction of travel because of the relative high travel velocities between the two spacecraft," NASA said in its report. (With inputs from agencies)

A mysterious silver object has been orbiting the Moon for 15 years. What is it?

<p><meta name="uuid" content="uuidzQMK0RSYQLGX" /><meta charset="utf-8" />Nearly two weeks after Russia's Luna-25 lunar probe crashed into the Moon, US space agency NASA has released an image that shows the likely final resting place of the mission.&nbsp;</p>

<p>NASA released a statement on Thursday (August 31) saying its sharp-eyed Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) had likely found the crash site last week. Using the estimated impact site data provided by Russia's space agency Roscosmos, NASA said LRO's handlers went looking for Luna-25's grave.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Using the probe's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC), the team managed to image the suspected crash site on August 24. After comparing the new image with a previous photo of the same region captured by LROC in June 2022, the team was able to make the discovery.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russias-luna-25-probe-crashes-on-moon-627203" target="_blank"><strong>Also read | Luna-25 crashes into moon; Russia’s lunar mission ends</strong></a></p>

<p>The before and after photos showed a bright, fresh crater on the moon that had developed in the past 14 months.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Since this new crater is close to the Luna-25 estimated impact point, the LRO team concludes it is likely to be from that mission, rather than a natural impactor," NASA said in a statement.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to the agency, the new crater is about 10 metres in diameter and is located at 57.865 degrees south latitude and 61.360 degrees east longitude at an elevation of about minus 360 meters.</p>

<p>Notably, LRO is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland since being launched in June 2009.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/luna-25-russian-lunar-mission-comes-to-an-end-spacecraft-moved-to-an-unpredictable-orbit-627257"><strong>Watch |&nbsp;Luna 25: Russian lunar mission comes to an end: Spacecraft moved to an unpredictable orbit</strong></a></p>

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<h2><strong>What happened to Luna-25?</strong></h2>

<p>Luna-25, the first Russian Moon mission in nearly 50 years, crashed into the lunar surface after it spun into an uncontrolled orbit. According to Roscosmos, a day prior to the crash, the probe reported an "emergency" while performing a routine manoeuvre.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"During the operation, an emergency situation occurred on board the automatic station, which did not allow the manoeuvre to be performed with the specified parameters," Roscosmos stated.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The lunar probe was expected to remain on the lunar surface for an entire year to perform critical scientific tasks of collecting samples and conducting soil analysis. The lander had as many as eight different science instruments on it.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Luna-25 was launched on August 10 from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, in Russia's Far East region and reached the lunar orbit six days later. The probe was due to touch down near the lunar South Pole on August 20.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE:&nbsp;</strong></p>

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Nearly two weeks after Russia's Luna-25 lunar probe crashed into the Moon, US space agency NASA has released an image that shows the likely final resting place of the mission.

Nearly two weeks after Russia's Luna-25 lunar probe crashed into the Moon, US space agency NASA has released an image that shows the likely final resting place of the mission. NASA released a statement on Thursday (August 31) saying its sharp-eyed Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) had likely found the crash site last week. Using the estimated impact site data provided by Russia's space agency Roscosmos, NASA said LRO's handlers went looking for Luna-25's grave. Using the probe's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC), the team managed to image the suspected crash site on August 24. After comparing the new image with a previous photo of the same region captured by LROC in June 2022, the team was able to make the discovery. Also read | Luna-25 crashes into moon; Russia’s lunar mission ends The before and after photos showed a bright, fresh crater on the moon that had developed in the past 14 months. "Since this new crater is close to the Luna-25 estimated impact point, the LRO team concludes it is likely to be from that mission, rather than a natural impactor," NASA said in a statement. According to the agency, the new crater is about 10 metres in diameter and is located at 57.865 degrees south latitude and 61.360 degrees east longitude at an elevation of about minus 360 meters. Notably, LRO is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland since being launched in June 2009. Watch | Luna 25: Russian lunar mission comes to an end: Spacecraft moved to an unpredictable orbit × What happened to Luna-25? Luna-25, the first Russian Moon mission in nearly 50 years, crashed into the lunar surface after it spun into an uncontrolled orbit. According to Roscosmos, a day prior to the crash, the probe reported an "emergency" while performing a routine manoeuvre. "During the operation, an emergency situation occurred on board the automatic station, which did not allow the manoeuvre to be performed with the specified parameters," Roscosmos stated. The lunar probe was expected to remain on the lunar surface for an entire year to perform critical scientific tasks of collecting samples and conducting soil analysis. The lander had as many as eight different science instruments on it. Luna-25 was launched on August 10 from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, in Russia's Far East region and reached the lunar orbit six days later. The probe was due to touch down near the lunar South Pole on August 20. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Final resting place of Russia's Luna-25 lunar probe likely spotted. See photos

<p>The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Friday, tweeted out images of the "targeted landing site of India’s Chandrayaan-2 lander Vikram" and stated that the lander had a "hard landing". The "precise location of the spacecraft in the lunar highlands has yet to be determined," NASA said in a statement.&nbsp;</p>

<p>NASA's statement further added that the lander may have been obscured by shadows as it "was dusk when the landing area was imaged and thus large shadows covered much of the terrain".</p>

<p>NASA'S Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter&nbsp;(LRO) flew over Vikram's landing site on September 17. Another attempt will be made to spot the lander on October 14.</p>

<p>India <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/in-an-emotional-moment-pm-modi-hugs-consoles-teary-eyed-isro-chief-248168">lost contact</a>&nbsp;with the spacecraft it was trying to land on the moon in a setback for the nation's plans to become the first country to probe the unexplored lunar south pole.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Our <a href="https://twitter.com/LRO_NASA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LRO_NASA</a> mission imaged the targeted landing site of India’s Chandrayaan-2 lander, Vikram. The images were taken at dusk, and the team was not able to locate the lander. More images will be taken in October during a flyby in favorable lighting. More: <a href="https://t.co/1bMVGRKslp">https://t.co/1bMVGRKslp</a> <a href="https://t.co/kqTp3GkwuM">pic.twitter.com/kqTp3GkwuM</a></p>
— NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1177326999657943060?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p>The lander of the Chandrayaan-2 moon mission was attempting a "soft," or controlled, landing near the south pole of the moon where scientists believe there could be water ice. Communication was lost just as it was about to touch down.</p>

<p>In any case, hopes of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/communication-with-vikram-lander-lost-announces-isro-chairman-248133">contacting</a> the Vikram lander have waned since the September&nbsp;6 landing attempt. Officials from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said imagery from the country’s Chandrayaan 2 orbiter, which launched in tandem with the Vikram lander, had located the landing craft on the moon.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, the Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) has been trying to re-establish contact with the lander since the landing attempt. Data immediately before losing contact suggests that Vikram was descending at high speed, making it very hard to decipher if the lander is intact. The hopes of re-establishing contact are even lesser now, as the lander was designed for a two-week mission.</p>

<p>However, the lander and the rover were only a part of the moon mission and Chandrayaan 2's <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/chandrayaan-2-orbiter-performing-mission-to-complete-satisfaction-isro-250657">orbiter was still orbiting the moon</a> and will collect and send back valuable data for one year.</p>

<p>Only the United States, Russia, and China have landed on the moon. Beijing's Chang'e-4 probe touched down on the far side this year, while Israel made an unsuccessful attempt to land its Beresheet spacecraft on the moon in April.</p>

<p>India's space plans don't end here.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Last year, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 100 billion Rupee project - named 'Gaganyaan' - that aims to send a three-member crew to low earth orbit by 2022.</p>


The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Friday, tweeted out images of the "targeted landing site of India’s Chandrayaan-2 lander Vikram" and stated that the lander had a "hard landing".

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Friday, tweeted out images of the "targeted landing site of India’s Chandrayaan-2 lander Vikram" and stated that the lander had a "hard landing". The "precise location of the spacecraft in the lunar highlands has yet to be determined," NASA said in a statement. NASA's statement further added that the lander may have been obscured by shadows as it "was dusk when the landing area was imaged and thus large shadows covered much of the terrain". NASA'S Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) flew over Vikram's landing site on September 17. Another attempt will be made to spot the lander on October 14. India lost contact with the spacecraft it was trying to land on the moon in a setback for the nation's plans to become the first country to probe the unexplored lunar south pole. Our @LRO_NASA mission imaged the targeted landing site of India’s Chandrayaan-2 lander, Vikram. The images were taken at dusk, and the team was not able to locate the lander. More images will be taken in October during a flyby in favorable lighting. More: https://t.co/1bMVGRKslp pic.twitter.com/kqTp3GkwuM — NASA (@NASA) September 26, 2019 × The lander of the Chandrayaan-2 moon mission was attempting a "soft," or controlled, landing near the south pole of the moon where scientists believe there could be water ice. Communication was lost just as it was about to touch down. In any case, hopes of contacting the Vikram lander have waned since the September 6 landing attempt. Officials from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said imagery from the country’s Chandrayaan 2 orbiter, which launched in tandem with the Vikram lander, had located the landing craft on the moon. Meanwhile, the Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) has been trying to re-establish contact with the lander since the landing attempt. Data immediately before losing contact suggests that Vikram was descending at high speed, making it very hard to decipher if the lander is intact. The hopes of re-establishing contact are even lesser now, as the lander was designed for a two-week mission. However, the lander and the rover were only a part of the moon mission and Chandrayaan 2's orbiter was still orbiting the moon and will collect and send back valuable data for one year. Only the United States, Russia, and China have landed on the moon. Beijing's Chang'e-4 probe touched down on the far side this year, while Israel made an unsuccessful attempt to land its Beresheet spacecraft on the moon in April. India's space plans don't end here. Last year, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 100 billion Rupee project - named 'Gaganyaan' - that aims to send a three-member crew to low earth orbit by 2022.

NASA says Chandrayaan-2's Vikram's landing site obscured by shadows

The Moon is steadily shrinking, causing wrinkling on its surface and earthquakes, according to an analysis of imagery captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) published Monday.

The Moon is shrinking due to earthquakes, claims study

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A mysterious silver object has been orbiting the Moon for 15 years. What is it?

Final resting place of Russia's Luna-25 lunar probe likely spotted. See photos

NASA says Chandrayaan-2's Vikram's landing site obscured by shadows

The Moon is shrinking due to earthquakes, claims study