Americans return to the Moon 50 years after Apollo 17

50 years after Apollo 17, the United States is preparing to take over. land again on the Moon this Thursday, February 22, 2024, thanks to a private mission commissioned by NASA. This mission like no other could make history.

The Texan company Intuitive Machines specializing in aerospace is preparing to launch its launch. see his probe land Odysseus à the surface of the Moon this Thursday February 22 & 11:30 p.m.(Paris time). The 675-kilogram machine was transported. launched from the Kennedy Space Center à on board a Falcon 9 rocket from the company SpaceX. Even if many missions have succeeded in landing on the Moon for decades, the operation remains a delicate affair. The latest success goes to Japan, which achieved a remarkable moon landing last January on our natural satellite thanks to SLIM its precision lander.

This time, the challenge of the mission is completely different. For the first time in the history of the lunar conquest, we should witness the moon landing of a private mission. Indeed, this is part of NASA's CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) program which consists of: call à companies to transport scientific equipment and materials across the country the surface of the Moon in order to reduce transportation costs. If the landing is successful, it will be the first private mission to take place. land on the Moon after the failures of the Hakuto-R missions in April 2023 and Peregrine last January. Until'à Now everything is going smoothly and Odysseus is placed in orbit around the Moon on February 21 . The probe even transmitted a self-made selfie. during his journey through space.

Photo of the Odysseus probe made at using one of its cameras during its transit to the Moon. © UPI/Newscom/SIPA (published 02/22/2024)

À On board, the lander carries scientific instruments as well as experimental technologies but also commercial loads on behalf of several clients. Among the scientific tools, we find in particular descent and landing sensors so that the machine lands smoothly at the right place. the lunar surface as well as a camera system. Odysseus also has an innovative gauge allowing you to know the quantity of fuel. remaining fuel. Indeed, in space, it is very difficult to evaluate the volume of liquid present in a tank by ;absence of gravity. The liquid does not stay at the bottom of the tank and collects on the edges, making it impossible to use a conventional gauge. All this equipment contributes to improve our ability to &agrav; place machines on the Moon for the next manned missions.

If successful, this landing would become historic since it would mark the return of the Americans who have not landed on the Moon since 1972& ;nbsp;during the Apollo 17 manned mission. To follow this event live, go to NASA's YouTube channel. The company Intuitive Machines also offers to follow the event on its X account (e.g. Twitter).