Space

Space Junk Collides With Moon

JAN 26 2022·Updated JAN 5 2023

Story

Image credit: NASA [via the Wall Street Journal]

The Facts

A piece of space debris is believed to have crashed into the far-side of the moon on Friday, just before 7:26 a.m. EST, according to an analysis of its trajectory.
wsj
It was expected to create a 65-ft wide crater, but this hasn't been confirmed yet as it cannot be viewed with Earth-based telescopes.
wsj
The debris, originally thought to be a SpaceX rocket, was identified last month as more likely the booster rocket for China's 5-T1 Lunar mission from 2014.
CBS News
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will use its cameras to attempt to identify the impact site and determine any possible changes to the lunar environment, but this coud reportedly take weeks or even months.
wsj
Space agencies commonly use the moon to dispose of spacecraft, but this was the first unintentional impact by human-made debris, according to the European Space Agency.
wsj

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

Near-Earth space contains lots of dangerous junk, which must be cleaned up and regulated. The US, Russia, and China need to tackle this together.

MSN

Narrative B

Space junk is an issue, but this collision has a benefit! Astronomers will get a rare glimpse into what lies just below the lunar surface now that the wayward rocket has crashed.