Subj : Daily APOD Report
To   : All
From : Alan Ianson
Date : Sat Feb 24 2024 00:06:30

                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2024 February 24

                                 To the Moon
                      Image Credit: Intuitive Machines

   Explanation: Intuitive Machines' robotic lander Odysseus has
   accomplished the first U.S. landing on the Moon since the Apollo 17
   mission in 1972. Launched on a SpaceX rocket on February 15, the phone
   booth sized lander reached lunar orbit on the 21st and touched down on
   the lunar surface at 6:23 pm ET on February 22nd. Its landing region is
   about 300 kilometers north of the Moon's south pole, near a crater
   designated Malapert A. The lander is presently collecting solar power
   and transmitting data back to the Intuitive Machines' mission control
   center in Houston. The mission marks the first commercial uncrewed
   landing on the Moon. Prior to landing, OdysseusCÇÖ camera captured this
   extreme wide angle image (landing legs visible at right) as it flew
   over Schomberger crater some 200 kilometers from its landing site.
   Odysseus was still about 10 kilometers above the lunar surface.

                  Tomorrow's picture: Phoenix over Iceland
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
                NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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