NASA has released before-and-after images on Tuesday showing a newly formed crater on the Moon that scientists believe was created when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket crashed into the lunar surface. The upper stage of the rocket collided with the Moon on August 5, hitting with a force of three tons of TNT.
Rocket impact on lunar surface
The rocket stage, associated with SpaceX, impacted the far side of the Moon after being left in space following an earlier mission. Unlike Earth, the Moon has no substantial atmosphere to slow down or burn up such objects, allowing large pieces of space hardware to eventually collide with its surface. The images were captured last week by the space agency's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
NASA shares Moon crater images
On Tuesday, NASA showed off the image, which was captured by its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). NASA's LRO, which has been studying the Moon since 2009, was used to observe the impact site. Scientists compared images captured before and after the collision to identify changes in the terrain. The newly visible crater provides researchers with an opportunity to study how impacts alter the lunar landscape.
The 40-plus-foot rocket stage slammed into the surface of the Moon at approximately 5,400 per hour on August 5, near Einstein Crater. It left behind a scar that, based on its shadows, was 60 feet wide and less than 10 feet deep.
NASA shares Moon crater images | NASA
The spacecraft captured images of the crater a week post-collision from an altitude of 60 miles (96 kilometres), travelling at a speed of one mile per second. Flight controllers needed to adjust the spacecraft's angle so its cameras faced the impact area.
Image differences
According to NASA, the two images shared by them show bright and dark rays stretching out from the crater. The darker streaks are made of surface dust and rocks altered over a long time by solar wind, galactic cosmic rays, and micrometeorite impacts. This weathered material was excavated by the collision from 1.5 feet into the lunar surface. The brighter streaks near the crater rim are made of fresh material excavated from deeper underground.
