מסלול סיור הירח של נאס"א מבחין באתר פגיעת רקטות על הירח, אומר מחקר

Astronomers last year discovered the body of a rocket headed for a lunar collision. The impact occurred on March 4, and the resulting crater was later discovered by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Surprisingly, the crater actually consists of two craters, an eastern crater (18 meters in diameter, about 19.5 yards), overlying a western crater (16 meters in diameter, about 17.5 yards).

המכתש הכפול היה בלתי צפוי ועשוי להצביע על כך שלגוף הרקטה היו מסות גדולות בכל קצה. בדרך כלל יש מסה של רקטה מרוכזת בקצה המנוע; שאר שלב הרקטות מורכב בעיקר ממיכל דלק ריק. מאחר שמקורו של גוף הרקטה עדיין לא ברור, אופיו הכפול של המכתש עשוי להצביע על זהותו.

No other rocket body impacts on the Moon created double craters. The four Apollo SIV-B craters were somewhat irregular in outline (Apollos 13, 14, 15, 17) and were substantially larger (greater than 35 meters, about 38 yards) than each of the double craters. The maximum width (29 meters, about 31.7 yards) of the double crater of the mystery rocket body was near that of the S-IVBs.

LRO is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Launched on June 18, 2009, LRO has collected a treasure trove of data with its seven powerful instruments, making an invaluable contribution to our knowledge about the Moon. NASA is returning to the Moon with commercial and international partners to expand human presence in space and bring back new knowledge and opportunities.