Out-of-control SpaceX rocket on collision course with the moon

[C C]

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022...h-the-moon

EXCERPT: . . . At this stage it was high enough that it did not have enough fuel to return to Earth’s atmosphere but also “lacked the energy to escape the gravity of the Earth-Moon system”, meteorologist Eric Berger explained in a recent post on Ars Technica “So it has been following a somewhat chaotic orbit since February 2015,” Berger added.

Space observers believe the rocket – about four metric tonnes of “space junk” – is on course to intersect with the moon at a velocity of about 2.58km/s in a matter of weeks.

Bill Gray, who writes software to track near-Earth objects, asteroids, minor planets, and comets, has said the Falcon 9’s upper stage will very likely hit the far side of the moon, near the equator, on 4 March.

The data analyst said in a recent blog post that the object “made a close lunar flyby on January 5” but will make “a certain impact at March 4”.

“This is the first unintentional case [of space junk hitting the moon] of which I am aware,” Gray added.

The exact spot the rocket will hit remains unclear due to the unpredictable effect of sunlight “pushing” on the rocket and “ambiguity in measuring rotation periods” which may slightly alter its orbit... (MORE - missing details)

[Yazata]

The Moon is Doomed!!! It's going to be Destroyed!!!. Blasted out of the Sky!!!

And I liked the Moon too, always up there.

Damn you, Elon!!!

The latest issue of Jonathan's Space Report has this to say

https://planet4589.org/latest.html

"We know lots of junk from lunar missions has ended up hitting the Moon, for example upper stages from lunar missions and junk left in lunar orbit. The LCROSS mission deliberately smashed a Centaur stage (similar size) into the Moon on 2009 Oct 9, with a special spacecraft following behind it to study the impact. This is the first time that something not explicitly targeted at the Moon has been noticed to accidently hit it, but that's mainly because we weren't paying attention until recently. Thanks to Bill Gray and a few other people who have spent their own time keeping track of the space junk that's too far out for SpaceForce to care about, we can now spot events like this. Amazingly it is no one's paid job to do. SpaceX haven't paid attention to the object since Feb 2015, and neither has NASA or anyone else official."

[Magical Realist]

Those alien bases on the dark side of the moon better turn their force fields on.

[Yazata]

That's why they have to wear hard hats

[C C]

SpaceX Upper Stage Hitting the Moon: Impactful Science?
https://www.leonarddavid.com/spacex-uppe...l-science/

EXCERPT: “NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) will not be in a position to observe the impact as it happens,” a NASA statement sent to Inside Outer Space explains.

“However, the mission team is assessing if observations can be made to any changes to the lunar environment associated with the impact and later identify the crater formed by the impact. This unique event presents an exciting research opportunity,” the NASA statement adds.

“Following the impact, the mission can use its [LRO] cameras to identify the impact site, comparing older images to images taken after the impact. The search for the impact crater will be challenging and might take weeks to months.”

It’s clear that the “Moon community” of researchers sees science in the making with the booster impact... (MORE - missing details)

(May 16, 2013) Bright Explosion on the Moon

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/IYloGuUZCFM

[C C]

Apparently another manifestation of litigious greed daydreaming and political rocket envy.
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SpaceX CEO Elon Musk might soon have a Moon-sized lawsuit on his hands
https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-sue...moon-crash

INTRO: After astronomers discovered that a derelict SpaceX rocket stage will likely crash into the lunar surface in early March, the story spurred a number of interesting questions about the legality of dumping a glorified piece of space trash on the Moon.

Now, some legal experts argue the dumping could be grounds to sue Musk and SpaceX — though such a lawsuit likely won’t ever materialize. “Theoretically, yes,” attorney Steven Kaufman told Forbes. “Practically, probably not.”

Of course, the biggest reason why Musk isn’t likely to be sued for the stunt is because nobody technically owns the Moon. That said, if the errant SpaceX rocket part crashes into, say, China’s lunar rover, then he might have a significant legal issue on his hands... (MORE - details)

[C C]

Don't blame SpaceX for the rocket about to crash into Moon
https://www.slashgear.com/768137/dont-bl...-the-moon/

EXCERPTS: . . . Online conversation speculated that the object's orbit had it catapulting towards the moon and that SpaceX was at fault for the impending crash on the lunar surface. Project Pluto posted a correction on its site on February 12, stating that it had mistakenly labeled the object set to crash into the moon as part of the DSCOVR mission.

The truth is that SpaceX had nothing to do with the object. [...] What's orbiting Earth on a doomed trajectory is in fact an object named 2014-065B, the booster of a Chinese Long March C3 rocket used to launch the Chang'e 5-T1 mission. 2014-065B is currently orbiting Earth on a trajectory that will send it into the moon's surface at 12:25 UTC on March 4... (MORE - missing details)

RELATED: The rocket debris that’s going to hit the moon isn’t from Elon Musk’s SpaceX—it’s actually from China