Hey everybody, welcome back to the Elon Musk Podcast.
This is a show where we discuss the critical Crossroads, The
Shape, SpaceX, Tesla X, The Boring Company, and Neuralink,
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show notes The Moon has welcomed a new visitor from the United
States marking the country's first lunar landing in over 50
years. The Lander named Odysseus was
confirmed to be operational and communicating with Earth, though
it's precise location and condition were still under
assessment. Now Houston based Intuitive
Machines, the creator of Odysseus, has been actively
exchanging commands with a spacecraft to gather scientific
data and the company acknowledged ongoing efforts to
ascertain the Landers exact whereabouts, health and
orientation on the lunar surface.
Intuitive machines aim for a landing near the lunar South
Pole, specifically close to the Mellipert a crater to aid NASA
in exploring the region in preparation for future astronaut
missions. The strategic location is of
great interest due to its proximity to potential
resources, and this achievement not only marks Intuitive
Machines as the first private entity to successfully land on
the moon, but also adds them to the exclusive list of entities,
including only five countries that have accomplished this
feat. The mission is primarily
supported by NASA, with a space agency having invested $118
million in the project now. A notable aspect of the mission
was the use of a NASA experiment to guide the Lander during its
final approach due to a failure in its navigation system.
This adjustment allowed Odysseus to safely complete his journey
to the moon's surface. Now the mission faced challenges
though, such as the inability to deploy a camera system intended
to capture the landing due to the navigational adjustments.
However, efforts are underway to release this camera in the hopes
of obtaining images of Odysseus on the moon.
Now the uncertainty surrounding the lander's precise landing
spot adds a layer of complexity to the mission, emphasizing the
importance of securing the images to verify its location
and condition. And the operational lifespan of
the Odysseus Lander is expected to be brief, limited to about a
week due to the impending lunar night, which poses significant
challenges for solar powered missions.
Now this mission follows a failed attempt by another
company, Astrobotic Technologies, which highlights
the apparent risks and the difficulties of lunar
exploration. The landing by Intuitive
machines though represents a significant achievement in
commercial space exploration. Now this is a historically
significant mission as it re establishes the United States
presence on the lunar surface after the last human Apollo
mission in 1972, setting the stage for NASA's planned Artemis
missions coming up Artemis 2 where they will circle around
the moon and come back to the Earth, and Artemis 3 when they
will land on the lunar surface. Now the choice of naming the
Lander Odysseus draws a parallel with the epic journeys and
challenges faced by the mythological figure symbolizing
the ambitious natures of this lunar mission.
Now, their reliance on NASA's Navigation Doppler Lidar
instrument that originally intended as a primary navigation
tool shows the adaptability and resourcefulness required in
space mission. Sometimes they have to go off
script and do wild things in order to make the mission
successful. And the confirmation of a
successful landing and the subsequent transmission of data
from Odysseus to Earth marked a pivotal moment for intuitive
machines showcasing the capabilities of commercial space
ventures. And despite initial
communication challenges, the team remains focused on
downloading scientific data and images from the Lander, with
further updates anticipated in the next few days.
Now this is a huge milestone for both Intuitive machines, NASA
and the United States, as it demonstrates the viability of
commercial partnerships in advancing lunar exploration and
prepares the groundwork for future human rated Landers on
the lunar surface of the term. Dynamic Situation aptly
describes the last minute adjustments and challenges faced
during the landing. This is an unpredictable way to
land a lunar Lander, but this is also unpredictable nature of
space exploration. The context of this mission
includes the ongoing international interest in the
Moon. With several companies having
conducted lunar missions in the recent years, this renewed focus
shows that the Moon is more strategic and important than
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