Almost 54 years ago , Apollo 11astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took the Lunar Module Eagle and landed on the Moon . After less than a day on the surface of our born artificial satellite , they lifted off , to receive up again with Michael Collins in the command mental faculty Columbia . Once back on Columbia , the Eagle was abandoned , anticipate to come crash down on the Moon . But maybe it did not .
The Lunar Excursion Modules , or LEMs , of all the successful Apollo missions that followed were beam to go down land on the surface of the Moon – but not Eagle . main investigator James Meador has done calculations suggesting that it might still be in orbit . And in travel along - up work , he suggests how we might come up it .
Back in 2021 , Meador issue a paper in the journalPlanetary and Space Sciencewhere he talk about the possible luck of the Eagle . of the essence to this piece of work was NASA ’s GRAIL mission , which has allow us to create the most accurate map of the Moon to appointment , including detailsabout massive structuresburied underneath the lunar surface . gird with that , Meador was able to set out working out how the flight of Eagle might have changed since July 1969 .
Using NASA software like the General Mission Analysis Tool and original Apollo records , Meador worked out the movement of the LEM . The radioactivity pressure from sunlight , which is used in engine - less propulsion system likesolar canvas , was also accounted for , as it would have tug the ballistic capsule around . Neither the uncanny lunar soberness nor the pressure from the Sun appeared to be enough , though .
In simulations range across the 51 years between 1969 and 2020 , the Eagle does n’t ever drop below 15 kilometre ( 9 miles ) from the airfoil of the Moon . This is still a low economic value , but moving tight enough it would have allowed it to stay in orbit . There ’s no ambiance on the Moon to slow up it down .
“ These results designate that the ' Eagle ' might remain in lunar cranial orbit today . It must be think back that the Lunar Modules were contrive for 10 - Clarence Day missions , and little circumstance was grant to long - term dependability . For this reason , fuel leaks might have resulted in propellent result or even complete destruction at any fourth dimension after the craft was jettisoned , ” Meader write in thepaper .
Eagle is probably one of the most crucial space artifacts , and if it did not explode and is still out there , it might be potential to observe it . Infollow - up inquiry , Meader discusses how radar observations could be used to take care at the Moon , a proficiency previously use for the rediscovery of India’sChandarayaan-1spacecraft . The gap between losing that probe and finding it again was less than eight years . Eagle might be more difficult , but Meader is optimistic about it . And the effort in finding it would for sure be worth the work .
If this sounds gentle , possibly consider theApollo 10 LEM . That did not go to the Moon , and after testing it was sent flying around the Sun .
[ H / T : Discover Magazine ]
