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SpaceX booster is expected to accidentally hit the moon

An expert on software that tracks space objects says a SpaceX booster will “definitely” impact the moon in the next few weeks, marking what is believed to be the first instance of space junk. hit the Earth’s moon.

Bill Gray followed the Falcon 9 upper as part of his Project Pluto blog. The booster was originally launched from Florida in February 2015 to send to a space weather satellite, marking the first SpaceX launch into interplanetary space.

Since then, the boosters have run out of fuel and have been unable to return to Earth or break free from the gravitational pull of the Earth-Moon system, according to meteorologist Eric Berger, who wrote about the phase above. of Falcon 9 in a recent post for Ars Technica. Since then, Berger says the booster has followed a “chaotic trajectory” through space.

But Gray, using his software and other available data, wrote in the January 21 blog post that he predicts the booster will hit the far side of the moon on March 4. The 4-ton booster is calculated to create an impact at a speed of 2.58 km / second.

His calculations, as well as his prediction of March 4 as the impact date, have been confirmed. in a tweet by Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer from the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

There are some minor uncertainties that can affect the intensifier’s trajectory, including light from the sun “pushing” the object and altering its direction. These changes could affect exactly where the rocket lands, something Gray is continuing to monitor and predict, but he says he’s “100% sure” it will impact a somewhere on the moon.

When it comes to whether people should worry about collisions, Gray said there’s “nothing to worry about,” adding that the moon is colliding with larger natural space objects like asteroids at a faster rate “quite often.” But when it comes to man-made objects and space junk, Gray says this is the first instance of unintentional impact he’s aware of.

While the event probably won’t be observable from Earth, Gray says it’s likely there could be something to learn about the moon as a result of this impact.

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and India’s Chandrayaan-2 are finally expected to pass by the site of the rocket’s strike. If the exact position on the moon can be determined, Gray said that lunar orbiters could “see a very new crater” and possibly a “launcher” – matter ejected from the surface. the surface of the moon due to the impact of the impact force.

From these observations, researchers can learn more about the geological makeup of the moon.

Gray writes: “I was looking for a lunar impact.

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