An inactive Falcon 9 Rocket Stage launched by SpaceX is predicted to impact the Moon before long. The impact should present researchers with a unique opportunity to gather empirical data for the interaction of man-made objects and natural celestial bodies. The impact has no foreseeable repercussions for humans or future lunar travels and will not pose any danger to Earth.
The rocket stage has been floating in space for many years after its primary mission was over. Since it had an insufficient amount of fuel for a return trip back to Earth or for altering the trajectory into a controlled orbit, it simply continued orbiting through the Earth-Moon system as subjected to gravity. Several astronomers tracking its paths have estimated the impact point to be somewhere on the Moon.
But distinctive from a spacecraft having a soft-landing on the Moon the Falcon 9 will crash on the Moon surface at a very high speed. A ground-breaking new crater will form under the crashing and lunar rock and dust will be beaten off and hurled into the vicinity of the crash. The contact is invisible to earth-based telescopes but neighbouring lunar spacecraft might photograph the new crater afterward.
This type of accidental impact is considered by scientists a good scientific opportunity. Characterizing the craters size and shape can help improve information for the composition of the surface of the Moon, the mechanical properties of lunar soil as well as the effect of impact events on planetary surfaces. By comparing observation to computer simulation scientists can improve the models used for understanding natural asteroid impacts in the whole Solar System.
Since the Moon has little to no atmosphere, objects that approach the Moon encounter very little atmospheric drag as they descend to the surface. So, fairly small objects impact the Moon at very high velocities, imparting a tremendous amount of energy capable of excavating new material from deep within the surface. This makes the lunar impacts ideal for geological study.
The modern lunar orbiters, with its fine resolution cameras, will be used to look for the target impact site once it has occurred. Comparing images taken at the same site before and after impact, the lunar orbiter can find the new crater and investigate the debris pattern that surrounds it. There is a lot we can learn about the layers beneath the Moon’s surface and about the interaction of the regolith with high energy impacts.
This also emphasizes the increasing problem of exiting hardware or used hardware tied to future space missions. As we have seen previously, rocket stages, satellites and space craft components do not disappear when not needed, they remain in space. Although, these are often plummeted back to Earth to burn up over the surface of the planet, many still orbit for years following erratic courses, which sometimes are also affected by the gravity of the Moon, the Earth and Sun.
With the rise in the number of spaceships, space agencies and private companies are giving more attention to responsible mission planning to prevent long-lasting space debris. In this sense, engineers are addressing ways to reduce the presence of long-term space debris, like controlled re-entry, reusable transport containers, and low-articulation hardware design.
