NASA scientists are confused by a weird rocket that crashed into the Moon
A strange rocket that collided with the Moon is perplexing NASA experts. They found a crater with a “mystery rocket body” earlier this year. According to a recent NASA news release, that ding in the lunar surface is actually a “double crater.” This finding raises a few queries. The main one is: What country launched this rocket, and how have these scientists been unable to figure it out for so long? NASA uploaded pictures of the discovery to its website on June 24, but no nation has come forward to claim ownership. Because they saw the unusual rocket far in advance, several astronomers were prepared for this kind of incident late last year. It is said to have eventually made contact with the Moon on March 4.
In the release, the agency released some findings, “Astronomers discovered a rocket body heading toward a lunar collision late last year. Impact occurred March 4, with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter later spotting the resulting crater. Surprisingly the crater is actually two craters, an eastern crater (18-meter diameter, about 19.5 yards) superimposed on a western crater (16-meter diameter, about 17.5 yards).”
The NASA 360 account said, “After a rocket body impacted the Moon last year, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter was able to snap a surprising view of the impact site. Unexpectedly, the crater is actually two craters and may indicate that the rocket body had large masses at each end. No other rocket body impacts on the Moon created double craters. The four Apollo SIV-B craters were somewhat irregular in outline (Apollos 13, 14, 15, 17) and were substantially larger (greater than 35 meters, about 38 yards) than each of the double craters,” they continued. “The maximum width (29 meters, about 31.7 yards) of the double crater of the mystery rocket body was near that of the S-IVBs.”