Athena to the Moon

Athena to the Moon

Image Credit:

Intuitive Machines

Explanation:

Planet Earth hangs in the background of this space age selfie.

The snapshot was captured by the
IM-2 Nova-C lander Athena,
just after stage separation following its February 26
launch to the Moon.

A tall robotic lander, Athena is scheduled to touch down
on Thursday, March 6, in
Mons Mouton, a plateau
near the Moon’s South Pole.

The intended landing site is in the central portion of one of the
Artemis 3
potential landing regions.

Athena carries rovers and experiments as part of
NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program,
including a drill intended to explore beneath the lunar surface in
a search for evidence of frozen water.

It also carries a propulsive drone dubbed the
Micro Nova Hopper.

After release to the lunar surface,
the autonomous drone is intended to hop
into a nearby crater and send science data back to the lander.