Watch History in the Making: How to Explore the Landing Zone of ispace’s Resilience Spacecraft on the Moon!

The Resilience lunar lander, built by ispace, is set to attempt a soft landing on the moon’s Mare Frigoris region on June 5 at 3:17 p.m. EDT. While you won’t see the lander from Earth, you can identify its landing zone on the lunar surface.

Mare Frigoris, which means “Sea of Cold” in Latin, was formed billions of years ago by lava flows created during violent asteroid impacts. Today, these cooled lava flows appear as dark patches on the moon’s surface.

This area covers about 18,000 square kilometers (6,950 square miles) and lies near the moon’s north pole. The landing coordinates are 60.5 degrees north latitude and 4.6 degrees west longitude, putting it close to Mare Frigoris’s center.

To spot Mare Frigoris on the night of June 5, look toward the southeastern sky after sunset. Using 10×50 binoculars will help you see the dark outline of the Mare, but a telescope with at least a 6-inch aperture will provide more details and let you locate the Resilience lander’s landing site more precisely.

To find the landing area, locate the Aristotle Crater, which is just above Mare Serenitatis on the southeastern edge of Mare Frigoris. From there, look northwest to find Archytas Crater and then aim for Timaeus Crater, which is similar in size. The Resilience Lander will land below Timaeus, close to the boundary between the moon’s day and night sides.

The landing attempt represents a significant milestone for ispace, especially after their previous mission, Hakuto-R, failed to land successfully in April 2023. This time, there are also three backup sites planned in case conditions worsen at the primary site.

This mission comes at a time when lunar exploration is gaining momentum. Recently, NASA reported that over 40 nations are interested in missions to the moon. Experts believe that a successful landing by the Resilience lander will pave the way for more advanced exploration and even potential colonization efforts. According to a 2023 survey by the space advocacy group Explore Mars, 76% of participants support more lunar missions, highlighting public interest in the region’s potential resources.

On June 5, you can watch the live stream of the landing attempt on Space.com, starting at 2:10 p.m. EDT. The broadcast will offer both English and Japanese commentary. This mission not only aims to enhance our understanding of the moon but also represents a remarkable collaboration in the evolving landscape of space exploration.

Source link