The Athena spacecraft's recent lunar landing was marred by a critical altimeter failure, leading to an uncontrolled crash onto the Moon's surface. Although the spacecraft could identify nearby craters, it could not accurately determine its altitude, resulting in a skid across the surface and into a shadowed crater. This mishap impeded the collection of solar energy, as regolith obstructed the solar panels, forcing Intuitive Machines to quickly assess a bleak situation where the spacecraft was losing power due to cold temperatures.
The landing was kind of like sliding into second base,
We knew we had slid into a slightly shadowed crater, and the temperature was very cold.
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