12 votes

Earth has captured a tiny object as a satellite for the next few months, which is likely the rocket booster from the failed Surveyor 2 mission to the Moon in 1966

Posted by Deimos
Tags: satellites, rocketry, dead link, surveyor 2, 1960s, earth, moon, history, usa
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7783

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Title
Earth May Have Captured a 1960s-Era Rocket Booster
Word count
1045 words

2 comments

  1. joplin
    Link
    This is really cool! My first thought is if there's any way this object could hit something and start a Kessler Effect. It's crazy to think that it's come close to us before but we never noticed...

    This is really cool! My first thought is if there's any way this object could hit something and start a Kessler Effect. It's crazy to think that it's come close to us before but we never noticed it because if its size!

    I'm also fascinated by the detective work they did to figure out which launch it came from. Would that be an application of reverse kinematics? It's probably easier with something that's been in an Earth-like orbit for a while because we don't get too many passers-by, and it didn't interact with too many other bodies than Earth and the Moon probably.

    4 votes