Artemis 1 Cubesats, Ride-Along Robots Options

[Phil Stooke]

A new thread for a miniature (cubesat) moon lander. OMOTENASHI (a convoluted acronym which is also a Japanese word for 'selfless hospitality) is one of ten cubesats to be launched with Artemis 1, possibly as early as Monday, 29 August 2022 (two days away as i write rhis).

The lander has received little attention because it is really just a technology demonstrator of a method for getting very small objects safely to he lunar surface. Basically, let it come zooming in at 2 km/sec, slam the brakes on with a retro firing just above the surface and then let it fall to a hard but survivable landing. It's not totally dissimilar to the Soviet Union's Luna 9. Luna 13 landing method. Originally it included an airbag but that will not be used now.

This landing demo does no science on the surface, though part of it will will collect some radiation data during approach. The only sign of a successful landing will be radio transmissions for a brief period.

LRO may see evidence of the impact of the cruise module (which is not braked), though it will be small. The landing target is on the nearside limb south of Orientale at roughly 45 south, 75 west (285 east).

Phil