Seconds away from landing on the moon, the Beresheet spacecraft's main engine failed. At a cost of $100 million, it is considered one of "the lowest-budget spacecraft to ever undertake such a mission."
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Denemark
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Israeli spacecraft Beresheet "appeared to have crashed on the moon's surface," said the Israel Space Agency on Thursday. The agency said the main engine had failed during landing maneuvers.
"We didn't make it, but we definitely tried," said philanthropist Morris Kahn, who backed the privately-funded project. "The spacecraft Beresheet did not successfully complete its landing on the moon."
At a cost of $100 million (€89 million), the 1,290-pound (585-kilogram) spacecraft is considered one of "the lowest-budget spacecraft to ever undertake such a mission."
Engine failure
The landing sequence of the Beresheet spaceship lasted around 21 minutes, during which it suffered periodic engine and communications failures. Its circuitous flight path was around 4 million miles (6.5 million kilometers) — a direct route from the Earth to the moon is about 240,000 miles.
Opher Doron, the general manager of the space division of state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, said the engine of the small robotic spacecraft turned off shortly before landing. By the time power was restored, the craft was moving too fast for it to land safely on the moon's surface.
"We definitely crashed on the surface of the moon," Doron said, adding that pieces of the Beresheet spacecraft were scattered at the planned landing site.
Scientists were still trying to figure out what caused the engine failure.
'Proud'
The incident occurred in front of a packed audience that included Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and was broadcast live on Israeli television.
"If at first you don't succeed, try try again," Netanyahu said, quoting the proverb popularized by 19th century British author William Edward Hickson.
The Europe Israel Public Affairs (EIPA) tweeted the last photo sent by the spacecraft, saying that even though "it didn't go as planned ... we couldn't be more proud."
"This is the last picture we have from Beresheet spaceship seconds before it touches the face of the moon," said the EIPA.
In February, Beresheet, which is Hebrew for "Genesis," was launched on an unmanned rocket from a NASA launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket was a Falcon 9 from Elon Musk's SpaceX.
Only three countries have successfully carried out a "soft" landing on the moon, including the US, China and the now-defunct Soviet Union.
It wasn't just the first lunar landing 50 years ago that sparked people's imaginations about the Moon. We explore how the moon has profoundly influenced art and culture for thousands of years.
Image: Imago
Blockbuster of the century
With the historic moon landing on July 20, 1969, the moon could well have lost some of its mythical luster. Suddenly humans were exploring its mysteries first-hand — and even taking photographs. Science, it seemed, had finally conquered the Earth's enigmatic satellite — even its dark side.
Image: Getty Images/Nasa
Fly me to the moon
On July 27, 2018 a rare dual celestial phenomenon occurred: a relatively long lunar eclipse or "blood moon" due to the moon's change in color while shadowed by earth, and the nearest approach of planet Mars in 15 years. The very rare cosmic coincidence had sky gazers out in force. Since the beginning of time, however, the moon has been revered for its magic, mystery and cultural significance.
Image: picture-alliance/Imaginechina/S. Yipeng
Religious symbolism and astrology
People have worshipped the moon since the beginning of time, structuring their lives around its patterns and revering its perceived forces. Sometimes time was counted in moons rather than days or months. The bronze Nebra sky disc, found in Saxony-Anhalt in 1999, represents the duality of early astronomy and spirituality. The disc is estimated to be 3700-4100 years old.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
The meaning of…
In the visual arts, the moon has been used to symbolize a variety of themes: innocence, the Virgin Mary, female sexuality. However, the overwhelming association has always been one of romance. Artists frequently looked to the moon for its magic, as displayed here in Caspar David Friedrich's "Two Men Contemplating the Moon" from 1820.
Image: picture alliance/Heritage Images/Fine Art Images
Immortal muse of the poets
The moon has played a pivotal role in literature since time immemorial. In poetry, it's often used to express melancholy and longing — or often solace, as in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's poem "To the Moon." The opening verse of the poem reads: "Bush and vale thou fill'st again / With thy misty ray / And my spirit's heavy chain / Castest far away."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/U. Edelmann/Städel Museum/ARTOTHEK/The British Museum(Ausschnitt)
Howl at the moon
The moon may inspire owls and wolves to sing, but humans have also made a habit of howling at it. Famous examples include Matthias Claudius' beloved German lullaby "Gently the Moon has Risen," Elvis Presley's version of Rodgers and Hart's "Blue Moon" and Pink Floyd's seminal 1973 album "The Dark Side of the Moon."
Image: picture alliance/AP Images
Horror and romance
Mark Twain once said "Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody." Since ancient times, legends have abounded about people who turn into wolves at the full moon. The werewolf has been a perennial cinema favorite — as in "The Wolf Man" of 1941, pictured. But the moon has played a role in every genre, including romantic comedies like the 1987 romcom "Moonstruck."
Image: picture alliance/United Archives/IFTN
Eternal mystery
But the magic of the moon wasn't destroyed by its human conquest. Indeed, it still continues to inspire, and in 2013 Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and his Danish collaborator Ólafur Elíasson launched their "Moon" project. At www.moonmoonmoonmoon.com people can immortalize their own drawings of the moon. "Leave your fingerprint and see the shared moon grow as others reach out too," implores the website.
