An Israeli rocket has taken off from Cape Canaveral in Florida, on course for a lunar landing that would make history for both the Jewish state and commercial space travel.
In the night from Thursday to Friday, the Falcon-9 Rocket with Beresheet took off from Cape CanaveralImage: picture-alliance/dpa/T. Renna
The naming is apt as the project represents a new beginning – in two respects. It will not only be Israel's first moon landing, but it is also the first entirely privately initiated and financed moon mission ever.
A communications satellite for Indonesia was the main cargo as Israel seeks to become only the fourth country to successfully land on the moon.
The SpaceIL lunar modul Beresheet was presented to the public in July 2018 Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/I. B. Zion
It all began with a competition
The idea behind Beresheet was first sparked by a competition: the Google Lunar X Prize, launched in 2007. Google's call out was directed exclusively at private competitors to design a landing robot for the moon by the end of March 2018. It should be able to travel 500 meters (1640 feet) on the moon and send high-resolution video images back to Earth.
Although none of the 34 teams won the prize (because Google didn't trust anyone to build the robot in the given time) the Israeli applicant, SpaceIL, was not deterred. Now, years later, their spacecraft is ready for launch.
SpaceIL presented a ticket to the Moon to President Shimon Perez in 2011Image: imago stock&people
A jumping robot
The Space IL team, founded by engineers Yariv Bash, Kfir Damari and Yonatan Winetraub, has designed a very unusual method of locomotion for their lander: to travel the required 500 meters, Beresheet simply jumps with the help of a small rocket engine.
Given the low gravitational pull on the moon, jumping probably won't be too much of a challenge. And SpaceIL undoubtedly has the ability to transmit high-resolution videos and images.
But the builders of Beresheet have also included something special in their design: a time capsule.
The time capsule contains three digital storage discs with hundreds of files. Israel's Declaration of Independence, its national anthem, Hebrew songs, the Traveler's Prayer, are all included, as well as drawings by children.
This is one of the reasons why the lighthouse project is taking place in time for the anniversary of the first moon landing. July 21st marks the 50th anniversary of NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong first setting foot on the moon.
The mythological Moon
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.
