Beresheet landing fails
An engine problem during landing has caused Beresheet to crash onto the lunar surface.
The image on the right was the last image beamed back by the spacecraft during the landing sequence. It looks down at the lunar surface from several thousand meters.
As Netanyahu immediately noted, “If at first you don’t succeed, you try again.”
This failure definitely slows down the effort to transition from government-controlled space exploration to a free effort by the independent citizenry of all nations. It does not stop it however. There are other private lunar missions already scheduled, and of course, there is the effort by SpaceX to build its own heavy-lift rocket to make interplanetary space travel affordable for all.
The next decade will see this effort blossom. Beresheet’s failure is an example of those first baby steps, when the ability to stand is uncertain, and sometimes results in a fall. But babies turn into adults. The future is bright indeed.
The support of my readers through the years has given me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Four years ago, just before the 2020 election I wrote that Joe Biden's mental health was suspect. Only in this year has the propaganda mainstream media decided to recognize that basic fact.
Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Even today NASA and Congress refuse to recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
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An engine problem during landing has caused Beresheet to crash onto the lunar surface.
The image on the right was the last image beamed back by the spacecraft during the landing sequence. It looks down at the lunar surface from several thousand meters.
As Netanyahu immediately noted, “If at first you don’t succeed, you try again.”
This failure definitely slows down the effort to transition from government-controlled space exploration to a free effort by the independent citizenry of all nations. It does not stop it however. There are other private lunar missions already scheduled, and of course, there is the effort by SpaceX to build its own heavy-lift rocket to make interplanetary space travel affordable for all.
The next decade will see this effort blossom. Beresheet’s failure is an example of those first baby steps, when the ability to stand is uncertain, and sometimes results in a fall. But babies turn into adults. The future is bright indeed.
The support of my readers through the years has given me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Four years ago, just before the 2020 election I wrote that Joe Biden's mental health was suspect. Only in this year has the propaganda mainstream media decided to recognize that basic fact.
Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Even today NASA and Congress refuse to recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are five ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation:
5. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above. And if you buy the books through the ebookit links, I get a larger cut and I get it sooner.
Sad because it’s always a bummer to experience failure after years of hard, dedicated work. Good news though because it shows that private initiatives can get that far with such a small budget and the right mindset. Effectively the door to the Moon is open now and the world knows it.
I wish Israel the best of luck on their next try.
So close…!
If first you dont succeed…
Time to watch “The Right Stuff” again to remind us that the U.S. had more than a few failures along the way.
Getting this far for Israel is still a major accomplishment.
Remember everyone. This isn’t Israel’s launch. This is SpaceIL’s. It is an Israeli company, but it’s no more Israel than SpaceX is USA.
Special Ed Quote: “Remember everyone. This isn’t Israel’s launch. This is SpaceIL’s. It is an Israeli company, but it’s no more Israel than SpaceX is USA.”
The “IL” in “SpaceIL” refers to Israel, so this is Israel’s launch and the Israeli people are correct when the take it that way. A country is not just its government. It is its people, who helped fund this mission, and yes, it is the nation’s companies too. I find it absurd and derogatory to claim that a country is merely its government, that what its people do isn’t what the nation does.
This is what good science and aggressive experiments are all about.
Try again;
and good luck
“Missed it by that much” — Maxwell Smart
Hope their next try is successful!
Hopefully there was enough telemetry for them to figure out the root cause. I’m sure that there were several other lessons to learn, such as the star tracker problem. Next time will go better, and I’m glad that they are talking about a next time.
Meanwhile, we know that they have space navigation capability. A lot worked well, but not quite enough.