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On July 20, 1969, the world watched as man set foot on the moon for the first time.
However, it was not easy for NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong to make the perfect landing on the Eagle lunar lander.
As he and fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin flew over the planned landing site, Armstrong looked out the window and saw a dangerous rocky area. Confident in his superior piloting skills, Armstrong manually steered to a safe landing area with only 30 seconds of fuel.
It has been more than 50 years since the United States landed a spacecraft on the moon, following lunar surface exploration conducted by the remaining Apollo missions. Now a new robotic explorer is setting out to attempt this feat.
month update
Launched early Thursday morning, the Odysseus lunar lander, or “Odie,” is embarking on a historic journey to the moon.
The mission, developed by NASA and Houston-based Intuitive Machines, will aim to land near the Moon’s south pole on February 22.
The spacecraft carries a camera system called EagleCam to capture its descent, an original sculpture designed in collaboration with artist Jeff Koons, and science and technology experiments that could aid future Moon landing missions such as Artemis III.
curious things
After naturalist Charles Darwin died in 1882, his impressive library began to decline, and many of its books and pamphlets were dispersed elsewhere over time.
Now, after 18 years of painstaking research, the Darwin Project has virtually reassembled its library and its 7,400 books.
Project leader Dr. D., a historian of science at the National University of Singapore. John van Wyhe said researchers had to track down a large number of previously unknown artifacts, resulting in “5,000 little detective stories” that helped them recreate the original collection.
There were some surprising findings among the books, including the final novel, which was said to have been read aloud to Darwin before he died.
ocean secrets
A team of scientists exploring the seafloor of Germany’s Mecklenburg Bay has made the unexpected discovery of an ancient submerged megastructure in the Baltic Sea.
In the research using diving teams and underwater robots, a wall consisting of 1,670 stones stretching more than 1 kilometer was unearthed.
Experts believe the wall is one of the oldest known hunting structures from the Stone Age. The barrier was probably built about 11,000 years ago to help hunter-gatherers hunt reindeer on sparse terrain after the last ice age.
Additionally, the wreck of the bulk carrier SS Arlington, which sank in 1940, was also found at the bottom of Lake Superior, but this discovery only solves one of the mysteries behind the ship’s sinking.
Long time ago
Researchers have pieced together the surprising story of Denmark’s earliest known immigrant from the Stone Age.
“Vittrup Man” was brutally murdered and dumped in a swamp in Denmark 5,200 years ago, and his remains were first unearthed in 1915. By studying Vittrup Man’s bone collagen and teeth, scientists were able to create a history of his geographic movements and history. diet.
Born and raised on the Scandinavian coast and earning his living from seafood, Vittrup Man suddenly crossed the sea to live and eat like a farmer in Denmark when he was still in his teens. He lived this way until he was hit in the head with a stick between the ages of 30 and 40.
The team believes his violent death may have been part of a religious sacrifice in the swamp.
wild kingdom
The unexpected sighting of a rare golden tiger in India’s Kaziranga National Park in January gave photographers an unusual experience. But conservationists see the animal’s appearance as a disturbing sign.
The park is home to the largest tiger population in the region. Uma Ramakrishnan, professor of ecology at India’s National Center for Biological Sciences, said there are only a few golden tigers in the wild and their distinct fur color is due to a genetic mutation, like “spelling errors in DNA.”
Isolation-induced inbreeding as migration routes are closed due to rapid development can make the park’s tiger population more prone to genetic mutations and diseases.
Meanwhile, a groundbreaking new report warns that human intervention could cause hundreds of migratory species on Earth to become extinct.
discoveries
Dive deeper into these compelling stories:
— The history of kissing is more complex than it seems, but evidence from the ancient world shows that humans have been kissing romantically for at least 4,500 years.
— As a small surgical robot aboard the International Space Station successfully performed its first procedures on simulated tissue, surgeons operated the device remotely in Lincoln, Nebraska.
— A shallow, salty lake in British Columbia called Last Chance Lake could help scientists solve the mystery of how life arose on Earth and how it might form on other worlds.
— Nearly 2,000 years after it was laid, an intact egg found at an ancient Roman site still has fluid inside.
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