Odysseus Lunar Lander's telescope collected data despite damages

The Odysseus Lunar Lander, which landed on the Moon in February 2024, managed to conduct some scientific observations despite breaking one of its legs during landing and ending up tilted on its side. The spacecraft's solar panels provided enough power for its radio telescope to collect data for about 80 minutes. Intuitive Machines' Odysseus Lander launched on a mission to the Moon, marking the first U.S. soft landing since Apollo 17 in 1972. Unfortunately, the lander's navigation system failed, so it had to rely on cameras for landing. After touching down on February 22nd, it broke a leg, which made it hard to send data back to Earth. Nevertheless, the mission was declared a success by Intuitive Machines. The radio telescope onboard, called ROLSES1, aimed to study the density of electrons near the Moon's surface. Researchers submitted findings to The Astrophysical Journal, noting that this was the first radio telescope to operate on the Moon. ROLSES1 managed to collect some data during its trip to the lunar surface and during its short time on the Moon, even though it did not meet the initial expectation of eight days of observations. The instrument was designed to understand radio wave behavior on the Moon and observe Earth's radio signals to help in the search for signs of life beyond Earth. The data gathered revealed how Earth's radio waves travel through its ionosphere and reach the Moon. The findings could provide insights into how to locate extraterrestrial intelligence in the future. Despite Odysseus's challenges, research co-author Jack Burns emphasized the success of the instrument, highlighting its unique perspective of Earth and the valuable data it collected.