"The Good, the Bad, and the Unusual: What Happened to Odysseus?"

What really happened to Ulysses on the Moon? The probe was the first private lunar mission since the 1970s and truly experienced the good, the bad, and the strange that the Moon is said to have. Much like the eponymous hero, Odysseus went somewhat astray. However, NASA and other companies involved are happy despite this odyssey. Odysseus was unable to set down its rover, but nevertheless sent astonishing data from the geologically important Shackleton Crater. The Odysseus mission was to be the first privately financed mission of a probe to the Moon since 1972. This is unusual because normally large space agencies are financed by the governments and budgets of the respective nations. NASA contributed technology, SpaceX provided the rocket, and a private company called Intuitive Machines was the financial backer. After a six-day flight to the Moon, the probe began its descent near Shackleton Crater at the South Lunar Pole. The probe bore the familiar name Odysseus, after the adventurer from Homer's epic poem. Odysseus was a Greek hero who was on his way home after the Battle of Troy. He lost his way several times and experienced crazy things along the way, so the name was a bit of a program for this adventurer's probe. At first, everything went quite normally. Odysseus was on his way to the Moon. The journey took six days, then it was time to land. Moon landings are considered challenging because communication with the probes is not easy. The people in charge at Intuitive Machines must have been trembling just as much as the NASA engineers who helped build Ulysses during those crucial minutes. During the final landing process, Odysseus was almost shipwrecked on its odyssey. An obstacle was in the way at the landing site, and the probe tipped to one side. The lander had been placed with astonishing accuracy. The probe touched down on the soft lunar soil only about 30 meters from the planned landing site, but the brave hero landed on its side. This had already happened to the Japanese SLIM probe in January. It also had an extremely precise controlled landing, but then tipped onto its side. Unlike SLIM, Odysseus had no problem activating the solar panels and the thermal control system despite this slightly tilted landing. Communication with Earth also remained intact at all times. The only unfortunate thing was that the landing flap for the rover was blocked. Odysseus had not come to the Moon alone. The lander had the small rover Iris in its belly. This is somewhat reminiscent of the Indian Chandrayaan-3 mission in which the Vikram lander also had a small rover called Pragyan with it. The Indians managed to set down and deploy the rover in 2023 without any problems. Intuitive Machines was less fortunate. NASA and its private sponsor had more problems. Iris remained trapped inside Odysseus. After a check, those responsible determined that the scientific instruments on board were operational. That was good news. The laser reflector, a magnetometer, and the camera were mostly functional. However, due to the suboptimal position, the view of the cameras was restricted and the probe's ability to move was greatly reduced. THE SUCCESS OF THE MISSION Do we perhaps also have a small match here between the ancient hero and the modern lunar probe? Let's take a look because Odysseus, the great hero, actually only wanted to go home to his beloved Itaka. Odysseus the probe actually only wanted to explore the Moon. The hero went astray and made many important discoveries and experiences that were not his intention, but the hero's fantastic adventures nevertheless resulted in one of the greatest epics on Earth. It is questionable whether Odysseus will bring the probe to fame that will last for thousands of years. There are currently too many probes on the Moon for that, and among them are several other heroes who are far more successful than Odysseus. The big plus of the mission was that it was the first time a private company has succeeded in placing a probe on the Moon. After this at least partial success, we are likely to see intuitive machines in space more often in the future. The fact that private companies are also sending probes to the Moon could trigger a revolution. SpaceX has shown the way. However, Elon Musk's company does not send probes into space but specializes in the construction of space vehicles, rockets, and fuel systems. And of course, the company has its sights set on colonizing the Moon and Mars. Intuitive Machines has certainly been a success as a newcomer. Ulysses has always landed. That's quite something because around a dozen probes have already crashed on the Moon, costing several billion dollars. Russia was the last nation to suffer the loss of its lunar lander in the late summer of 2023. Three years earlier, India had lost its Chandrayaan-2 mission. Another success was the theoretical functionality of the probe. If Ulysses had not run aground on a sandbank, it would have continued its journey safely. However, the failure with Iris, which did not even come close to working, is a setback for Intuitive Machines. The yield also includes some images and measurement data. However, the planned exploration of Shackleton Crater at the South Lunar Pole did not go ahead. The crater contains areas of permanent shadow that could contain water ice and other valuable resources. The mission would have helped to learn more about the composition and geological characteristics of this region. Iris, the small rover on board Odysseus, was to explore the area after landing on the lunar surface, collect samples and send high-resolution images and data about the soil composition and possible resources back to Earth. A magnetometer on board was to be used to study the moon's local magnetic field. This data would have been valuable for learning more about the geophysical processes in the moon's interior. A radiation sensor was to measure radiation levels on the lunar surface to better understand the risks that future manned missions could face and how best to protect them. The mission also included a laser reflector that would allow accurate measurements of the distance between Earth and the moon. These measurements could be used for scientific purposes, but are also important for planning fuel supplies for probes or future spacecraft, for example. The navigation technology on board Odysseus also served this purpose. They were designed to improve the accuracy and reliability of future moon landings. Finally, Iris was designed to provide detailed images of the lunar surface to enable accurate mapping of the landing site and its surroundings. Now, at least Odysseus has realized part of these plans. The company has certainly gained experience, just like the hero on his odyssey. Who doesn't know that a detour can sometimes lead to enlightenment, which then significantly improves the rest of the journey or life. So the mission is certainly a success. All nations, including SpaceX, have had to deal with setbacks, but the space travelers have always shown incredible skill when it comes to carrying on after losses or partial successes and learning from their mistakes. The good, the bad, and the offside? The good, the bad, and the offside of this mission can also be found in other myths about the moon. Traditionally, the moon is said to have two faces, one dark, and one light. In many cultures, the moon is regarded as a fertility goddess. Here, for example, we have Luna, the Roman goddess of fertility, after whom the moon is also named in Latin. The story about the darkness comes from the old assumption that the moon is dark on the far side, but that's not true at all. The moon also experiences the interplay of light and shadow on the far side. A lunar day lasts 14 Earth days, and we find the same with the lunar night. There are legends about what goes on on the far side of the moon. Evil is said to be at home there, with rumors of alien bases and other wild occurrences. The moon is also said to have a strange influence on the human psyche. When the moon is full, werewolves crawl out of hiding, sleepwalkers go astray, and the numbers of crazy people is said to rise sharply. In English, lunatic is a word for people who have lost their minds or are at least very moody. On the other hand, the lovely moon is considered the mistress of water, sweetness, and enjoyment of life. All in all, we have here the good, the bad, and the offside. This is exactly what space travelers experience with the moon. The moon is considered an easy destination because it is so close. Nevertheless, landings are masterpieces. The Apollo missions also explored the moon with space travelers who were there in person. Then the missions, which were also largely privately financed at the time, were discontinued, allegedly due to a lack of sponsors and because interest had waned. For a long time, it was said that the moon was never set foot on again because astronauts had seen aliens and spaceships there. Other dark rumors said that the USA had not landed on the moon at all. Instead, the missions were a fake. Neither the third man of the Apollo 11 mission nor the Chinese could confirm that something monstrous was going on on the far side of the moon. Michael Collins was the first person to orbit the moon in 1969 and saw the far side with his own eyes. He described the dark side of the moon as very beautiful and the solitude he experienced there as extremely sublime. Collins wrote a very poetic book about the insights he gained alone in the lunar module. Among other things, he realized from a distance and in view of the lonely lunar landscape how rich and worthy of protection our Earth is. The Chinese had already successfully landed two rovers on the remote areas of the moon and found no aliens there, at least for once. But they did find water, a strange pink slime, previously unknown minerals, and even a mineral that could solve our earthly energy problem. So it seems that the moon is losing its dark side. Even if one or two nations or companies such as intuitive machines are making a loss there, the moon is increasingly proving to be a great stroke of luck for the Earth. At the moment, it looks as if colonization and perhaps even economic exploitation could soon get underway. Artemis is on the starting blocks and hereto many nations will become active on the moon under the leadership of NASA. Housing units, science missions, and exciting projects such as greenhouses are planned. The lunar colonization is the beginning of further steps If the lunar orbit station and the settlements planned on the surface are a success, the next stop on mankind's adventure into space will be Mars. Subscribe to the channel now and look forward to many new exciting videos.