News Lunar Orbiter 2 found?

[Ghostrider]

The final resting place of Lunar Orbiter 2, launched on November the 6th 1966 and impacted October the 11th 1967 has been apparently identified by the LRO. Details here.

Looks like the LRO played Cold Case Squad for this.
(sunglasses)
That's some moonlighting.
(cue Won't get fooled again)

 

[Artlav]

Looks kinda too big for it, that spot is about 50 meters across, right?
A 300 kg piece of loose aluminium going at 1.7 km/s making such a big mess?
And, at the same time hitting dead centrer into the only bright spot on dark terrain?

Well, i'm not a planetologist.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Looks kinda too big for it, that spot is about 50 meters across, right?
A 300 kg piece of loose aluminium going at 1.7 km/s making such a big mess?
And, at the same time hitting dead centrer into the only bright spot on dark terrain?

Well, i'm not a planetologist.

Well, that is quite a bit of kinetic energy. 300 kg at 1.7 km/s is something like 433.5 MJ of kinetic energy which is roughly equivalent to 1/10 of a ton of TNT (about 90 kg of TNT). I don't think you would want to stand only 25 m away from 90 kg of TNT:lol:

 

[T.Neo]

90 kilograms of TNT could easily propell shrapnel 25 meters in Terran conditions; on the Moon, with no air resistance and less gravity, it is entirely possible for debris to travel impressive distances, as well as form large impact fields- that is already not considering the results of regolith being disturbed by the impact.

 

[RisingFury]

And, at the same time hitting dead centrer into the only bright spot on dark terrain?

No, the white stuff you see is the recently kicked up debris from impact, that hasn't been subjected to millions of years of space weathering...


I wonder if they'll find Lunar Prospector too...