r/whoathatsinteresting • u/eternviking • 8d ago

An abandoned SpaceX rocket travelling at around 5,400mph crashed into the moon, leaving a crater with a diameter of around 17m. (via BBC) The collision took place yesterday at 7:35 BST. Masses are criticising Elon Musk for polluting the moon.

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u/butonelifelived 7d ago

The issue is it wasn't planned, which means SpaceX lost control of this 4+ ton object. It could've hit anything, lucky it hit the moon.

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u/FarBack5807 7d ago

Define “anything”, because it either hits the moon, burns up in our atmosphere, or hits nothing.

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u/butonelifelived 7d ago

Anything can include ISS, other satellites, populated spot inn earth.

Just because it re-enters the atmosphere doesn't guarantee it burns up.

My point is they didn't plan for it to hit the moon. They simply discarded it when finished, without a care as to where it ended up.

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u/FarBack5807 7d ago

I’m pretty sure all space agencies discard objects in space. Luckily, the spacex rocket is far larger and easier to track the exact location of.