Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

We have yet more examples showing how remote sensing is difficult. One day, we learn this well enough to anticipate it?

There have been several unmanned craft land on the moon recently. That is a great accomplishment to send something to the moon and have it land soft enough to still function. There is some old saying about any landing you walk away from is good.

Anyways, a couple of the recent unmanned landings on the moon were soft, but, well, uh, not great. One craft landed upside down while another landing sideways, sort of.

I recall the manned landings on the moon in 1969 and the following few years. Those had experienced pilots on board who looked out the window, saw the ground, and made all the adjustments that a person makes when on the scene.

The recent not-so-food unmanned landings were piloted remotely, well, sort of. A type of “auto pilot” guided the vehicles to the surface. Remote control was not possible as the delay in transmission prohibited real-time remote control.

The landings were characterized by a lot of remote sensing. And, well, we know that remote sensing is difficult. I have written on this topic several times before. Remote sensing is STILL DIFFICULT.

Perhaps we will acknowledge that well enough one day to anticipate it. Unmanned spacecraft landing on the moon and other remote bodies depend on remote sensing to work well. That is difficult. That requires a Plan A, a Plan B, and so on.

Flying all the way to the moon is difficult. Landing well via remote sensing is really difficult. It’s that last 100 feet that is critical. Let’s keep trying and let’s do better.