A key outcome: the vehicle shows remarkable adaptability to loose soil, slopes, and obstacles. 🚀

🔗 The full announcement: swll.to/MONA-LUNA-Fi...

Astronaut Jean-François Clervoy shares this light-hearted story in honour of Charles Duke’s birthday, reminding us of the joy and curiosity behind exploration.

We also warmly wish Charles M. Duke Jr. a very happy birthday!

The risk to life on Earth from asteroid impacts is extremely low — especially compared to, on a smaller scale, the risk to astronauts from micrometeoroid impacts on their spacecraft. That’s why spacecraft are protected by dedicated micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) shields.

Others, famous among geologists but not identifiable by astronauts, include:
☄ Chicxulub (Mexico) – Linked to the dinosaur extinction, 66 million years old, 170 km wide
☄ Rochechouart-Chassenon (France) – About 200 million years old, approx. 25 km wide

Famous examples photographed by astronauts include:
☄ Manicouagan (Canada) – “The Eye of Quebec,” the most visible, 214 million years old, 100 km wide
☄ Vredefort (South Africa) – The oldest, 2.023 billion years old, 300 km wide

He described seeing the “stories” of Earth written across its landscapes. Among the most striking are astroblemes — the remnants of ancient meteorite impacts.

Thank you! ✨

🔗 The full announcement: swll.to/MONA-LUNA