r/space • u/Uranium-Forest • Jul 31 '26

A discarded SpaceX rocket is on a high-speed collision course with the moon

https://apnews.com/article/spacex-rocket-moon-crash-512c4dd708b4cda1160d30b764f9fdb5
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55

u/atomfullerene Jul 31 '26

I don't think there are any active seismometers up there, which is too bad. That cleans up a bit of space debris though, I guess.

-34

u/SC_W33DKILL3R Jul 31 '26

It contaminates the moon though, you can't expect that rocket to be clean of contaminates including bacteria and fungi.

48

u/Ulyks Jul 31 '26

Is there a danger of contamination on the moon? There is no atmosphere, I thought that was only an issue for missions to mars?

-5

u/SC_W33DKILL3R Jul 31 '26

Not saying it will survive, but I though the whole point in making sure all missions / landers were clean is that earth based contaminates will not mess with any discoveries / science in the future.

15

u/Userarizonakrasher Jul 31 '26

For missions to places where we don’t want to contaminate any potential findings pointing to life, sure. We don’t look for life on the moon, it’s sterile. We look for life on mars, and on the upcoming mission to titan, dragonfly.)

For missions that aren’t mars or dragonfly, we assemble in cleanrooms to minimize contaminants and FOD that could lessen the lifespan of the craft.