Can we take a moment to appreciate the very real possibility that the Soviet space program of the 50s would have been able to land a lunar probe better than the current Russian program?
(Obligatory /s, space is hard and shit goes wrong sometimes)
Space is hard.
The Moon surface is harder.
Sorry.
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They don't call it hard vacuum for nothing
In USSR there were 16 successful and 17 unsuccessful missions to moon Yes it hard, its a rocket science
Forget the moon, the USSR put probes on Venus (the Venera missions).
In Soviet Russia the space probe IS the surface of the moon!
50s ussr was driven by personal ambition for position in a totalitarian society. No ambition is allowed in Russia now
The "probe" is actually a Russian tank turret lollipopped there from Ukraine.
"Russian Spaceship, Go fuck yourself” ~Moon probably
they'll find a way to blame NATO for the "nuance"
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Sanctions since 2014 and 2022 have hobbled the Russian space programme, cutting it off from western technology and funding. The launch in 2019 was delayed because a landing radar that Roscosmos planned to import from the west was no longer available after 2014, Egorov said. After attempting to manufacture the radar domestically, Roscosmos determined that it was unnecessary for the mission. (source)
Huh, turns out landing radar IS necessary.
I disagree, the impactor didn't even get into orbit before fulfilling its mission, I doubt the radar would have even been turned on at that point
I honestly feel bad for whoever works at Roscosmos. They probably applied there specifically because they were inspired by the Soviet space program and wanted to avoid military service, and now their budget is being cut to nothing so Putin can keep the war going, and they can't cooperate with any other space agencies because of the sanctions. The ISS was their fundraiser for the last 20 years since they were the only ones with a spacecraft that could stay docked for the entire time an astronaut was onboard, so they charged every other space program for lifeboat services and used that to cover most of their budget. But now Elon Musk even took that, and I'd be genuinely afraid to ride a Soyuz when there's a good chance the guys building it haven't been paid in months and are just there to avoid being bullet sponges.
Alas, they were aiming at the Ukraine.
Like Wernher von Braun famously stated: I aim for random fields and civilian homes around London, but sometimes i hit the moon.
Special "landing" operation.
3000 terrified smiles of a new retiree who doesnt want to lose access to imported booze at the PX. That tax free Cuervo hits just right, Vova, please don't take it away from me. I wasn't in Chechyna, but I still dream about it.....
Maybe the moon lander joined NATO.
All according to the plan.
Nuance means turn off your brain lately for some reason
