The Lunar Prospector spacecraft, throughout its 18-month orbit across the moon, gathered essential information and imagery. NASA concluded its mission on July 31, 1999, intentionally crashing it onto the lunar floor, carrying Eugene Shoemaker. This act made Shoemaker the one individual to be buried on the moon, inside a crater named in his honor close to the south pole. His burial capsule was inscribed with the next phrases from the drama Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare:
“And, when he shall die
Take him and lower him out in little stars
And he’ll make the face of heaven so high quality
That every one the world can be in love with evening
And pay no worship to the garish solar.”
Although the exact location of Shoemaker’s capsule stays elusive, it’s presumed intact and sheltered from erosion, guaranteeing preservation for eons as a result of moon’s lack of weathering.
Picture: Canva
