On: Israel’s Beresheet Spacecraft Moon Landing Attempt...

[ctdonath]

Count your blessings.

They are the 4th country to reach the Moon (albeit at 1km/s).

[khuey → ctdonath]

No, they would have been the 4th country to land on the moon. Both ESA and ISRO have previously conducted (intentional) impact missions.

[chmielewski → khuey]

khuey with the correction. Yes they would have been the 4th country to land on the moon. They settled to be the 7th country to orbit.

[droithomme → ctdonath]

US, USSR, and China have successfully landed on the moon.

Japan, ESA, India, and SpaceIL all have crashed on the moon (counting as reached).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_spacecraft_on_the_Moon

[globuous → droithomme]

That being said, ESA landed on a comet. Which is arguably a much harder shot to make ;) literally, you shoot, wait a decade, and cross your fingers during landing ^^

[pauldino → globuous]

And even if they didn’t ever manage to land on the moon, ESA did once land on a moon.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huygens_(spacecraft)

[jhayward → globuous]

You don't so much land on a comet, as dock with it. And I think they kinda less-than-succeeded at that.

[petschge → jhayward]

They got down at the expected speed just fine. Except that speed is enough to bounce two times if your harpoons fire but don't stick in the crust because it is even more crunchy than expected.

[jhayward → petschge]

As I said, a failed docking attempt.

[zamalek → ctdonath]

A successful landing, followed by rapid unplanned disassembly.

[mr_toad → zamalek]

Unscheduled lithobraking manoeuvre.