IM-2

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/im-2

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the spacecraft type?Nova-C lunar lander
2. What is the mission operator?Intuitive Machines
3. What was the IM-2 mission about?It was a NASA commercial mission that sent the Athena lander to the Moon to search for water ice.
4. Why did the Athena lander land sideways?During the final descent it lost contact, and when communication was restored the lander was found to be sideways, which made its solar panels hard to use.

Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS): A NASA initiative facilitating commercial delivery of scientific payloads to the lunar surface.
Mass Spectrometer: An analytical instrument used to measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions, enabling chemical identification.
Neutron Spectrometer: A device that detects and measures neutrons, often used to identify hydrogen-rich materials like water ice.
Permanently Shadowed Region (PSR): Areas near the lunar poles that remain in perpetual darkness, offering stable, extremely low temperatures conducive to preserving volatiles like water ice.