This Makes Me Sad: The Crash on the Moon that Could've Easily Been Avoided

[@astrumspace]

This is a reupload of last week's video! A lot of you rightfully pointed out that I interchangeably used "Soviet" and "Russian", so I have corrected that now. It was quite an egregious error so it was worth the reupload. Thanks!

[@Pine_Wood]

Alrighty

[@brianmcevoy1990]

My God man you have no backbone.

[@danijel022]

Alex you are always bringing great content. Had no problem with the first version either. Keep up the good work.

[@chromezinc]

I do appreciate when educational channels make the effort to be correct even when an error seems pretty minor, thanks Alex!

[@mikeuk666]

Free Ukraine 🇺🇦

[@lovemonk]

As Russian I can say 2 things. First of all - Russia is not USSR, and is not capable of such difficult spacemissions not only 'cause of budget issues, but also 'cause of brain issues. Most great engineers and scientists emigrated after the collapse of the USSR. The second issue is budget ofcourse. To put it in to perspective, if you want to work for Roscosmos, be rady for 1k$ per month payment. It was even a meme some time ago in Russia, when Roskosmos was hiring some engineers, and put vacancies on their site back in 2017 or 2018. Payment was 40k rubels, something around 1k$ at that time. Now it's even worse, as you can suspect. Thank you for video. P.S. Not only USSR put spacerace into politic perspective, USA did it too. I think it in a way, that both countries was racing each other to proof their economic models was better than the other one.

[@mikeuk666]

Free Ukraine 🇺🇦

[@scoops2016]

It’s all very sad. I wish we all worked together for the greater good. At the end of the day we are all humans and all equal in my mind

[@punishedvenomsnake716]

​@@scoops2016 So do I. I yearn and hope we can all work together towards a better future.

[@lovemonk]

@@scoops2016 Same. I wish we could see theese days.

[@eoinoconnell185]

Ireland here. We have a huge amount of PhD-educated Russians here. They get special visas.

[@maxjakobsen5526]

I love the relaxed way, without annoying music and speeding videos, you perform the video. Continue the good work.

[@ronitsaraf]

Thank you, Alex! When I watch your videos or listen to your podcasts before going to sleep, I often find myself dreaming about space, galaxies, stars, rockets, and fantastical elements. You made me love space and science!

[@Learningthetruth-ci5mw]

Notwithstanding this - I still get blown away at the photos thee Soviet craft took on the surface of Venus.

[@vtange_eng]

Maybe the curse wasn’t the name Luna Coffin but the fact they rushed Luna-25 the same way they rushed Luna-15. How about taking your time for Luna-35?

[@robloggia]

Or at least not ignore known design flaws.

[@adriantcullysover4640]

That's why the name Lunar Coffin was fitting for it. Astrum didn't say it's because of the name that they failed but rather rivalry and pride. So it being called that was unintentionally fitting for it.

[@wisdomleader85]

The dictator likely did not allow any postponement since he needed these showoffs to justify his rule. That was what happened to Komarov's infamous "Soyuz 1".

[@oleksiyalkhazov9201]

Stop bringing popularity to the fkn 21st century nazis - ruzzians. Man, I've been watching you from Ukraine during ruzzian missile strikes. Are you insane bringing positive pic of the ruzzians?!

[@tempestive1]

Might be just me, but human error seems slightly more likely and with more explanatory power, than laws of physics bending to fulfill the will of some entity with understanding of linguistics.

[@bastianjunemann5658]

I love how carefully you shared a reasonable and constructive opinion on current international conflicts. Looking at the heated debates fueling the civilian backing of these conflicts, promotion of cooperation and picturing the population of opposing nations as people - not enemies - may be of even greater value than the lunar missions themselves. Thx for sharing this point of view :)

[@MJRYT19]

Honestly this channel is absolutely brilliant. Love your content. 👌

[@benmcreynolds8581]

How about naming the next ship "The unsinkable ship!" ~it's never backfired..

[@jimmurphy6095]

As much as we're in a seriously intense competition with Russia in space, I still feel terrible for the loss of the Lunar probe. An enormous amount of time and effort was spent, regardless of which "side" spent it. (Space was the only place we were able to fully cooperate and it's tragic that even this aspect is being lost.)

[@robloggia]

Lean into it I say. Make a mission name "Operation Cannot Possibly Fail"

[@jaromir_kovar]

I feel pity for the Russian scientists. This was their baby and they really wanted it to succeed. But the pressure from the government must have been huge. I'm sure they were simply ordered to go beyond their calculated safety parameters. I hope the responsible lead scientists and their families didn't just disappear one night after a 3am knock on the door but I wouldn't be surprised.

[@Jovanelo]

Don't be an idiot

[@michaeldique]

You should probably watch less of Rachel Maddow 🤣

[@jaromir_kovar]

@@michaeldique I've googled the lady and don't know her. But I was born in the eastern block and I assure you that it is a situation that could happen, however Orwellian it may seem in other countries. Especially considering that the ego of an arrogant, egoistic and insane former KGB operative might have been bruised by this failure.

[@michaeldique]

@@jaromir_kovar Ah, so you're a simple Putin hater 😄 You don't think these things can happen in the West? We've started jailing and killing journalists after all. EU is the new Soviet Union basically.

[@xEricC1001x]

@@michaeldique Ask the head of Wagner group how your life is after upsetting Putin. Oh wait you can't because his life was ended...

[@marioskoutras6583]

I really feel bad for the scientists and their effort on this project. Basically, the pointless war, destroyed a good opportunity for an exciting mission to the moon.

[@JetFire9]

They need to vote better.

[@y00t00b3r]

@@JetFire9 > They need to vote better. Not just better, they need to vote HARDER !!!

[@DaddyHensei]

⁠their vote needs to count first as well.

[@sjsomething4936]

Yes, unfortunately Russia is at a point where the “voting” needs to take place with weaponry in order to effect change, and that seems unlikely to happen. But to the OP’s point, I too am very saddened that the pursuit of knowledge and science is being severely disrupted by a pointless war in which hundreds of human lives are being lost daily, and that essentially a single madman is behind all of it.

[@bmanduprit2962]

When India says “no thanks we’ll go it alone” You know you fucked up😂

[@spacemissing]

India has long had some of the most intelligent and capable engineers. They could have outdone Russia at any point if they wanted to. India outdoing the US is not hard to imagine.

[@akhripasta2670]

ROSCOSMOS & NASA is seen as heroes in India who opened a new frontier of humanity

[@beefestrogen5276]

@@spacemissing I think what'd come down to is budget, I don't know about the Indian front but it's well known that NASA struggles at times to acquire the funding it needs. America has always had the ability to push the boundaries of space exploration, though congress perpetually makes funding a massive concern for missions. As far as I'm aware, this is also why NASA missions take so long, as they can't readily and easily send up a new drone, rover, or rocket whenever it wants or needs to. It's a real shame, the data being collected on Mars is phenomenal and potentially ground breaking for understanding the planets history and potential for past life. Just imagine what could be done if NASA had the funds to really expand on their ambitious goals.

[@williamwolf2844]

​@@spacemissing It's also not hard to imagine Daenerys, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms riding dragons. But that doesn't mean that it's true or likely.

[@uap24]

India ended up achieving more than what was initially expected. First the data collection, then the hop, then the return of the propulsion module to Earth orbit.

[@berndeckenfels]

So the Lunar Impacter program finally succeeded.

[@theDreadedBlur]

It's bad luck to be superstitious.

[@dansv1]

13:52 This clip of Luna 15 flying over the Apollo 11 landing site was created for the 2005 BBC docudrama series Space Race.

[@andreasskjeltorp4635]

Ohh sleepspace 🤩 thank you!

[@jameswingert9596]

Great video and excellent thoughts. 👍🏽

[@freddyjosereginomontalvo4667]

Awesome channel as always say

[@adriantcullysover4640]

Simple story made interesting and clear. Thanks Astrum.

[@scoops2016]

Wonderful, yes your delivery is always relaxing and educational and balanced. I’ll subscribe to your podcast. Thank you.

[@MatthewChenault]

I believe it’s worth noting here the issue behind Russia’s lack of funding to its space agency; the dire state of its economy in the post-Soviet years and their main focus. Russia has seen its economy and social problems lessen over the years, but - when this project was proposed - the Russian economy was in a horrid state and this brought about severe social problems, including high homicide rates. This handicapped their space agency for the better part of the 2000’s until 2009-2010, which saw a significant increase in its budget. The other reason why Roscosmos had such a small budget was due to the prioritization of the government’s budget on a far more pressing issue; national security (I.e. the military). For Russia, what was more important at the time was the need to advance their weaponry systems to keep up with western-built equipment both for internal use and for foreign markets (India happening to be one of those markets). The reason for this is more-or-less self evident with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine as well as conflicts in Georgia and elsewhere. However, Russia has been improving their spending on Roscosmos since the 2000’s. In the end, the failure of Luna-25 is more a learning lesson for Roscosmos and does indicate that Russia wants to - and is willing to - engage in space exploration of their own accord. With increased funding for Roscosmos - and the sanctions by western nations against the country - it is likely they will begin investing more into producing in-house equipment or formalize space agency dealings with China and India to create joint missions akin to ESA and NASA programs.

[@zpacula]

Can we all appreciate this guy's perfect nose out chin diaper at 15:00 ? Great way of showing on TV that your satellite will not get contaminated at all.

[@ninehundreddollarluxuryyac5958]

The nose contaminating the lunar probe went by pretty fast, but I scrolled to 15:00 and saw it. Nice find!

[@williscopeland7114]

Well spotted!

[@zpacula]

@LockHimUp99 I doubt he's solely responsible. But it's telling a lot about the state of their mission if someone not wearing a mask in what seems to be a contamination free zone wasn't noticed while on promotional material

[@cbuchner1]

A single nose will not down a spacecraft. Two noses or an aggravated sneeze however…

[@TheTamriel]

More luck next time That's the motto of all space exploration

[@pilgrimbruce6475]

Although it was meant tongue-in-cheek and to give a good video title, there might be something valid to "the curse of the Lunar Coffin". After all, the Peregrine Lander recently failed as well. It was an actual coffin-there were human remains on board. The intent was to honor them with a lunar grave. It did not work according to plan.

[@dromnispank4723]

Alex McColgan is our Morgan Freeman

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

The country may have been the first but they were definitely not the last. I hope they would cooperate with the other countries after the war

[@ianwaudby7737]

This was a fascinating video. Thanks for making this.

[@toddbellows5282]

Skilled tradesman speaking to manager in a hurry to complete a job... "You want it bad, you get it bad. The worse you want it, the worse you get it."

[@andrebartels1690]

Hello Alex, I like the respectful tone in your narration a lot. Although I'm not a big fan of Russia, I feel like the Russian scientists and cosmonauts deserve respect for their endeavours. And I guess we can all agree that collaboration, compassion, and joy are the best motivation to make a future for mankind.

[@syntaxusdogmata3333]

Pride (i.e. "hubris") is never a good thing.

[@tempestive1]

They're different things though. What's wrong with having a sense of accomplishment for a job well done?

[@syntaxusdogmata3333]

​@@tempestive1Why do you think I clarified it by saying "hubris"?

[@NetherPrime]

@@syntaxusdogmata3333 why not just say hubris is never a good thing? think it's too smart of a word for the average person or something?

[@syntaxusdogmata3333]

@@NetherPrime No, because I think "pride" is used too often to mean "dignity" or something.

[@NoSTs123]

this video is too soothing, it is not a sign of quality content when your viewers sleep of boredom.

[@ΓΕΡΑΣΙΜΟΣΔΡΑΚΑΤΟΣ-π9θ]

Ευχαριστούμε!

[@Lavonne9870]

❤ Love the VW Beetle tires/rims/fenders on that final rover CG shot! 😂 Gotta go back and see what else is there.😊

[@michaelj.galloway8809]

Thank you for your presentation. 🙂

[@bluewaffle1957]

How can anyone take the Indian space program seriously when their technician's are in bare feet and flip flops ( 5:07) 😲

[@akhripasta2670]

It's traditional slippers(flip flops)

[@3p1cand3rs0n]

Next time just name it the HindenTanic. That should cover the hubris requirements. ☺️

[@sophiaisabelle027]

We will always support this channel. They're one of the best

[@psquare2260]

I don’t think there is competition or rivalry between India and Russia.

[@aresaurelian]

There are some fine feats of engineering and science going on behind the political scenes. It inspires children and young adults to continue the work of the previous generation. Wonderful.

[@MrSamPhoenix]

That explosion was a bit powerful

[@LadyJoCroft]

Sleep is why I came here all the time! 😊

[@auntvesuvi3872]

Thanks for the re-upload, Alex! 🌗

[@tobihaifisch7558]

1:52 An unqualified sewing worker, who endangered the whole mission with her antics. Which granted her a career in politics, proving the whole communist system to be a despicable lump of slime, that will make you throw up regularly.

[@threethrushes]

"In 2022, she voted for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which led to numerous Western sanctions against her." Yikes.

[@denissavgir2881]

Yes! Smilevoice! What is your hypothesis on the modifications smiling does to your voice if you had to quantify it in terms of audio properties and effects?

[@budwhite9591]

“Ze world sleeps under a communist moon!” That aged very well

[@mxb2432]

Wow the sleeping podcast is genius! Thank you!

[@stephenbrand5661]

The real irony about people who get upset about the words "Russian" and "Soviet" being used interchangeably is that most them weren't even born yet when the Soviet Union collapsed!

[@dancarson5486]

Haha so funny that you have a sleep podcast… I fall asleep to your voice every night 😂

[@rosslittlejohn5515]

Trust the russian to rush in

[@russchadwell]

We throw money at a problem. They throw people. Either way has issues.

[@MichaelWinter-ss6lx]

Russia showing its superiority in space explosions.

[@michelmayhem]

Thanks for the corrections! Many thanks, Alex. It's as great as your normal high standards now. I applaud thee, sir.

[@erictaylor5462]

You should never change a ship's name.

[@drasiella]

Yass! Sleep space is on Samsung Free too!

[@magnuszerum9177]

What Space X has taught us is that to have space asperations realized, all you really need is a healthy economy. You don't even need a proper nation state. Just enough profit to fund things in a proper scientific environment. That and keeping lithospheric breaking to a minimum.

[@auroraglacialis]

And now consider the present day workings of science. Its based on competition these days. "Publish or Perish", the one who publishes a new thing first "wins" (Positions, Funds, Contracts, Reputation). So cutting corners has become a staple in science and just with the moon race this is not good...

[@kamber90]

grob means grave not coffin I think

[@mattsmith5421]

I fall asleep to your videos anyway ive watched that mercury one and moons of jupiter about 100 times each. Hopefully you can find enough information on Neptune to make a video similar to the Mercury one but i won't hold my breath.

[@WyzrdCat]

Competition is what got us out there in the first place. If we stop competing we will languish in mediocrity.

[@mattscott8961]

The picture at 4:24. Concentric ring shape. I can see us there...

[@connarcomstock161]

>India "We're going to the moon, not in a hurry, nbd, it's not like it's going anywhere" >Russia *GOTTA GO FAST!*

[@erictaylor5462]

13:20 Russians were rushing too much.

[@tonyduncan9852]

Clues to Fermi's Great Filter . . . 😎

[@Akash-uq8wg]

Russia is still a major player in the space industry. No shame is a failure. Hopefully global cooperation will one day be reality again. There shouldn't be politics inn science.

[@mikeuk666]

Free Ukraine 🇺🇦

[@naciremasti]

​@@mikeuk666they're perfectly capable of doing it themselves, aren't they?

[@threethrushes]

Ever since the first single-celled organism stole a mitochondrion from another cell about 4.5 billion y.a., there has been politics.

[@stefanodadamo6809]

0:50 I sense too much gloating.

[@myaschaefer6597]

Agreed, this is sad. Really too bad humanity can't GROW-UP and WORK TOGETHER on missions to the moon and beyond. If we don't, we'll continue to carry our silly conflicts with us to space, and collectively miss out on growth opportunities for our species. Most important > creating a better future for our children.

[@paulyiustravelogue]

The Russians may not have beaten India to reach the moon, but this mission seemingly made it the deepest into the moon.

[@miles-thesleeper-monroe8466]

13:08 looks like the American orbiter can take some pretty close up shots! Their own landing sites would be good to see

[@SleepyHarryZzz]

They're just a Google search away chum.

[@Emophiliac2]

Can someone identify the rocket at 1:44 ? I can't recall seeing this design before.

[@EZ-viewing.]

When the space shuttles returned to earth from low earth orbit, they were riddled with all sorts & sizes of space debris. However, we have space telescopes, sending back nonstop and undamaged immaculate images, dozens of space trips returning without a scratch on any capsules. Amazing! Either someone is playing us the fool or we have no space debris. Which is it??????😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

[@andythecatnya]

Might be because the telescopes are not in low earth orbit. Look up where the Webb is.

[@servantofaeie1569]

Ah! "Grob" like "grave"!

[@Lizzymint]

Excellent video as usual, I just wish that instead of competing against each other like kids in the playground or juveniles in a city that these powers of each country don't just combine their efforts it's just ridiculous that still they have to compete against each other we all reside on this one planet so the scientists need to get their heads together and show the heads of power it can be done after all we all have the same goal. But alas that would be asking too much

[@Jaggerbush]

Its crazy to think that the US "won" the space race. The US was the first to land a man on the moon... Thats it.

[@mathewferstl7042]

First Docking, first successful Mars landing, first planetary flyby, first to get a probe to orbit another planet, first send people around the moon, first to visit an outer solar system planet, first to visit mercury, venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, first to have an successful Space station and spacestation mission, first reusable spacecraft, first untethered EVA, I can go on and on.

[@threethrushes]

Think of the Moon landing as the 100M Olympic event - it's the main thing. Every thing else is... well, filler.

[@CapnSnackbeard]

There is a recording I heard of a female cosomonaut in a capsual that had missed its mark, and was drifting out into space. I think more than just those 3 died in apace.

[@abacus749]

Apollo 11 had 5 windows. Did they have a thermometer on the outside of the window, visible from the inside of the rocket taking temperature readings as the rocket travelled through the vacuum of Space? Did the Changrayaan which flew at a speed of 21,600 kmph through the vacuum,reducing its speed down to 7 kmph in 15 mins, record vacuum temperatures?

[@akhripasta2670]

😅I don't think India & Russia was in a space competition

[@sussekind9717]

The next human on the moon, is very likely to be Chinese. I wonder if they could get that old lunar rover running again? Very unlikely, but hilarious to think about (jumper cables?).

[@benmcreynolds8581]

Purely hypothetical but I think it just landed off axis so it's solar panels weren't able to aquire power.. So technically if they get there and can flip it over.. then they could maybe get it to start producing electricity again. I honestly think it's so stupid to build a expensive space probe yet you only have solar panels to power it? Mini nuclear energy is the best way to go when it comes to powering expensive space probes.. I don't understand when it isn't used.. It's always worked out well when it is utilized

[@uap24]

Electronics are likely fried by now. Or the lunar night destroyed them.

[@keshavdwivedi5192]

As an Indian, I would have been really happy that if ROSCOSMOS and ISRO could have come together and Luna 25 could have been our lander for our Chandrayaan-2 mission but unfortunately it did not happened. Even If LUNA-25 had landed before Chandrayaan-3 we all Indians would be still happy. 🇮🇳 ❤ 🇷🇺

[@radanm51]

Grob=Гроб=Grave. Grob means grave not coffin

[@KlaunFuhrer-du7fr]

GROB means coffin in many Slavic languages,, namely SerboCroatian

[@luciantaylor9161]

Why is there such a competition?? I best compare this to the game spore. Unless we all work together, will Never successfully make it off of this planet.

[@falcychead8198]

It was hardly the name or Western sanctions that doomed the mission. The Russians (by which I mean Putin) simply chose to prioritize imperialist aggression over space exploration and international scientific cooperation. They continue (Putin continues) on that course, which already has cost Russia (not Putin) far more both in money and human lives than the most ambitious space probe. Way to go, Vlad.

[@MatthewChenault]

Putin man bad. CIA-Money-Laundering-Ring good.

[@PyroRob69]

Hehe, all those failures from USSR /Russia makes you realize they really are second rate

[@MatthewChenault]

Apollo 1.

[@mckanister246]

Not really. Russia? Right now maybe. USSR? Absolutely not.

[@PyroRob69]

@@mckanister246 How many successful landings on the moon have either of them made?

[@mckanister246]

@@PyroRob69 More than dozens. Not manned landings, but rovers and landers. Only a fool would say that the Soviet space program was second rate. I won't argue with you because it's a waste of time if you in the first place say they were second rate. Go study some Wikipedia. But I suspect you won't and you will just repeat HoW mAnY tImES oN mOOn?! And I am not saying they were more successful than the US, but definitely not second rate. As far as the current Russian program goes I don't know, they probably are second rate, but not the Soviet program.

[@PyroRob69]

@@mckanister246 Keep thinking that. How many manned landings? How many unmanned landings? I live through the era, I don’t have to go look it up.

[@carlosttc2786]

0:13 Luna-Glob...Translated to English as "Moon-sphere"

[@phoule76]

Coffin' on the moon...

[@ZeroDarkness-]

Luna 25 after find out it's original name and approaching moon: *PERHAPS TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO DIE... RAMMING SPEED!!*

[@michaelbraum77]

Still worth the trip there!!! Once in a lifetime, except for a small percentage go back into space.

[@terranhealer]

Just throwing this out there but the book “The Apollo Murders” by US Atroauthor Chris Hadfield is a great read. Old school US vs Russian space drama 😊

[@christinearmington]

😳💀💥

[@bartwilliams4478]

So in the video, it is never mentioned what the fatal mistake was in technical terms. It only said it was too bad they didn't buy the part from x..so was it a design flaw , material ?

[@NoSTs123]

despite all what what was said in the video, they forgot to mention why it failed. It was a software error. like a modern car luna 25 had a shared bus on which all components talked to each other. It failed due to the bus priority being wrong. There was to much traffic on the bus during the burn, the navigation system sent the order to shut down the engine which should have been labeled as important, some other process had the priority on the bus at that instance and so the engine kept running too long which caused the unscheduled disassembly of the vehicle. The narration style of the video is extremely tedious to listen to.

[@clivematthews95]

Man always chooses pride over collaboration, that’s what’s behind most wars. And make no mistake, wars are started by men. I love that you revealed an even bigger truth about what was going down on the Soviet side, away from the cameras, during the space race. 34% is a terrible success rate

[@earthmama5659]

Russia can’t get much straight lately! I remember seeing the Sputnik in space as a kid. It was FAST!

[@akhripasta2670]

Best of luck for Luna 26 ROSCOSMOS 🇮🇳🤞

[@kitten_processing_inc4415]

The script for this video doesn't sound like classic Alex. It's more wordy than your usual stuff, feels more like a magazine article. I'm assuming someone else wrote it therefore?

[@Nexfero]

You would've thought the Soviets/Russians would learn their lesson after the N1 disaster Cutting back deadlines for arbitrary goals, (ie need to launch in Oct b/c Oct Revolution) only results in FAILURE the majority of the time. 🌚

[@brianarbenz1329]

2 weeks later, American exceptional Free Market economics is boasting that it just landed successfully on the mo -- OOOPS, I've just seen an update on that.

[@zerk317]

How do you spell Alex McCaughllgan

[@mattscott8961]

The 'humanity' dream...

[@Slowphoton]

At least they made a new crater.

[@disconnected22]

For further context, I’d suggest the video “The Myth Of Soviet Space Superiority “. It’s a great breakdown.

[@BoltRM]

Not enough testing + pressure from clueless overseers to score political points = failure