The Impact of India's Space Program

Officials at "ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre of Thiruvananthapuram" must be quite proud...

So now this afternoon I'm learning that the Drudge Report's linking to this story about India being the FOURTH country to put a piece of hardware on our Moon:

Chandrayaan-I Impact Probe lands on moon
14 Nov 2008, 2035 hrs IST, PTI

BANGALORE: India marked its presence on Moon on Friday night to be only the fourth nation to scale this historic milestone after a Moon Impact Probe with the national tri-colour painted successfully landed on the lunar surface after being detached from unmanned spacecraft Chandrayaan-1.

Chandrayaan-I Impact Probe lands on the moon surface with the national tri-colour painted successfully landed on the lunar surface after being detached from unmanned spacecraft Chandrayaan-1.

Joining the US, the erstwhile Soviet Union and the European Union, the 35-kg Moon Impact probe hit the moon exactly at 8.31 PM, about 25 minutes after the probe instrument descended from the satellite in what ISRO described as a "perfect operation". Miniature Indian flags painted on four sides of the MIP signalled the country's symbolic entry into moon to coincide with the birth anniversary of the country's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, observed as Children's Day.

I'm sorry, maybe I'm just dense or something...but I have to ask this question:

Did the Indian probe actually "LAND" on the moon...or did it--as the name implies--"IMPACT" the moon?

Someone?

Anyone Know?

I guess you can understand my confusion, because years ago when I was learning to fly an airplane my instructor was adamant that "LANDING" the airplane was an intentional act which we spent about 90% of my time practicing, while sitting on, in or otherwise occupying an airplane while it "IMPACTED" something else solid like a tree, the Earth, or even another heavenly body was to be avoided (unless you were from somewhere in the Middle East and/or Muslim...)

Not to stop being stupid now,I also have to admit that a couple of images popped into my mind--literally as soon as I read this story's headline.

This first one is bound to get some sniveling commenter to call me rude or insensitive or even "a racist." It's my best guess as to what our Moon will look like when viewed through binoculars or a telescope from your back yard next week:

And I guess all the bookstores and grade school libraries will have to stop publishing books talking about "cows jumping over the moon" because of the Bovines stature in some India religion/culture...

And while I'm at it, I guess that I should point out that the "Man in the Moon" will never look the same as a result of this week's events...

Feel free to laugh out loud because you know deep inside that this is funny.

So stop sniveling and SUE me if you don't like my humor...

dammit...