While driving down an East Texas country road I spotted this scene. The autumn trees and the late afternoon sun made these golden bales of hay shine just a little bit more. Fortunately I had my camera with me. (c) James Q. Eddy Jr.

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NASA lost a lunar spacecraft one day after launch. A new report shows what went wrong

NPR | By Joe Palca

Published February 28, 2026 at 6:56 AM CST

Why did a $72 million mission to study water on the moon fail so soon after launch? A new NASA report has the answer.

Joe Palca

Joe Palca is a science correspondent for NPR. Since joining NPR in 1992, Palca has covered a range of science topics — everything from biomedical research to astronomy. From 2011 to 2020 he produced stories that explored the minds and motivations of scientists and inventors as part of his series, Joe's Big Idea. Palca is also the founder of NPR Scicommers – A science communication collective.