But the astronauts struggled with the telescoping rod and could only insert the pole about  into the hard lunar surface.
bˌʌt ðɪ ˈæstɹənˌɔːts stɹˈʌɡəld wɪððə tˈɛlᵻskˌoʊpɪŋ ɹˈɑːd ænd kʊd ˈoʊnli ɪnsˈɜːt ðə pˈoʊl ɐbˌaʊt ˌɪntʊ ðə hˈɑːɹd lˈuːnɚ sˈɜːfɪs.