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Japans
Japan’s Moon Lander Could Still Be Saved, And Lots of Data Has Been Received : ScienceAlert
Japan switched off its Moon lander almost three hours after a historic touchdown to allow for a possible recovery of the craft when the sun hits its solar panels, the space agency said Monday.With its unmanned Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) mission – dubbed "Moon Sniper" for the craft's precision landing capabilities – Japan became the fifth country to achieve a soft lunar landing.But after the touchdown at 20 minutes past midnight on Saturday (1520 GMT Friday), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)…
Japan’s SLIM lander hits trouble after successful landing
After a successful landing on the moon on January 19, Japan’s SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) was turned off to preserve power levels. The reasoning, JAXA shared, was because the solar panels were facing westward, away from the Sun. Now, though, the agency is hopeful it could restore power in the future.How exactly it would restore power to the lander is very much up to chance, though, as the agency notes. The current hope is that sunlight from the west will eventually hit the moon, allowing the agency…
How the technology used in Japan’s lunar mission will help space explo
Japan landed its Smart Lander for Investigating the Moon, or SLIM, craft on the surface of the Moon on January 20, 2024. Despite a power issue with the lander, the event holds both political and technical importance. It’s Japan’s first lunar landing—making it only the fifth country in the world to successfully land on the Moon. This is a significant achievement and solidifies Japan’s position as a leader in space technology.This technology could assist future landings by allowing spacecraft to land in relatively small…
Sunlight May Reignite Japan’s Struggling ‘Lunar Sniper’ on the Moon
Japan’s space agency, JAXA, achieved a historic soft landing with SLIM on Friday morning, but the lander ran into instant trouble by not being able to collect solar energy and generate electricity. Hopeful for some westerly sunshine, JAXA is cautiously optimistic that SLIM could spring back to life in a couple of weeks.First Full-Color Images From Webb Space TelescopeShortly after its landing on Friday, January 19, JAXA reported issues with SLIM’s solar cells, which were not generating sufficient electricity. On Monday,…
Japan’s SLIM mission makes historic moon landing, but its time is running out
Japan’s long-planned Smart Lander for Investigating Moon has successfully touched down on the lunar surface, making the nation the fifth in history to do so. But all is not well for SLIM, which may have a limited lease on life due to trouble with its solar cells.
In a press conference following the early-morning (local time) landing on the moon, the directors of JAXA and the mission explained that “the soft landing was itself successful; SLIM has been communicating and it receiving commands. However, it seems the…
Japan’s SLIM lunar lander made it to the moon, but it’ll likely die within hours
Japan has become the fifth country to successfully land on the moon after confirming today that its SLIM lander survived its descent to the surface — but its mission is likely to be short lived. JAXA, the Japanese space agency, says the spacecraft is having problems with its solar cell and is unable to generate electricity. In its current state, the battery may only have enough juice to keep it running a few more hours.Based on how the other instruments are functioning, JAXA said in a press conference this afternoon that…
Fate of Japan’s History-Making ‘Lunar Sniper’ in Doubt After Power Malfunction
Japan’s SLIM is on the Moon and sending data to Earth, in what is a monumental achievement for Japan—it’s now the fifth country to accomplish the feat. The successful soft landing notwithstanding, the situation looks grim; officials with Japanese space agency JAXA say the lander’s solar cell is not generating sufficient amounts of electricity, raising uncertainties about the mission’s future.Remake this Sci-Fi Film with Peter Capaldi!Japan’s SLIM touched down on the Moon’s surface Friday at 10:20 a.m. ET (12:20 a.m.…
See the First Images From Japan’s X-Ray Space Telescope
The Japanese space agency JAXA has released the first test images from its X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM). The images show a galaxy cluster and a supernova remnant, and offer insight into the chemical cocktail that composes the supernova.Will You Click Windows’ New Copilot Button?An X-ray telescope functions similarly to the X-ray Specs of your favorite comic books: they reveal aspects of the cosmos that would otherwise be invisible, enabling astronomers to peer at the undercarriage of the cosmos.XRISM…
Japan’s latest earthquake could’ve been much worse, but the country spends money to ‘keep people safe’
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain
On the first day of 2024, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck Japan, killing at least 57 people and destroying thousands of homes.
This is not the first time the East Asian nation has weathered such a disaster. Japan has been hit by many powerful earthquakes, including one at 9.0 magnitude in 2011 that led to the…