Japan may yet manage to salvage its Moon lander, the country’s space agency Jaxa says – if sunlight hits it in the right place.
The Slim spacecraft was turned off just three hours after its historic lunar touchdown on Saturday to save power.
Engineers had realised its solar cells were pointing west, away from the Sun, and could not generate electricity.
But the mission team is now hopeful the situation could improve as lighting conditions shift.
“If sunlight hits the Moon from the west in the future, we believe there’s a possibility of power generation, and we’re currently preparing for restoration,” the Jaxa statement read.
The Slim mission – also nicknamed “Moon Sniper” for its use of precision-landing technologies – made Japan only the fifth nation in history to complete a soft lunar touchdown.
But the joy of seeing the craft complete its controlled descent soon turned to worry as power levels drained away.
Rather than let the battery system go completely flat, the decision was taken to put the craft to sleep.
“The battery was disconnected according to our procedures with 12% power remaining, in order to avoid a situation where the restart (of the lander) would be hampered,” Jaxa said.
“As a result, the spacecraft was switched off at 02:57 (Saturday, Japan time, or 17:57 GMT, Friday).”
Before shutdown, mission control was able to successfully gather details of Slim’s predicament, as well as images and data about its descent to the lunar surface.
“We’re relieved and beginning to get excited after confirming a lot of data has been obtained,” Jaxa said.
The agency promised updates through the week.
Moon missions try to land early in the “lunar day”, when the Sun comes up over the eastern horizon. This gives a spacecraft about two “Earth weeks” of illumination before the Sun then sets in the west for two weeks of darkness.
It’s currently “morning” at Slim’s landing location on the slopes of Shioli Crater. If, as suspected, the spacecraft’s solar cells are pointing westward, then it may have to wait until the “lunar afternoon” before those cells catch enough light to start charging the battery system.
Slim was carrying two small rovers, which data indicates it managed to eject as planned just before touchdown.
The craft is also equipped with an infrared camera to study the local geology. How much it could investigate if power levels are restored is uncertain.
Statistically, it’s proven very hard to land on the Moon. Only about half of all attempts have succeeded.
Prior to Slim’s touchdown only the US, the former Soviet Union, China and India had made it to the surface intact.
A private American mission gave up its landing bid earlier this month when it suffered a propulsion fault shortly after launch from Earth. Another commercial US mission will try its luck in late February.
29 comments
Very well written article. It will be beneficial to anyone who employess it, including yours truly :). Keep doing what you are doing – i will definitely read more posts.
My brother suggested I might like this website. He was entirely right. This post actually made my day. You cann’t imagine just how much time I had spent for this info! Thanks!
What’s Taking place i am new to this, I stumbled upon this I have discovered It positively helpful and it has aided me out loads. I am hoping to contribute & help other customers like its aided me. Great job.
Great ?V I should definitely pronounce, impressed with your web site. I had no trouble navigating through all tabs and related info ended up being truly simple to do to access. I recently found what I hoped for before you know it at all. Reasonably unusual. Is likely to appreciate it for those who add forums or something, web site theme . a tones way for your customer to communicate. Excellent task..
Some really wonderful articles on this internet site, thanks for contribution.
Good day very nice blog!! Guy .. Beautiful .. Wonderful .. I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds additionally?KI am happy to seek out a lot of helpful information right here in the publish, we need work out extra strategies on this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .
What is Renew? Renew is a dietary supplement designed to support blood flow while also aiming to boost testosterone levels andprovide an explosive energy drive
Thank you, I have recently been looking for info approximately this topic for a while and yours is the best I’ve discovered till now. But, what about the bottom line? Are you positive concerning the supply?
I have been checking out a few of your articles and i can claim pretty nice stuff. I will surely bookmark your blog.
Very interesting info!Perfect just what I was searching for!
Have you ever thought about creating an e-book or guest authoring on other websites? I have a blog centered on the same subjects you discuss and would love to have you share some stories/information. I know my viewers would enjoy your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an e mail.
After study a few of the blog posts on your website now, and I truly like your way of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back soon. Pls check out my web site as well and let me know what you think.
Lottery Defeater Software: What is it? Lottery Defeater Software is a completely automated plug-and-play lottery-winning software. The Lottery Defeater software was developed by Kenneth.
What Is Sugar Defender? Sugar Defender is a meticulously crafted natural health supplement aimed at helping individuals maintain balanced blood sugar levels. Developed by Jeffrey Mitchell, this liquid formula contains 24 scientifically backed ingredients meticulously chosen to target the root causes of blood sugar imbalances.
Understanding NanoDefense Pro: What is it? NanoDefense Pro is a specialized formula designed to improve nail and foot health naturally.
What Is Wealth Signal? Wealth Signal isn’t just a financial tool; it’s a new way of thinking about and achieving wealth. Unlike traditional methods that focus on external strategies, Wealth Signal emphasizes changing your internal mindset.
Throughout the great scheme of things you’ll get an A+ for effort. Where exactly you actually misplaced us was first on your specifics. As it is said, details make or break the argument.. And it could not be more true right here. Having said that, allow me tell you exactly what did give good results. The authoring is pretty persuasive and that is most likely why I am taking an effort to comment. I do not really make it a regular habit of doing that. Secondly, although I can certainly notice the leaps in logic you make, I am not convinced of how you appear to connect the points which help to make the final result. For the moment I will yield to your position but wish in the future you actually link your dots better.
Oh my goodness! an incredible article dude. Thank you Nevertheless I’m experiencing subject with ur rss . Don’t know why Unable to subscribe to it. Is there anyone getting similar rss drawback? Anyone who is aware of kindly respond. Thnkx
Great line up. We will be linking to this great article on our site. Keep up the good writing.
Greetings! Very helpful advice on this article! It is the little changes that make the biggest changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!
I do agree with all the ideas you have presented in your post. They’re very convincing and will certainly work. Still, the posts are very short for beginners. Could you please extend them a bit from next time? Thanks for the post.
Hello my family member! I want to say that this article is amazing, nice written and come with almost all important infos. I would like to see more posts like this.
Outstanding post, you have pointed out some great points, I as well conceive this s a very good website.
Currently it appears like Expression Engine is the best blogging platform available right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you’re using on your blog?
I think this is among the most important information for me. And i’m glad reading your article. But should remark on some general things, The website style is perfect, the articles is really excellent : D. Good job, cheers
As a Newbie, I am always exploring online for articles that can be of assistance to me. Thank you
I got what you mean ,bookmarked, very nice web site.
I just couldn’t depart your website prior to suggesting that I actually enjoyed the standard info a person provide for your visitors? Is gonna be back often in order to check up on new posts
It’s hard to find knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks