Post by account_disabled on Feb 20, 2024 5:17:13 GMT -5
TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese moon research car was back in operation Monday after several days of concern due to a lack of sunlight needed to generate electrical power.
Japan's first lunar mission achieved its goal with a precise landing on January 20, but the vehicle was inverted, preventing light from reaching its solar panels.
However, with the beginning of the lunar day, it seemed that the probe was gaining power.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Asia Mobile Number List Agency, or JAXA, announced Monday that it had established successful communication with the probe on Sunday night and that the spacecraft had resumed its mission, capturing images of the lunar surface and sending them back to Earth.
After a last-minute engine failure caused SLIM to descend faster than expected, JAXA used battery power to gather as much data as possible about the moon. moon landing and the environment of the device. The probe was then turned off to wait for the sun to rise higher in the lunar sky in late January.
Already energized, SLIM has continued working to analyze the composition of olivine rocks on the lunar surface with its multispectral camera, searching for clues about the origin of the Moon and its evolution, the agency said. Previous observations suggest that the Moon could have formed when Earth collided with another planet.
A black and white image shared by JAXA on social media showed the satellite's rocky surface, including a rock the agency said it named a "toy poodle" after seeing the initial images. The probe is analyzing six rocks, which have been given names after different breeds of dogs.
SLIM is expected to have enough light to continue operating for several Earth days, possibly until Thursday. JAXA noted that it was unclear whether the probe would work again after another cold lunar night.
The spacecraft came to rest about 60 yards (55 meters) from its target, between two craters near Shioli Crater, an area covered in volcanic rocks. Previous lunar missions have typically targeted flat areas at least 10 kilometers (6 miles) wide.
SLIM carried two autonomous probes that separated just before landing and recorded its descent, surroundings and other data.The landing made Japan the fifth country to reach the lunar surface, after the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India.
Japan's first lunar mission achieved its goal with a precise landing on January 20, but the vehicle was inverted, preventing light from reaching its solar panels.
However, with the beginning of the lunar day, it seemed that the probe was gaining power.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Asia Mobile Number List Agency, or JAXA, announced Monday that it had established successful communication with the probe on Sunday night and that the spacecraft had resumed its mission, capturing images of the lunar surface and sending them back to Earth.
After a last-minute engine failure caused SLIM to descend faster than expected, JAXA used battery power to gather as much data as possible about the moon. moon landing and the environment of the device. The probe was then turned off to wait for the sun to rise higher in the lunar sky in late January.
Already energized, SLIM has continued working to analyze the composition of olivine rocks on the lunar surface with its multispectral camera, searching for clues about the origin of the Moon and its evolution, the agency said. Previous observations suggest that the Moon could have formed when Earth collided with another planet.
A black and white image shared by JAXA on social media showed the satellite's rocky surface, including a rock the agency said it named a "toy poodle" after seeing the initial images. The probe is analyzing six rocks, which have been given names after different breeds of dogs.
SLIM is expected to have enough light to continue operating for several Earth days, possibly until Thursday. JAXA noted that it was unclear whether the probe would work again after another cold lunar night.
The spacecraft came to rest about 60 yards (55 meters) from its target, between two craters near Shioli Crater, an area covered in volcanic rocks. Previous lunar missions have typically targeted flat areas at least 10 kilometers (6 miles) wide.
SLIM carried two autonomous probes that separated just before landing and recorded its descent, surroundings and other data.The landing made Japan the fifth country to reach the lunar surface, after the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India.