Japan lands on Moon [updated - mission has ended]

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Japan lands on Moon but glitch threatens mission

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A Japanese robot has successfully touched down on the Moon but problems with its solar power system mean the mission may live for just a few hours.

The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (Slim) put itself gently on the lunar surface near an equatorial crater.

The feat made the Asian nation only the fifth country to soft-land on Earth's natural satellite, after the US, the Soviet Union, China and India.

Engineers are now battling to save the mission, however.

For reasons not yet fully understood, the craft's solar cells will not generate electricity.

Read More: ➡️ BBC News

 

Related story:

 

[Shadowsfall]

5 hours ago, Waspie_Dwarf said:

Japan lands on Moon but glitch threatens mission

 

Related story:

 

What’s the chances of saving this one Waspie…..

[Waspie_Dwarf]

1 minute ago, Shadowsfall said:

What’s the chances of saving this one Waspie…..

It depends on why the solar power system isn't working.

Some experts have theorised that the spacecraft rolled on its side after landing. If that's the case, as the sun moves through the lunar sky, the solar panels may see daylight. If that is the case then it may be saved.

JAXA has good engineers and lots of experience. If the mission can be saved JAXA will save it.

[Shadowsfall]

1 minute ago, Waspie_Dwarf said:

It depends on why the solar power system isn't working.

Some experts have theorised that the spacecraft rolled on its side after landing. If that's the case, as the sun moves through the lunar sky, the solar panels may see daylight. If that is the case then it may be saved.

JAXA has good engineers and lots of experience. If the mission can be saved JAXA will save it.

Thanks Waspie I hope so…I think it’s time to spend more time on the moon…

[Waspie_Dwarf]

2 minutes ago, Shadowsfall said:

Thanks Waspie I hope so…I think it’s time to spend more time on the moon…

There's less than a month before the US tries again. There will be multiple American landers launched the year, another Chinese mission, another Japanese mission and, I believe  another Russian attempt.

[Shadowsfall]

2 minutes ago, Waspie_Dwarf said:

There's less than a month before the US tries again. There will be multiple American landers launched the year, another Chinese mission, another Japanese mission and, I believe  another Russian attempt.

Success with them all I hope 🤞

[Alex_Rogan]

any updates on the battery power issue?

[Waspie_Dwarf]

3 hours ago, Alex_Rogan said:

any updates on the battery power issue?

They have turned the lander off. They are going to try turning it back on when they think the sun direction has changed sufficiently to illuminate the solar panels. 

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[Shadowsfall]

Looks like it’s off kilter Waspie is that why the solar panels are not functioning properly….

[Waspie_Dwarf]

 

[Waspie_Dwarf]

3 minutes ago, Shadowsfall said:

Looks like it’s off kilter Waspie is that why the solar panels are not functioning properly….

I think it has effectively toppled on to its nose (for want of a better phrase).

Here is an illustration of what it should have looked like:

 

You can see that the rocket engine nozzles should be parallel with the lunar surface rather than facing upwards. Also there is only one nozzle instead of two. Other reports I have read suggest that this nozzle, "fell off," causing the engine abnormality that the JAXA update mentions.

[Shadowsfall]

4 minutes ago, Waspie_Dwarf said:

I think it has effectively toppled on to its nose (for want of a better phrase).

Here is an illustration of what it should have looked like:

 

You can see that the rocket engine nozzles should be parallel with the lunar surface rather than facing upwards. Also there is only one nozzle instead of two. Other reports I have read suggest that this nozzle, "fell off," causing the engine abnormality that the JAXA update mentions.

And is there no way of righting it….did something go wrong with the landing boosters

[Waspie_Dwarf]

24 minutes ago, Shadowsfall said:

And is there no way of righting it

I don't think so.

 

25 minutes ago, Shadowsfall said:

did something go wrong with the landing boosters

From the JAXA reports:

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An abnormality in the main engine affected the landing attitude of the spacecraft

That main engine is what was used for landing. Even if it was fully functional, it is now pointing directly upwards.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

 

[Still Waters]

Lunar night puts Japan's lander back to sleep

After a brief awakening, Japan's moon lander is out of action again but will resume its mission if it survives the two-week lunar night, the space agency said Thursday.

https://phys.org/news/2024-02-lunar-night-japan-lander.html

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[Montello]

this year willl be more rovers on moon

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