Japan's Moon lander makes it through another lunar night
- Reference: 1714045507
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/04/25/slim_another_lunar_night/
- Source link:
A [1]post on social media from the lander's X account confirmed that once more, SLIM had defied the odds and snapped a picture of the lunar surface using its navigation camera.
SLIM was revived [2]a few weeks ago , after a second lunar night. However, with telemetry showing that some of the electronics (temperature sensors) and battery cells were [3]malfunctioning , the chances of the lander making it through a third lunar night seemed remote.
[4]
Yet against all odds, SLIM has stirred once more on the lunar surface despite lacking heaters to keep its electronics warm.
[5]
[6]
Spacecraft designed to survive extreme cold are usually constructed with heaters to keep electronics toasty. The surface temperature on the Moon can drop below −150°C, and the temperature in some craters can get as low as −247°C.
[7]According to SLIM's social media presence: "SLIM has maintained main functionality even after three nights on the Moon, which was not anticipated in the design!
[8]Japan's Moon lander sparks joy by making it through a second lunar night
[9]Japan's SLIM unexpectedly wakes up on Moon after month-long nap
[10]Japan's lander wakes up, takes blurry snap of Moon
[11]JAXA releases photo of SLIM lander in lunar faceplant
"SLIM's condition will be monitored to clarify areas where deterioration has progressed due to the day and night environments, and where there is less susceptibility."
SLIM was only designed to last until the end of its first lunar day on the Moon's surface. The mission was initially declared a "minimum success" because the lander tipped onto its side during the landing, meaning that it could not achieve all the intended goals.
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Despite this, SLIM has exceeded all endurance expectations and come around after a third lunar night.
JAXA gave no indication as to whether SLIM might survive a fourth lunar night or the state of the lander's electronics. At the start of April, hopes that a third night might be survivable were tempered with a warning that "the sensors and other functions are gradually being lost."
As we said in our earlier coverage: "Here's to as many more lunar sunrises as you can manage." ®
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[1] https://twitter.com/SLIM_JAXA/status/1783330118683050427
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2024/04/02/jaxa_slim_awakens/
[3] https://twitter.com/SLIM_JAXA/status/1773162603075821881
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Zip@H9uYnZ58lon0tcgp8gAAAI8&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Zip@H9uYnZ58lon0tcgp8gAAAI8&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
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[7] https://twitter.com/SLIM_JAXA/status/1783330326850503075
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/04/02/jaxa_slim_awakens/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/27/jaxa_slim_moon_lander_awakens/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/29/japan_lander_wakes_up_takes/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/26/jaxa_slim_photo/
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Zip@H9uYnZ58lon0tcgp8gAAAI8&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Hats off
Another night - that's so far beyond the planned, or expected, lifetime.
I wonder how it would have fared had it not lost an engine on the way down.
This is actually a hell of a useful first. What have they done different in the design, and how can everybody learn from it? Is it different battery chemistry? Or insulation? Or I don't know, something as simple as different capacitor chemistry?
I have a theoretical answer ....
.... but it requires that the batteries are spherical! The requirement for a vacuum has already been provided!
Re: I have a theoretical answer ....
Do you mean Japan has spherical sheep based baaattery technology?
Or are ewe referring to their insulated ram?
I'm sure JAXA will only be too pleased to tell us all in due course. They really deserve more credit than they're getting for this but they're just not misanthropic or narcissitic enough! Yes, it tipped over but it got "within a gnat's crotchet" of the intended landing site.
I would have thought that if they can keep stuff dry enough, most components will be fine because they're solid. Maybe they already managed to squeeze a solid-state battery in?
Name it Granny Weatherwax!
"I aiten't dead!"