Silly Rover Tricks Are For Kids

I came across something interesting – did you see the rover that landed upside down on the moon? I found it pretty amusing, and we should discuss it.

The achievement of successfully landing on the moon represents a significant milestone, Albeit with its share of challenges. Japan's inaugural lunar probe, Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), encountered a setback upon landing as it flipped upside down and experienced a power supply failure. However, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has since announced that SLIM has been restored to operational status, reigniting the mission's pursuit to unveil the moon's origins. Functionality has been reestablished, with the resumption of photo capture by the cameras and the activation of the solar panels, as confirmed by JAXA.

Japan's extensive lunar exploration endeavor has been in development for over two decades, with a primary objective of locating and analyzing olivine, a mineral of interest, and comparing its characteristics with those found on Earth. Despite the considerable anticipation surrounding the project, it encountered challenges during descent, with one engine experiencing power loss just 50 meters above the lunar surface, resulting in diminished thrust. Nevertheless, commendation was extended to the team by JAXA project manager Sakai Shinichiro for successfully navigating the spacecraft to touchdown utilizing only one engine, setting a world record for precision landing with a minimal deviation of 55 meters from the designated target site.

However, the deviation in engine thrust during the critical landing phase caused SLIM to touch down in an inverted position on January 19th. JAXA is actively investigating the root cause of the engine malfunction.

Initial jubilation following SLIM's gentle lunar touchdown was tempered by challenges in transitioning from battery to solar power. Footage captured by pre-landing robots revealed misalignment of the solar panels, hindering their ability to harness sunlight effectively. Despite having several hours of battery life remaining, the spacecraft was powered down with 12 percent capacity in anticipation of solar panel activation. JAXA remained hopeful that changing sunlight angles would trigger panel functionality.

It wasn't until January 28th, more than a week post-landing, that sunlight finally reached the solar cells, prompting the probe to resume operations autonomously.

The team faces a pressing timeline to gather data, as the spacecraft has only a brief window before lunar surface temperatures soar to a scorching 250 degrees Fahrenheit, ultimately leading to its demise.

Heres a video on youtube giving more information on the rover:

And as always here is the link where the infromation was recieved to help create this blog: