Japan Moon lander survives lunar night | BBC News

Summary

Japan's lunar lander, designed for precise landings within 10 meters of its target, survived the harsh lunar night, enduring temperatures as low as -150°C. Despite an awkward landing that left its solar panels facing the wrong way, Japan's space agency received a response from the lander after a change in sunlight direction. Simeon Barber, a lunar research scientist, explains that while spacecraft are typically designed to survive the lunar day, surviving the lunar night is a gamble. The lander's autonomous wakeup and communication after the frigid night proved a promising start to the week.

Takeaways

• 🌖 Japan's lunar lander survived the harsh, freezing lunar night, equivalent to two Earth weeks.
• 🚀 The lunar lander, named Slim, successfully descended to the lunar surface in January but had an awkward landing that left its solar panels facing the wrong way, unable to generate power.
• 💤 The lander was put into sleep mode after the awkward landing but regained communication with Japan's national space agency after a change in sunlight direction.
• 🎯 The lander aimed to demonstrate precise landing technology, targeting an accuracy of within 10 meters of the desired landing site.
• 🌓 The lander used cameras to adjust its rockets and attitude during descent, but a last-minute glitch caused it to land slightly off course, toppling over on the edge of a crater.
• 🌡️ The lunar surface experiences extreme temperature variations, reaching over 100°C during the day and dropping to around -150°C at night, making it challenging for spacecraft to survive.
• 🤞 Spacecraft engineers did not design the lander to survive a lunar night, but they hoped it would survive, and were happy to receive a response from the lander after it autonomously woke up and started communicating.
• 🌕 Surviving the lunar night was a significant achievement for the lander and a good way to start the week for the space agency.
• 🚀 The lunar landing aimed to demonstrate precise landing technology for future missions.
• 🌓 The lander experienced an awkward landing due to a last-minute glitch, causing it to topple over and face its solar panels in the wrong direction.

Q & A

What is the significance of Japan's moonlander surviving the lunar night?

The fact that Japan's moonlander survived the harsh lunar night, which lasted the equivalent of two Earth weeks, is a significant achievement. It demonstrates the lander's resilience and ability to withstand the extreme temperature fluctuations on the lunar surface, ranging from over 100°C during the day to around -150°C at night.

What was the primary goal of Japan's moonlander mission?

The primary goal of Japan's moonlander mission was to demonstrate technology for precise landing on the lunar surface. The lander aimed to land within 10 meters of its target landing site, using cameras and constant adjustments to its rocket motors to achieve pinpoint accuracy.

What happened during the landing that caused the solar panels to face the wrong way?

During the last minute of the landing, there was a glitch that caused the lander to go slightly off course. As a result, it landed on the edge of a crater and toppled over, causing the solar panels to face the wrong direction and preventing them from generating electricity as intended.

How did the moonlander survive the lunar night without generating electricity?

Spacecraft engineers did not initially design the lander to survive a lunar night. However, it managed to autonomously enter a sleep mode during the night, which helped it conserve energy and survive the extreme temperatures until the sunlight returned and it could start communicating again.

What are the extreme temperature conditions on the lunar surface?

The lunar surface experiences extreme temperature fluctuations due to the lack of an atmosphere. During the day, temperatures can reach over 100°C, hotter than boiling water. At night, however, the temperature plummets to around -150°C. Designing spacecraft to withstand such extreme temperature swings is a significant challenge.

What made the landing of Japan's moonlander unique compared to previous missions?

Japan's moonlander mission aimed to demonstrate precise landing technology, with an accuracy of within 10 meters of the target site. Previous lunar missions may have landed with an accuracy of around 1 kilometer from the intended location.

How did the lander adjust its descent to achieve precise landing?

The lander used cameras to observe the lunar surface during its descent and constantly adjusted its attitude and rocket motors to fine-tune its trajectory and aim for the target landing site with pinpoint accuracy.

What was the reaction to the news of the moonlander surviving the lunar night?

When the news came in that the moonlander had survived the lunar night and had autonomously started communicating again, it was seen as a really good way to start the Monday morning for the scientists and engineers involved in the mission.

Who was Dr. Simeon Barber, and what was his role in the mission?

Dr. Simeon Barber is a lunar research scientist at the Open University. He provided insights and explanations about the significance of the precise landing technology being demonstrated by Japan's moonlander mission.

What is the significance of the lack of atmosphere on the Moon?

The Moon's lack of atmosphere is a major factor contributing to the extreme temperature fluctuations on its surface. Without an atmosphere to retain heat and provide insulation, the lunar surface experiences drastic temperature changes between the day and night.