Japan's "Moon Sniper" Lander Defies Odds

 

Japan's "Moon Sniper" Lander Defies Odds, Survives Third Lunar Night

In a remarkable display of resilience, Japan's "Moon Sniper" lander has survived its third lunar night, despite not being designed to endure such harsh conditions. The robotic vehicle, also known as SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon), initially touched down on the lunar surface on January 19, making Japan the third country this century, and the fifth ever, to land on the moon.

The spacecraft's historic feat was marred by an anomaly during descent, which caused it to land on its nose, resulting in its solar panels facing west rather than upright. This meant the lander had limited power and was only able to send back a mosaic of images before shutting down. However, the mission team remained hopeful that once sunlight could reach the solar panels again, the spacecraft might reawaken.

To everyone's surprise, Moon Sniper has continued to wake up after each lunar night, taking new photos and transmitting them back before going back to sleep. The vehicle's ability to withstand the extreme temperatures of the lunar day and night has baffled experts, who have a few theories as to why this might be the case.

One possibility is that the spacecraft's design, which includes a Star Tracker that can take pictures, has allowed it to survive the harsh conditions. Additionally, the mission team has been careful about how they communicate with SLIM when it first wakes up, waiting about a day after it wakes up before commanding it to send back images.

The team has also been monitoring SLIM's condition closely to identify what components of the spacecraft could deteriorate over time as it experiences more of the lunar day and night environment. So far, one of SLIM's navigation cameras and the spacecraft's Star Tracker have provided images from Moon Sniper's experience on the lunar surface.

The mission has been a remarkable success, with the spacecraft surviving temperatures that can plunge to minus 208 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 133 degrees Celsius) during the lunar night. The team has even composed a song in honor of Moon Sniper's inspiring journey, which they call "15 Degree Slope."

The song's name refers to the steep slope where Moon Sniper was intended to land. The mission team believes the slope Moon Sniper landed on was about 10 degrees, which is still "surprisingly steep."

Moon Sniper's success is part of a renewed race to land on the moon, with India becoming the fourth country to land a robotic mission on the moon in August 2023. China is also seeking to land a sample-collecting mission on the moon's far side, and NASA aims to establish a sustained human presence at the lunar south pole through its ambitious Artemis program.

The continued success of Moon Sniper comes during what NASA project scientist Noah Petro calls a "great new era of lunar exploration." Every time a mission lands on the surface, we learn more about this unique lunar environment, and building up this database of lunar knowledge helps us be better prepared for future missions.

In conclusion, Moon Sniper's remarkable survival of three lunar nights is a testament to the ingenuity and determination of the mission team. As we continue to explore the moon and push the boundaries of space travel, we can learn valuable lessons from this tiny but mighty spacecraft.