Japan Moon probe put to sleep again
The Peninsula
Tokyo: Japan s valiant Moon lander was put to sleep again after unexpectedly surviving its second ultra chilly long lunar night, the space agency said...
Tokyo: Japan's valiant Moon lander was put to sleep again after unexpectedly surviving its second ultra-chilly long lunar night, the space agency said Monday.
The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) -- dubbed the "Moon Sniper" for its landing precision -- touched down in January, making Japan only the fifth nation to achieve a soft lunar landing.
But the unmanned lightweight spacecraft, carrying a mini-rover that moves like a turtle, landed at a wonky angle that left its solar panels facing the wrong way.
Defying pessimistic predictions, the probe was revived in late February once the lunar night -- which lasts about 14 Earth days -- ended.
Despite facing temperatures as low as -130 degrees Celsius (-200 degrees Fahrenheit), it repeated the feat last week and transmitted new images back to Earth.
