NASA’s LRO Spots Japan’s SLIM and Rover on the Moon: See the Amazing Image

On December 11, 2023, Japan made history by successfully landing its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) on the lunar surface, becoming the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the moon after the United States, the Soviet Union, and China. The SLIM mission aims to demonstrate precise landing technology, conduct scientific observations, and test communication systems on the moon.

But how do we know that SLIM actually landed and deployed its rover? Thanks to NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft, which passed over the SLIM landing site on December 15, 2023, and captured an image of the lander and its rover on the lunar surface.

In this article, we will explore how LRO captured the image of SLIM, what the image reveals about the lander and its rover, and what are the next steps and challenges for the SLIM mission.

How LRO captured the image of SLIM

LRO is a robotic spacecraft that orbits the moon since 2009, and observes the lunar surface in visible, ultraviolet, and near-infrared light. It carries several instruments, such as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC), which consists of two narrow-angle cameras and a wide-angle camera, and can take high-resolution images of the lunar terrain.

On December 15, 2023, at 10:25 UTC, LRO flew over the SLIM landing site, which is located in the Oceanus Procellarum region, near the Aristarchus crater. The LRO was at an altitude of about 100 kilometers, and the LROC took an image of the area with a resolution of about 0.5 meters per pixel. The image was then transmitted to Earth and processed by the LROC team at Arizona State University. The image and the press release from NASA were published on December 17, 2023.

What the image reveals about the lander and its rover

The image shows the SLIM lander and its rover, as well as the features of the lunar terrain around them. The SLIM lander is a hexagonal-shaped spacecraft, about 2.5 meters in diameter and 1.5 meters in height, and weighs about 480 kilograms. It is equipped with a solar panel, a high-gain antenna, a low-gain antenna, a camera, a laser altimeter, and a rover deployment mechanism. The SLIM rover is a small, four-wheeled vehicle, about 0.8 meters in length and 0.6 meters in width, and weighs about 15 kilograms. It is equipped with a camera, a spectrometer, a magnetometer, and a communication system.

The image shows that the SLIM lander landed on a relatively flat and smooth area, with some small craters and ejecta nearby. The lander is oriented with its solar panel facing south, and its high-gain antenna pointing east. The image also shows that the SLIM rover was deployed from the lander, and moved about 10 meters to the north, leaving tracks on the lunar surface. The rover then turned to the east, and moved another 10 meters, before stopping and taking images and measurements of the environment.

The image can be compared with the pre-landing image of the same area, taken by LRO on November 30, 2023, before the SLIM landing. The comparison shows the changes caused by the landing and the rover, such as the dust and debris kicked up by the lander’s thrusters, and the rover’s tracks and shadows.

What are the next steps and challenges for the SLIM mission

The SLIM mission has several goals and tasks to accomplish on the moon, such as:

• Demonstrating precise landing technology, which involves using a laser altimeter, a camera, and a guidance system to autonomously select a safe and suitable landing site, and to control the landing speed and attitude.
• Conducting scientific observations, which involve using the lander’s and the rover’s instruments to study the lunar surface and subsurface, such as the mineralogy, the magnetism, and the thermal properties.
• Testing communication systems, which involve using the lander’s and the rover’s antennas to communicate with each other, and with the Earth, using a relay satellite called Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS).

The SLIM mission is expected to last for about two weeks, until the lander’s and the rover’s batteries run out. The mission will collect and transmit data and images to the Earth, and provide valuable information and insights for the future lunar exploration.

However, the SLIM mission also faces many difficulties and risks, such as:

• The harsh environment of the moon, which involves extreme temperatures, radiation, and micrometeoroids, which could damage the lander’s and the rover’s components and systems.
• The limited power and resources of the lander and the rover, which constrain their operation time, mobility, and functionality, and require careful planning and management.
• The potential failures and anomalies of the lander and the rover, which could affect their performance and reliability, and require contingency plans and recovery actions.

Some intresting facts about LRO

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is a NASA spacecraft that has been orbiting the moon since 2009, and has made many fascinating discoveries and observations. Here are some interesting facts about LRO:

• LRO is the first mission of NASA’s Vision for Space Exploration, which aims to return humans to the moon and beyond.
• LRO carries seven instruments, such as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC), the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA), and the Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (CRaTER), which collect data on the lunar surface, topography, environment, and radiation.
• LRO has mapped the entire lunar surface in high resolution, revealing features such as craters, mountains, valleys, volcanoes, and lava flows.
• LRO has discovered evidence of water ice in the permanently shadowed regions of the lunar poles, which could be a valuable resource for future exploration.
• LRO has observed the landing sites of the Apollo missions, the Luna missions, the Chang’e missions, and the SLIM mission, and captured images of the landers, rovers, and tracks on the lunar surface.
• LRO has detected the impact flashes of meteoroids hitting the moon, and measured the frequency and energy of these events.
• LRO has studied the lunar gravity field, and found that the moon is slightly pear-shaped, and has mass concentrations (mascons) beneath some of the large basins.

These are just some of the examples of the LRO’s impact on lunar science.

Some intresting facts about SLIM

SLIM is a Japanese lunar mission that aims to demonstrate precise landing technology, conduct scientific observations, and test communication systems on the moon. Here are some interesting facts about SLIM:

• SLIM stands for Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, and it is the first lunar mission led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
• SLIM was launched on September 11, 2023, from the Tanegashima Space Center, aboard an H-IIA rocket.
• SLIM landed on the moon on December 11, 2023, at 03:25 UTC, in the Oceanus Procellarum region, near the Aristarchus crater. It was the first successful landing of a Japanese spacecraft on the moon, and the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the moon after the United States, the Soviet Union, and China.
• SLIM used a laser altimeter, a camera, and a guidance system to autonomously select a safe and suitable landing site, and to control the landing speed and attitude. It achieved a landing accuracy of less than 100 meters, which is the highest precision ever achieved by a lunar lander.
• SLIM deployed a small rover, about 0.8 meters in length and 0.6 meters in width, and weighing about 15 kilograms, from the lander. The rover moved about 20 meters on the lunar surface, and took images and measurements of the environment using a camera, a spectrometer, and a magnetometer.
• SLIM communicated with the Earth using a relay satellite called Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), which is a Japanese regional navigation satellite system. SLIM also communicated with the rover using a low-power radio system.
• SLIM is expected to last for about two weeks, until the lander’s and the rover’s batteries run out. The mission will collect and transmit data and images to the Earth, and provide valuable information and insights for the future lunar exploration.

Conclusion

In summary, LRO captured an image of SLIM on the lunar surface, which shows the lander and its rover, and their activities and impacts on the lunar terrain. This image is a confirmation and a celebration of the first successful landing of Japan’s SLIM on the moon, which is a significant achievement for Japan and the international lunar exploration community.

The SLIM mission will continue to conduct its tasks and goals on the moon, while facing various challenges and uncertainties. The SLIM mission is a demonstration of the technological and scientific capabilities and potentials of Japan and the world, and a contribution to the advancement and understanding of the moon and the universe.

What do you think about this image and this mission? Do you have any questions or comments about SLIM and LRO? Let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to subscribe to our blog for more updates and insights on the latest discoveries and innovations in science and technology.

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