SLIM, Small Japanese lunar lander Options

[Phil Stooke]

SLIM is a small Japanese lunar lander planned to launch this year.

Here:

https://sorabatake.jp/25799/

is an article about it, with some images, describing two small landers which will deploy from it and operate on the surface.

In Japanese. Open in something which will offer a translation if required.

Phil

[Ron Hobbs]

The launch of SLIM is now planned for August 25 Pacific Time. I saw today at NSSDC that the landing site is now near Shioli Crater.

"The landed weight will be about 210 kg, landing objective is to be within 100 meters of the target point, the ejecta blanket of Shioli crater (crater centered at approximately 13.322 S, 25.232 E)."

https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/....action?id=SLIM

Go SLIM!

[Phil Stooke]

Two published suggestions for the landing site.

sources:

Kushiki, K., Sakai, S., Sawai, S. et al., 2017. System design of the small lunar lander SLIM. Presented at the 17th Space Science Symposium, January 2017. Presentation P-073.

Sakai, S., 2019. To the target location on the moon. Introduction of the small lunar lander “SLIM” project. JAXA/ISAS.

Phil

[Quetzalcoatl]

Delayed launch, which was scheduled today, for the "Spectroscopy and X-ray Imaging Satellite (XRISM)" and the "Small Lunar Lander Demonstration Vehicle (SLIM)" by H-IIA Launcher No. 47.


The reason for this deferral is not specified.


For the next attempt, and possibly others, the launch time will be set the day before... (Reminder: Launch window from August 27, 2023 to September 15, 2023

[Phil Stooke]

I heard the reason was bad weather.

Phil

[Quetzalcoatl]

Launch again postponed, wind speed too high.

[Quetzalcoatl]

Bonjour,

We’re still a little foggy

https://www.mhi.com/news/230901.html

[Quetzalcoatl]

SLIM must make the trip duo with XRISM

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Spa...n_set_to_launch

Let us hope that the weather will be favourable this time.

At three days the forecasts are very reliable. We are hopeful.

[Explorer1]

Successful launch and separation!

[Phil Stooke]

Now we will see if a Japanese name is given to the lander in place of its English language acronym. The Japanese custom has been to give a name after launch.

Phil

[Thorsten Denk]

Is there any public timeline?
LOI? Landing?
I understand that it will be in the first months of 2024.
Thorsten

[Quetzalcoatl]

Is there any public timeline?
LOI? Landing?
I understand that it will be in the first months of 2024.
Thorsten

Bonjour,

I don’t know the answers to these questions, but I confirm the moon landing should be done in early 2024. In the meantime, here are some short news from the probe :

https://global.jaxa.jp/press/2023/09/20230914-1_e.html

[Phil Stooke]

We could narrow the landing to certain ranges of dates by looking at the date of sunrise at the landing site. SLIM uses image matching to track its location, so it needs to land in daylight and probably at least 2 days after sunrise to avoid the more extensive shadows.

Sunrise dates are 16 January and 15 February. Landings around 19 January or 18 February would seem likely.

Phil

Postscript on 5 October: 19 January is the intended date.

[Phil Stooke]

https://twitter.com/SLIM_JAXA/status/1709943311770018108

Image of the Moon taken just before the flyby.




The translated text says the view is not possible from Earth, which is correct, but many media reports misinterpret that to mean the image shows the far side of the Moon. That's not true.

Phil

[Thorsten Denk]

In fact, the part of the Moon's far side that would be visible in the picture is on the right in the dark lunar night.
So only the near side can be seen, albeit from an unusual perspective.

Center (cut in half): Mare Tranquilitatis
Above: Mare Serenitatis
Top left: Mare Imbrium

Thorsten

[Thorsten Denk]

SLIM has a landing date and time!
https://global.jaxa.jp/press/2023/12/20231205-1_e.html

January 20, 2024 (Saturday)
About 12:00 am (JST) Starting descent toward the Moon
About 12:20 am (JST) Landing on the lunar surface

This is Friday Jan 19 at 15:20 UTC
(if I calculated correctly ).

Thorsten

[antipode]

SLIM is in lunar orbit!

https://global.jaxa.jp/press/2023/12/20231225-1_e.html

P

[Phil Stooke]

This is a mosaic of the frames from the little video clip taken around the time of orbit insertion, showing Plato, Mare Frigoris and Anaxagoras. They are from a navigation camera so not very detailed.

Phil

[Phil Stooke]

https://twitter.com/SLIM_JAXA/status/1743212937714729320

SLIM has tested its multispectral camera by taking images from orbit. I don't have a location for the images yet.

Phil

[Phil Stooke]

OK, now I do. Near the south pole.






Phil

[Phil Stooke]

https://twitter.com/SpcPlcyOnline/status/1745862074922672342

SLIM landing date and time from Marcia Smith. If it lands successfully the Peregrine 1 impact will occur during SLIM surface operations.

Phil

[Phil Stooke]

SLIM dropped its apolune to enter a c. 600 km circular orbit on the 14th. Here is a mosaic of images from the navigation camera made at the time.

It's just on the far side with Compton near the top centre and Schwarzschild the largest crater in the lower part of the mosaic.



Phil

[Phil Stooke]

Putting it in context.

Phil

[Hungry4info]

Just under an hour from landing.
English live coverage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvXLt3ET9mE

[nprev]

Live blog updates in English here. Landing expected at 1020 EST/1520 GMT.

[Hungry4info]

De-orbit burn has started.

[nprev]

Looks like it landed per telemetry, awaiting confirmation.

[kenny]

IT seems to be landed and transmitting. IMU data on the screen is changing...

[Hungry4info]

It's definitely alive on the Moon. Lots of "We are checking the status, please wait."
In the mean time the battery indicator suggests the battery is draining -- shouldn't it be charging if it landed in a correct orientation?

[nprev]

Live coverage ended, awaiting press conference. Yeah, I dunno...didn't get a happy feeling.

[JTN]

The (telemetry-driven?) sprite on the webcast seemed to flip over on landing, and there were noticeable deviations on the ωX/Y/Z °/s dials. Hope that's not real...

[kenny]

Press conference coming up "shortly" here, says the commentator...

JAXA SLIM youtube

[nprev]

Audio-only on the JAXA feed right now in Japanese...essentially, they're 'still checking'.

[marsbug]

As per here: <a href="https://eyes.nasa.gov/dsn/dsn.html" target="_blank">https://eyes.nasa.gov/dsn/dsn</a> There is definitely a signal from the lander, which at least rules out it having smacked into the regolith at tens of meters a second.

[JTN]

The (telemetry-driven?) sprite on the webcast seemed to flip over on landing, and there were noticeable deviations on the ωX/Y/Z °/s dials.

This claims it was supposed to tip over.

[Hungry4info]

We're also getting telemetry from one of the rovers.
https://twitter.com/amsatdl/status/1748374331715981601

This claims it was supposed to tip over.

The IMU data suggests it's in the incorrect post-tip-over orientation, with the engines pointing up. Not sure how reliable that is though.

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[marsbug]

While it looks like things have not gone flawlessly, JAXA has an at-least-partly-functional vehicle on the Lunar surface. So I think it's time to say 'well done JAXA and the SLIM team'. At lot of smart and determined folks have tried this and ended up as a crater to be imaged by LRO.

[Explorer1]

If the rovers were deployed before touchdown, as per the plan, they could still accomplish their mission (since they can communicate directly with Earth)? Images would be very enlightening.

[Hungry4info]

Andrew Jones reports radio detection of... something

Anomalous behaviour from the #SLIM lander ~16:32:00 UTC. Signal has returned to previous behaviour.

https://twitter.com/coastal8049/status/1748383389517004815

This feels like a Hayabusa-esque "Trying to fix an emergency in real time with scant data" situation. Fun!

[Explorer1]

They still had plenty of spare fuel at the time of touchdown. If it's on the wrong side, it may be possible to right it?

[Thorsten Denk]

Maybe they are still able to correct the wrong attitude with the RCS thrusters?
That would be really daring...

Thorsten

[Hungry4info]

That may have been what the change in Doppler behaviour of the SLIM signal suggests occurred.
Scott Tilley now reports:

The ranging tones from #SLIM have stopped and remained absent for a few minutes now.

No idea what this means, or even if it's bad news.

Press conference has started!
Edit: Nope! It was just an update to tell us that they'll start at 2:10 local (13 minutes from now).

[kenny]

News conference will start, and press release on JAXA web site, at 10mins past the current hour. ie. 02.10am in Japan Standard Time.

[nprev]

News conference at 1210 EST/1710 GMT!

[JTN]

"it seems that solar cell is not generating electricity"

[nprev]

Conference underway. Thus far:

1. Landed successfully.

2. Power-negative; battery not charging (as Hungry noticed.)

3. At least one of the little rovers landed successfully as well.

[JTN]

Press release (Japanese). Machine translation:

Results of the Small Lunar Demonstrator (SLIM) Moon Landing

 The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) confirmed that the Small Lunar Module (SLIM) landed on the Moon at 0:20 am on 20 January 2024 (Japan Standard Time). Communications have been established since landing.

 However, the solar cells are not generating power, and priority is currently being given to data acquisition from the Moon's surface.

 Detailed analysis of the acquired data will be carried out in the future. We will keep you updated on the future status of the project.

[Explorer1]

Looks like the LEV 1 and LEV 2 are both working, they are getting images back now.....

[JTN]

From press conference, there is hope that even once the battery is depleted (in several hours), as the sun angle changes, the solar panels may start producing power and revive the lander. In the meantime they're prioritising getting data back over recovery operations.

(However, a couple of posts (1, 2) claim a heater has been turned off to conserve battery power -- I didn't catch this myself -- dunno what this means for the longevity of the lander.)

[Hungry4info]

I heard the comment about the battery as well. They seemed to imply that its what would allow the battery to last for "several hours."

Someone finally asked a decent question. Is there no power being generated by the solar panels? Or just an inadequate amount to keep up with the battery discharge? Answer was that they don't yet know, pending data.

[Thorsten Denk]

If I combine this picture of the landing site (downslope towards WNW)
http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.p...st&id=53653
with the PV cells orientation from the loanding telemetry (towards +X; +Y is downslope),
then the PV cells should be facing north / slightly to the east (NNE).

This would mean (at 13°S) that in fact the ilumination could improve a little bit in the coming days.

(Just a very quick over-the-thumb analysis from my side, might be wrong)

Thorsten

[akuo]

Congratulations for a soft landing on the Moon.

Is restarting of the engines possible for SLIM? For an attempted hop or attitude change.

[nprev]

One thing I noticed and don't understand is that the IMU (lower left corner) was showing normal lunar surface gravitational acceleration at landing but the bar changed color from green to yellow. Don't know what the color coding indicates, but given the attitude graphic does this imply that the lander is indeed upside down?

That would explain the array not charging, but if so why are they getting telemetry unless it has a very robust omni antenna? Or maybe there's one on the ventral surface for use during cruise.

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[Hungry4info]

From this post, it seems there's several antennas all around the spacecraft.

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[Hungry4info]

Loss of Signal.
- from Scott Tilley,
- from AMSAT-DL.
Not sure if this genuinely means mission LOS or if it just finished transmitting something.

[mcaplinger]

One thing I noticed and don't understand is that the IMU (lower left corner) was showing normal lunar surface gravitational acceleration at landing but the bar changed color from green to yellow. Don't know what the color coding indicates, but given the attitude graphic does this imply that the lander is indeed upside down?

Presumably the lower left is the vector sum of the three accel axes and doesn't say anything about orientation, and they only display the angular rates, not the absolute angles. But one imagines they wouldn't draw it upside down if it weren't in fact oriented that way.

[kenny]

NASA's Deep Space Network is currently showing no radio traffic with SLIM. There was steady download during the first few hours after the landing.

Live feed from DSN:

Deep Space Network Tracking

This is not in any way a negative indication of the state of the spacecraft - radio traffic can be expected to stop and start.

[Phil Stooke]

I have added SLIM to my Moon map. It is here:

https://publish.uwo.ca/~pjstooke/moon-sites-map.jpg


Phil

[Thorsten Denk]

Great map, Phil!
Is there also a version including only the landers and impactors (successful and unsuccessful), but not the upper stages and orbiters?

----

Excellent 12min Video analyzing the Slim landing from Scott Manley:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muK6gFtv7_o

The solar panels might point westwards.
This means that from in a week or so they might start generating power.

Thorsten

[Phil Stooke]

Thanks, Thorsten. I don't have a different version of the map.


Here's a JAXA tweet with welcome news (but no images released yet)


https://twitter.com/SLIM_JAXA/status/1749295017427108233

着陸後、電源OFFするまでの間に、着陸降下中や月面で取得した技術データや画像データの地上への送信を完了できました。現在、そのデータの詳細な解析を行っています。プロジェクトチームとしてはたくさんのデータが取得できたことを確認し、ほっとするとともにワクワクしはじめています。
#JAXA #SLIM
Translated from Japanese by
After landing, until the power was turned off, the technical data and image data acquired during the landing descent and on the lunar surface were successfully transmitted to the ground. We are currently conducting a detailed analysis of that data. As a project team, we are relieved and excited to see that we have been able to obtain a large amount of data.
#JAXA #SLIM
8:56 PM · Jan 21, 2024



From published views of the lander it appears that the multispectral camera is facing sideways as intended, and if they were able to operate it, or are able to when the sun reaches the array, it should provide good data.

Phil

EDIT:

https://twitter.com/SLIM_JAXA/status/1749320754628546849


We are preparing to announce the status of #SLIM and current results at the end of the week. Although the attitude after landing did not go as planned, we are glad we could achieved so much and are happy to have landed successfully. We’re also excited to analyse the data. #JAXA


Another point... The multispectral camera is not a panoramic camera, it will take images covering an area about 50 by 70 degrees across. But perhaps the navigation cameras are also able to take images on the surface so a partial panorama might emerge.

[Thorsten Denk]

It appears that in fact the solar panels are facing west!
https://twitter.com/Cosmic_Penguin/status/1...312587131756589

Will there be generated solar power some time after local solar noon?

Thorsten

[mcaplinger]

Will there be generated solar power some time after local solar noon?

That's what that tweet says, yes. Presumably JAXA has good orientation data from the images they have received but not yet released.

[Thorsten Denk]

This was actually intended as a rhetorical question.
We'll see what happens.

And it appears that the telemetry data of the probe's orientation in the live broadcast was indeed correct.
The solar cells there also faced west.

Thorsten

[Phil Stooke]

https://twitter.com/AstroKovacs/status/1749741343553810552

Hungarian @astroKovacs has tweeted a very nice visualization of what might have made SLIM come to rest in such an apparently precarious orientation. The suggestion is that it may be touching a rock or a small crater wall rather than completely free-standing. We may know more about this on Friday.

Phil

[mcaplinger]

Still nothing detected but JAXA was continuing to sweep/command as of 9 hours ago. Maybe tomorrow. https://nitter.net/coastal8049

[Hungry4info]

From the JAXA Livestream update here -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U61i0wN01Uk

My Japanese is non-existent but these look like surface images to me!

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[Hungry4info]

It seems there was some kind of engine failure during landing. If I understand this right, one of the engine nozzles seems to have followed its own independent landing trajectory.

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[Hungry4info]

They've confirmed that the lander is resting on the surface nose-down as expected.

[Hungry4info]

Oh wow! From LEV-2. (edited - originally wrote LEV-1).

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[Phil Stooke]

And it looks like it has just one nozzle on top. The second nozzle broke off during the hover phase.

Phil

[Phil Stooke]

https://www.isas.jaxa.jp/home/slim/SLIM/ass...ss_20240125.pdf

Slides in Japanese - get that translator software fired up!

Phil

[antipode]

That's an extremely scenic bit of (Lunar) terrain!

Any ideas about why the nozzle broke off?

Didn't Akatsuki also break a nozzle (I know, different time/place)?

P

[Explorer1]

Very cool images! Hopefully it can start working again soon (and if so, could it be righted with the remaining fuel on board)?
I wonder if any sign of the nozzle breakup is visible in that detailed telemetry we had from landing.
Yes, it was Akatsuki that lost a nozzle when attempting Venus orbit insertion. Note sure if it's the same type of engine or not....

[kenny]

The falling nozzle is visible in this PDF PPT; look at slide 9, Right image. The camera has snapped the detached nozzle falling away. The Left image shows the same background terrain without the nozzle. Both views were taken by the navigation camera, looking straight down.

SLIM press conference slide show

The nozzle is also visible a few slides later...

[Olympusmonsuk]

Oh wow! From LEV-2. (edited - originally wrote LEV-1).

This view is looking approximately SE I believe.

[kymani76]

With today's images and article by Andrew Jones I am finally in position to offer landing map.
Article reports 25.24889E, 13.31549S as landing site, I get 25.253834E, 13.31406S from LRO NAC image M1249381781LC.

Close up with navigational images. Grid at 10m.

[kymani76]

3D view looking SE towards Cyrillus crater edge, roughly the same direction as the one from the LEV-2 photo released today.
SLIM really landed on a pronounced slope!

I also came across a photo with few rocks labeled.

[propguy]

That's an extremely scenic bit of (Lunar) terrain!

Any ideas about why the nozzle broke off?

Didn't Akatsuki also break a nozzle (I know, different time/place)?

P

I did some digging and it may be the same engine (or at least a 2nd/3rd generation of the Akatsuki main engine). Akatsuki did use a 500 N ceramic engine and from the SLIM press kit they mention the same attributes for their main engine. Akatsuki failed due to a stuck fuel side pressurization check valve. No way to know if this was a similar issue (but one thing I know after 37+ years of prop experience is we usually overkill issue issues that occur on previous missions, so most issues are new ones). Sadly the Akatsuki failure put big dampers on development and use of ceramic larger thrust engines and this failure may have the same effect. Lets hope in the current position that SLIM can still produce power when the arrays are illuminated and recover some of their mission.

[Phil Stooke]

Trying to understand the viewing geometry in the surface images. This image shows a composite of the MBC image and the LEV-2 image to maximize viewing of the horizon (incidentally, although this LEV-2 image was relayed to Earth via the LEV-1 hopper, it seems that LEV-1 did not obtain any images). Below is an LROC view from Quickmap showing approximately the field of view of that composite. A prominent crater below the distant horizon ridge is discernable in the composite as a very bright spot on the right side of the lander (high sun LROC images show it has bright ejecta).

Also, a shadow-filled crater half visible on the left edge of the LEV-2 image is seen in Jake's map just to the east of the lsnding site.

Phil

[MichaelJWP]

Oh wow! From LEV-2. (edited - originally wrote LEV-1).

Not to cast doubt, but this image looks strange in that the background beyond the close up ridge looks a bit out of focus, depth of field fair enough, but the horizon ridge appears sharp, yet pixellated.
As well as that, the background looks brownish compared to the monochrome foreground.
Wondered if any pic experts couid explain? (there are a few sceptics on social media claiming it's not real)

- Michael

[nprev]

Such "skeptics" are more accurately characterized as "conspiracy theorists". Per Forum rule 1.9 such nonsense is not a permissable area of discussion.

[Phil Stooke]

I have learned a few things about the multispectral camera image. What we have seen so far is a low resolution monochrome survey of the field of view available to the instrument. It consists of 257 individual small frames. A total of 333 were supposed to be taken but the sequence was cut short to be sure it could all be transmitted. If SLIM is revived as the sun reaches its solar panel, a set of 10-band multispectral images will be taken of specific targets identified in the existing image. Those targets are presumably the six rocks identified by names (breeds of dog) in one image.

Phil

(EDIT: I corrected the numbers of frames)

[marsbug]

Having read the above reminder of rule 1.9 I should probably be clear that I am asking because I'm interested in the technology of the LEV-2 mini rover and where it might go from here: My own searching has thrown up precious little on the specifics of the LEV-2 cameras, and how they are oriented and operate - except that control board for them was designed with maximum energy efficiency in mind, by Sony. Does anyone have any directions or links to a more detailed break-down of them? EDIT: I'm aware that the rover was made by TOMY, a toy manufacturer, but I've not found anything in the way of technical material on their website.

[MichaelJWP]

Such "skeptics" are more accurately characterized as "conspiracy theorists". Per Forum rule 1.9 such nonsense is not a permissable area of discussion.

Quite rightly so, but I was more interested in technical reasons (such as compression artifacts etc.) informing why the photo might look like that, not to discuss conspiracy nonsense.

[climber]

LRO found SLIM : https://x.com/nasascienceaa/status/17508963...fWw235ADkQ7vfxA

[Explorer1]

Wrong link? It's discussing the retroreflector from the Vikram lander.

[climber]

Still working alright for me, don’t know what to do about it, sorry…

[tolis]

LRO found SLIM : https://x.com/nasascienceaa/status/17508963...fWw235ADkQ7vfxA

A story has just appeared at the LROC website.

[Explorer1]

The post is from January 18th

I found it on the LROC website: https://www.lroc.asu.edu/posts/1358
Looks like some exhaust kicked up, but still hard to resolve anything.

[kymani76]

SLIM being imaged by LRO allows me to make a minor correction, it turns out the lander is about 10m to the south of the previous estimate.
In rounded numbers I get 25.254, -13.315 for long/lat of the landing coordinates, a slight difference from the estimate of 25.251, -13.316 reported in LRO release.
SLIM is visible, but is just a few pixels across in size.

[Thorsten Denk]

It seems that SLIM is emitting radio again...
https://twitter.com/amsatdl/status/1751701647640732152

Thorsten

[Phil Stooke]

https://twitter.com/coastal8049/status/1751723650372538717

Scott Tilley agrees with this. I really hope the MBC can be operated in the c. 3 days we have left before sunset.

Phil

[HSchirmer]

I did some digging and it may be the same engine (or at least a 2nd/3rd generation of the Akatsuki main engine)... Akatsuki failed due to a stuck fuel side pressurization check valve.

I've seen some speculation that the press release's mention of a pressure-fed-blow-down 2 engine system could be important. As the fuel / oxidizer tanks drain low, if one engine started to run fuel rich and the other runs oxygen-rich, the hotter oxygen rich side might have burned through / thermal shocked the ceramic nozzle.

[Hungry4info]

JAXA confirms resumption of the mission and science activities.
https://twitter.com/SLIM_JAXA/status/1751742976253190226

Google Translate:

We succeeded in establishing communication with SLIM last night and have resumed operations! We immediately started scientific observations with MBC, and have successfully obtained first light for 10-band observation. The figure below shows a toy poodle observed using the first light multi-band observation.

(toy poodle? either a translation error or I don't know what a toy poodle looks like, which is quite possible)

Edit: Oooh!

Toy Poodle is the name given to the rock observed near SLIM

[tolis]

JAXA confirms resumption of the mission and science activities.
https://twitter.com/SLIM_JAXA/status/1751742976253190226

Google Translate:

(toy poodle? either a translation error or I don't know what a toy poodle looks like, which is quite possible)

I think "Toy Poodle" refers to one of the rocks in the immediate vicinity of SLIM.

[Phil Stooke]

Yes, it does - look at post 77 in this thread.

Phil

[Phil Stooke]

Now. a report of a possible detection of Lev-1 transmission.

https://twitter.com/PI9CAM/status/1751657240728117705

Phil

[Phil Stooke]

updates copied from @SLIM_JAXA tweets in the last few minutes:

------------------------
Small lunar landing demonstration vehicle SLIM
@SLIM_JAXA
·
17m
From 9:00 pm last night to 9:00 am today, we operated SLIM using deep space antennas at 34 m at Uchinoura and 64 m at Usuda. So far, the power generation from the solar cells is normal, and the SLIM is operating without any problems with the power from the solar cells.
Small lunar landing demonstration vehicle SLIM
@SLIM_JAXA
·
17m
In this operation, we were able to perform multi-band observations of Akita Inu, Kai Inu, Saint Bernard, Shiba Inu, Beagle, and Tosa Inu using the spectroscopic camera! Beagle and Tosa Inu are new observation subjects that have been added to the observation list after restoration.
Small lunar landing demonstration vehicle SLIM
@SLIM_JAXA
·
17m
The next observation will be from 22:00 today (1/30) to 9:00 tomorrow (1/31). Please note that SLIM will be dormant for a while after February 1st.
-----------------------------


I assume the 'dormant' comment refers to the lo---ooooo---ooong lunar night.

Phil

[Phil Stooke]

https://twitter.com/SLIM_JAXA/status/1752520549962822122

This tweet translates via Google as:

From 10pm last night (1/30) to 9am today (1/31), we conducted multiband observations using a spectroscopic camera. Last night, new Labradors, Dalmatians, Papillons, and more were added to the group as a result of detailed analysis of the images and additional imaging results, and we are also conducting second observations of some of the objects.

More dogs! I hope they stay in the off-leash park. I was working on an illustration but may need to rethink it if it gets too crowded for the scale I was using.

Phil

[Hungry4info]

Before/after our battery-imposed "nap" showing the lunar landscape just after landing versus after regaining contact.
Edit: No the daylight image is edited a bit. See below.
https://www.isas.jaxa.jp/home/slim/SLIM/ope...atus/index.html

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