Lunar night has arrived again, presenting yet another test for the two landers that recently arrived on the moon's surface. Both the Japanese spacecraft SLIM and Intuitive Machines' Odysseus have gone to sleep during the two-week dark period, the two teams confirmed later this week. There is no guarantee they will be able to resume operations afterwards, but they will try to reestablish contact when the time comes.
While solar-powered landers weren't built to withstand the frigid lunar night, SLIM, which has been on the moon since Jan. 19, already beat the odds before pulling through last month. It will be the first lunar night for Odysseus, who landed on February 22.
On March 1 at 3 am JST, the sun set over Shioli Crater and #SLIM He once again entered a period of lethargy. Although the probability of failure increases with repeated severe temperature cycles, SLIM operation will attempt to resume when the sun rises (late March). #Good afternoon pic.twitter.com/RHxNX1cmBF
— SLIM Small Moon Landing Demonstration Vehicle (@SLIM_JAXA) March 2, 2024
The missions, although successful because the spacecraft survived their respective descents to the surface, are other examples of how difficult it is to land on the moon; Both landers fell, leaving them trapped in less than ideal positions. SLIM fell on his face and Odysseus broke his leg and fell on his side.
SLIM was able to capture some images of the surface and the team shared another look at Shioli Crater from its perspective on Thursday before it went dark. Odysseus has also sent home some photographs taken with his wide-angle camera, including one last transmission before lunar night that shows a portion of the lander and the surface of the moon, with a small crescent Earth in the distance. But the world has been eagerly awaiting EagleCam third-person POV footage taken by students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, who traveled with Odysseus. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem likely to happen at this time.
Before his power was exhausted, Odysseus completed a fitting farewell broadcast. Received today, this February 22 image shows the crescent Earth as a backdrop, a subtle reminder of humanity's presence in the universe.
Good night, Odie. We look forward to hearing from you… pic.twitter.com/RwOWsH1TSz
— Intuitive Machines (@Int_Machines) February 29, 2024
The camera did not deploy as originally planned before the time of landing, and while Intuitive Machines said this week While the team was able to power it up and eject it after Odysseus reached the surface, communications with the chamber are so far not working. “The Embry-Riddle team is working on it and wrestling with it to see if there's anything they can do,” Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus said Wednesday. The onset of the lunar night will not help improve those odds.
