# The Great Ongoing Space Exploration Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** science-math\ **Created:** [November 16, 2020, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703 "2020-11-16T12:18:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 58
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1142 "2024-01-19T18:44:03Z")
Japan’s SLIM probe lands successfully on the Moon: [Japan makes history with its first uncrewed moon landing | Popular Science (popsci.com)](https://www.popsci.com/technology/japan-slim-moon-landing/) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1143 "2024-01-19T21:24:47Z")
Also, the ‘overly complex’ part really comes from the government side. The Gateway, the NRHO orbit, flying a capsule with people to the moon while also flying a perfectly usable spacecraft that could easily have taken them… All of this is to meet NASA’s requirements and keep old shuttle facilities operating. Without commercial partners, it seems pretty clear that NASA no longer has the ability to do something like this. Who’s going to build all the new hardware? Boeing? At cost-plus prices? They are years late on a simple capsule to get astronauts to the ISS. Blaming the commercial side of Artemis is absolutely ridiculous. Has Griffin beein hired as a consultant to a major old space firm or something? ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1144 "2024-01-19T22:56:09Z")
SLIM landed ok, no power from panels, stay tuned: > **[JAXA | The results of the Moon Landing by the Smart Lander for Investigating...](https://global.jaxa.jp/press/2024/01/20240120-1_e.html)** > > Get information on the The results of the Moon Landing by the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM). The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) performs various activities related to aerospace as an organization, from basic research in the... Brian ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1145 "2024-01-19T23:02:33Z")
Scott Manley thinks the solar panels may be pointing west, as the craft failed to do a final flip before it landed. This means the sun will be shining in a week or perhaps sooner. He attaches a caveat to it though saying the public data may not be reliable. [[https://youtu.be/muK6gFtv7\_o?si=GfN048qtQXoOk9fA](https://youtu.be/muK6gFtv7_o?si=GfN048qtQXoOk9fA)] (The board is acting strangely, I cannot embed or add a hyperlink without these brackets) ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1146 "2024-01-19T23:11:45Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > The board is acting strangely, I cannot embed or add a hyperlink without these brackets > [@Have links to YouTube been disabled?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-links-to-youtube-been-disabled/981958): > > I just tried posting a couple of YouTube links in and got the message An error occurred: Sorry, you can’t embed media items in a post. What’s going on? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1147 "2024-01-19T23:16:03Z")
And more specifically (not to toot my own horn or anything), the workaround: > [@Have links to YouTube been disabled?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-links-to-youtube-been-disabled/981958/170): > > I’ve seen a few links to this thread from other threads, but the information is a bit scattershot, so I think it’s worth summarizing. The bug occurs because Discourse now sees a YouTube preview–that is, the inline video as compared to a bare link–as a “media item”. We don’t allow media items on this site for cost reasons, but in this case it’s a bug because the video is hosted elsewhere. And this is new behavior. Discourse takes a few seconds to convert a bare link into a preview. That is t… ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1148 "2024-01-19T23:49:24Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Scott Manley thinks the solar panels may be pointing west, as the craft failed to do a final flip before it landed. wouldn’t that be a HUGE blow to the whole _moon-sniper_ narrative of the japanese (basically the tech-USP of this endeavor)? … supposedly there was image recognition to land right behind the ol’ oak tree, based on what the lander sees in real time… can’t see how that would be compatible with being solar-misaligned … unless they screwed up royally … ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1149 "2024-01-19T23:56:21Z")
The “moon-sniper” thing is relative. IIRC, they wanted to get within ~100 m, as opposed to the tens of kilometers that’s the usual level of accuracy. They could still hit a rock or hill or something that prevents the proper orientation. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1150 "2024-01-25T15:17:42Z")
It seems the Japanese moon lander landed on the nose… er… on _its_ nose: > **[Japan's precision moon lander has hit its target, but it appears to be...](https://apnews.com/article/japan-moon-lander-slim-probe-pinpoint-2908c74d9e3c4c8a5eabfb6b1625c617)** > > Japan’s space agency said Thursday that its first lunar mission hit the tiny patch of the moon’s surface it was aiming for in a successful demonstration of its pinpoint landing system — although it appears to be sitting upside-down. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1151 "2024-01-25T18:14:04Z")
Ars Technica article: (has some extra pics – including one of the wayward engine nozzle) > **[A Japanese spacecraft faceplanted on the Moon and lived to tell the tale](https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/01/a-japanese-spacecraft-faceplanted-on-the-moon-and-lived-to-tell-the-tale/)** > > Despite engine failure, SLIM managed to achieve the most precise Moon landing ever. Brian ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1152 "2024-01-25T21:10:42Z")
Ingenuity will fly no more – one of its blades is broken: > **[The amazing helicopter on Mars, Ingenuity, will fly no more](https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/01/nasas-mars-helicopter-has-made-its-last-flight-above-the-red-planet/)** > > Ingenuity has spent more than two hours flying above Mars since April 2021. > **[After Three Years on Mars, NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter Mission Ends](https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/after-three-years-on-mars-nasas-ingenuity-helicopter-mission-ends)** > > NASA has proven powered, controlled flight is possible on other worlds, just as the Wright brothers proved it was possible on Earth. (you may get dust in your eyes if you watch the thank you video) > In addition to video comments shared from Nelson about the mission’s conclusion, NASA will host a media teleconference at 5 p.m. EST today, Thursday, Jan. 25, to provide an update on Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1153 "2024-01-25T21:52:38Z")
The shadow of the broken blade: [![](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/e1-pia26243-ingenuity-spots-the-shadow-of-its-damaged-rotor-blade.jpg) ](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/e1-pia26243-ingenuity-spots-the-shadow-of-its-damaged-rotor-blade.jpg) Looks like a pretty significant portion tore off. Compare to the shape of the blades here: [![](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/PIA24549-800x450.jpg) ](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/PIA24549-800x450.jpg) Looks like roughly the outer third tore away. I’m curious how it managed to land upright! ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2024, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1154 "2024-01-26T20:28:43Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > It seems the Japanese moon lander landed on the nose… er… on _its_ nose: Must have landed in the wrong hemisphere. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2024, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1155 "2024-01-26T21:32:31Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > The shadow of the broken blade That’s my favorite samurai movie! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2024, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1156 "2024-01-27T04:27:26Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > That’s my favorite samurai movie! Not a bad title, honestly. Here’s a cute space-related story (sorry, Twitter only): > A guy finds a children’s poster showing Venus having a moon called Zoozve. Wait, what? Venus doesn’t have any moons. And _Zoozve_? But he does some detective work and finds that it’s real after all… (funny what you can find out just by calling the right people) ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2024, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1157 "2024-01-27T05:24:21Z")
That is a great and charming story. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2024, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1158 "2024-01-27T05:30:30Z")
Where is the story? When i click on the link I go to Xitter and see the same post, but no story or links. (I don’t have a Xitter account. Does that matter? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2024, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1159 "2024-01-27T05:39:51Z")
Keep scrolling and read all the posts in the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2024, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1160 "2024-01-27T08:13:47Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Does that matter? I think you can only see the first tweet in a thread if you don’t have an account. Give this a shot, though: > **[Thread by @latifnasser on Thread Reader App](https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1750952860131729544.html)** > > @latifnasser: Last January, I noticed something peculiar in my 2yo’s bedroom that - after a year of obsessive reporting - led me to a profound cosmic revelation about what’s even possible in our universe. A 🧵....… ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2024, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1161 "2024-01-27T13:19:17Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Keep scrolling and read all the posts in the thread. > [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > I think you can only see the first tweet in a thread if you don’t have an account. This. > [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Give this a shot, though: Thanks for that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703.md?page=57) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703.md?page=59)