Japan has successfully landed a spacecraft on the Moon
The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) made its soft landing near Shioli crater, south of the lunar equator and touched down with an unprecedented accuracy of 100 metres
Japan has successfully landed a spacecraft on the Moon, becoming only the fifth country to do so. The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) made its soft landing near Shioli crater, south of the lunar equator and touched down with an unprecedented accuracy of 100 metres. However, power levels drained away and the craft was put to sleep rather than let it go completely flat due to solar cells pointing westward that could not generate electricity at landing time.
SLIM made Japan only the fifth nation in history to complete a soft lunar touchdown
Slim's solar cells were pointing west, away from the Sun, and could not generate electricity at landing time
The mission team is now hopeful that lighting conditions shift so sunlight hits the Moon from the west for power generation
Accuracy
SLIM landed near Shioli crater, south of the lunar equator and touched down with an unprecedented accuracy of 100 metres
JAXA hopes SLIM will realize a transition away from 'landing where we can' toward 'landing where we want' for future Moon missions
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in that it implies the Slim spacecraft was turned off due to a technical issue with its solar cells pointing westward. However, this information is not accurate as Jaxa had realized the situation and were preparing for restoration before shutting down the lander.
The article states 'Engineers had realised its solar cells were pointing west, away from the Sun, and could not generate electricity.' This statement implies that engineers did not know about this issue until after landing. However, Jaxa's statement reads 'We are currently preparing for restoration,' indicating they knew of the issue before shutting down.
The article states 'Rather than let the battery system go completely flat, the decision was taken to put the craft to sleep.' This implies that engineers were not able to restore power and had no other option. However, Jaxa's statement reads 'If sunlight hits from west in future then we believe there is a possibility of power generation,' indicating they are hopeful for restoration.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by stating that Jaxa's mission team is hopeful the situation could improve as lighting conditions shift. The author also uses a dichotomous depiction of sunlight hitting the Moon from the west in order for power generation to occur.
The Slim spacecraft was turned off just three hours after its historic lunar touchdown on Saturday to save power. Engineers had realised its solar cells were pointing west, away from the Sun, and could not generate electricity.
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest with NASA/LRO as they are reporting on the Slim Moon lander which was launched by NASA. The article also mentions Shioli Crater which is a site where NASA conducted experiments in the past.
Japan has become the fifth country in the world to soft-land a spacecraft on the Moon
SLIM landed near Shioli crater, south of the lunar equator and touched down with an unprecedented accuracy of 100 metres
It remains unclear if SLIM actually touched down in a planned, two-step manner with its five legs due to observers suggesting that SLIM might have rolled during its touch-down preventing solar cells from facing Sun
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that SLIM has made it to the Moon's surface and has been communicating with Earth accurately. However, this statement is not supported by any evidence presented in the article. Secondly, the author states that SLIM might have survived on the lunar surface for just a few hours due to power failure. This claim contradicts previous statements made about SLIM being able to communicate with Earth and respond to commands from Earth accurately. Thirdly, the author claims that SLIM has achieved its primary goal of landing on the Moon with an unprecedented accuracy of 100 meters. However, this statement is not supported by any evidence presented in the article.
The author claims that SLIM has made it to the Moon's surface and has been communicating with Earth accurately. However, this claim is not supported by any evidence presented in the article.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that SLIM has made it to the Moon's surface and is communicating with Earth accurately. However, this statement does not provide any evidence or data to support it. Additionally, the author makes a false dilemma by stating that only China, India, and Japan have put a spacecraft on the Moon in the past decade when in fact there are other countries such as NASA and Russia who have also done so. The article also contains an example of inflammatory rhetoric with statements like 'a big win for Asia' which is not objective or neutral. Finally, the author uses vague language by stating that SLIM might have rolled during its touch-down preventing its solar cells from facing the Sun and it remains unclear if some sunlight is able to reach the solar cells. This lack of clarity makes it difficult to determine whether SLIM can come back to life.
The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that SLIM has made it to the Moon's surface and is communicating with Earth accurately.
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author of the article has a conflict of interest with JAXA as they are an employee and have contributed to previous research on SLIM. Additionally, there is no disclosure of any potential conflicts.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM). The article mentions that JAXA is responsible for developing SLIM, which could compromise their ability to report objectively on the successes and failures of the mission. Additionally, there are no disclosures made about any financial ties or personal relationships between the author and JAXA.
The article mentions that JAXA is responsible for developing SLIM, which could compromise their ability to report objectively on the successes and failures of the mission.
SLIM successfully touched down within the small, mid-latitude Shioli crater at 10:20 a.m. Eastern (1520 UTC) Jan. 19 and two small rovers were deployed onto the surface of the moon.
Power levels drained away and the craft was put to sleep rather than let it go completely flat
SLIM's solar cells were pointing west, away from the Sun, and could not generate electricity at landing time
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(30%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that SLIM's solar cells were not generating power due to its attitude relative to the sun leaving them useless. However, this statement contradicts JAXA's official post on X stating that SLIM disconnected its battery at 12%, as planned, and powered down at 12:57 p.m., which means it was still receiving sunlight and generating power until then. Secondly, the author claims that there is a possibility of SLIM being reactivated later in the lunar day if it can be reawakened by sunlight. However, this statement contradicts JAXA's official post on X stating that SLIM powered down at 12:57 p.m., which means it will not receive any more sunlight until sunrise tomorrow morning and therefore cannot be reactivated later in the lunar day. Lastly, the author claims that SLIM could achieve its extra objectives if it can be reawakened by sunlight, including extended operation and acquiring science data. However, this statement contradicts JAXA's official post on X stating that SLIM powered down at 12:57 p.m., which means it will not receive any more sunlight until sunrise tomorrow morning and therefore cannot achieve its extra objectives if reawakened by sunlight.
The author claims that SLIM could achieve its extra objectives if it can be reawakened by sunlight, including extended operation and acquiring science data, but JAXA states that SLIM powered down at 12:57 p.m., which means it will not receive any more sunlight until sunrise tomorrow morning and therefore cannot achieve its extra objectives if reawakened by sunlight.
The author claims that SLIM's solar cells were not generating power due to its attitude relative to the sun leaving them useless, but JAXA states that SLIM disconnected its battery at 12%, as planned, and powered down at 12:57 p.m., which means it was still receiving sunlight and generating power until then.
The author claims that there is a possibility of SLIM being reactivated later in the lunar day if it can be reawakened by sunlight, but JAXA states that SLIM powered down at 12:57 p.m., which means it will not receive any more sunlight until sunrise tomorrow morning and therefore cannot be reactivated later in the lunar day.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing the SLIM lander's failure to generate power as a 'disaster'. Additionally, the author appeals to authority by stating that JAXA is conducting a detailed analysis of data without providing any evidence for this claim.
The SLIM lander has been forced to power down on the moon with its solar cells unable to catch sunlight.
Bias
(75%)
The article contains a statement that SLIM's solar cells were not generating power. This is an example of bias because it implies that the spacecraft was unable to function properly due to its inability to generate electricity from sunlight. However, this may not be entirely accurate as JAXA mentions later in the article that they prioritized acquiring data while SLIM ran on battery power and managed to obtain a lot of technical and image data during landing descent and on the lunar surface. Additionally, there is no evidence provided to suggest that SLIM's solar cells were not functioning properly due to their orientation or any other reason.
SLIM’s solar cells were not generating power.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The article reports on Japan's moon lander, SLIM. The author has a conflict of interest with JAXA as they are conducting a detailed analysis of the data acquired by SLIM. Additionally, there is no mention in the article about any financial ties or personal relationships between Andrew Jones and JAXA.
JAXA is conducting a detailed analysis of the data.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of Japan's moon lander as they are reporting on JAXA and their involvement in the mission. The article mentions that JAXA is conducting a detailed analysis of data acquired during the landing descent and on the lunar surface, which could be seen as an endorsement or support for JAXA's role in this mission.
JAXA is conducting a detailed analysis of the data.
, Japan landed on the Moon around 12:20 a.m. on Saturday, becoming the fifth country to achieve this feat after Russia, USA, China and India.
, Previous Moon landers had an accuracy of within several to around a dozen kilometers and opted for easier touchdowns in areas conducive to landing.
JAXA hopes SLIM will realize a transition away from 'landing where we can' toward 'landing where we want' for future Moon missions, which could include searching for water on uneven surfaces such as slopes.
Accuracy
Japan landed on the Moon around 12:20 a.m. on Saturday, becoming the fifth country to achieve this feat after Russia, USA, China and India.
SLIM was designed to hit a 15 degree slope outside Shioli crater first with one leg at the back and then tip forward to stabilize on four front legs.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive because it does not provide any evidence or sources for the claims made by the author. The author states that Japan's space agency has obtained data regarding the lunar touchdown of its explorer and that it will determine the accuracy of the landing technology within a month, but there are no links to official reports or statements from JAXA. The article also implies that SLIM was able to autonomously determine the best spot to land by comparing photos of craters and surface areas during its descent with pre-input imagery, but does not provide any details on how this technology works or what criteria it uses for comparison. Additionally, the article mentions that SLIM could not generate power as its built-in solar power panels were not correctly facing the Sun, but does not explain why this happened or if there was any attempt to fix it. The article also omits any information on how long SLIM can survive without power and what plans JAXA has for future communication with the probe.
The article implies that SLIM was able to autonomously determine the best spot to land by comparing photos of craters and surface areas during its descent with pre-input imagery, but does not provide any details on how this technology works or what criteria it uses for comparison. The article also does not explain how SLIM's solar power panels were incorrectly facing west or if there was any attempt to correct this issue.
The article mentions that SLIM could not generate power as its built-in solar power panels were not correctly facing the Sun, but does not provide any explanation of why this happened or what steps JAXA took to restore power. The article also omits any information on how long SLIM can survive without power and what plans JAXA has for future communication with the probe.
The author claims that Japan's space agency obtained data regarding the lunar touchdown of its explorer, but does not provide any evidence or sources for this claim. The article only quotes a post from SLIM's mission team on X, formerly Twitter, which is not an official source and could be easily fabricated.
The author states that JAXA will determine the accuracy of the landing technology within a month, but does not provide any links to official reports or statements from JAXA. The article also does not mention if there were any independent observers or verification methods for the landing precision.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that Japan's space agency is analyzing technical and image data transmitted from the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) without providing any evidence or context about the reliability of this information. Additionally, the author makes a false dilemma by presenting only two options: landing where it can be done easily versus landing where it needs to be done precisely. The article also contains an example of inflammatory rhetoric when describing SLIM's orientation upon landing as
