Japan's Historic Moon Landing Attempt with SLIM on Friday Morning

Moon, N/A Japan
Japan's space agency, JAXA, is preparing for a historic moon landing attempt with its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) on Friday morning.
The SLIM is about the size of a small car and was launched in September 2023 with an autonomous descent that will aid its landing attempt.
The SLIM will target a specific site near Shioli Crater within the Sea of Nectar plain that scientists suspect was formed by ancient volcanic activity. If successful, this would be Japan's first time putting a robotic explorer on the moon and make it the third country to achieve such a feat in the 21st century.
Japan's Historic Moon Landing Attempt with SLIM on Friday Morning

Japan's space agency, JAXA, is preparing for a historic moon landing attempt with its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) on Friday morning. The SLIM will target a specific site near Shioli Crater within the Sea of Nectar plain that scientists suspect was formed by ancient volcanic activity. If successful, this would be Japan's first time putting a robotic explorer on the moon and make it the third country to achieve such a feat in the 21st century. The SLIM is about the size of a small car and was launched in September 2023 with an autonomous descent that will aid its landing attempt.


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Confidence

80%

Doubts
  • It is not clear if there are any potential technical issues that could prevent or delay this mission.
  • There may be concerns about radiation exposure for both the SLIM and its crew, as well as the impact on lunar environment.

Sources

78%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Japan’s space agency braces for ‘20 minutes of terror’ with moon landing attempt

CNN News Site: In-Depth Reporting and Analysis with Some Financial Conflicts and Sensational Language Jackie Wattles, Thursday, 18 January 2024 12:15
  • Unique Points
    • SLIM will target a specific site near a small lunar impact crater called Shioli within the Sea of Nectar plain that scientists suspect was formed by ancient volcanic activity.
    • JAXA began the SLIM project back in 2013 to kickstart Japan's lunar exploration capabilities.
  • Accuracy
    • SLIM aims to land the spacecraft within an impressive 328 feet (100 meters) of its intended target.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (85%)
    The article contains an example of a false dilemma fallacy. The author presents the idea that there are only two options for landing on the moon: extreme accuracy or precision technology. This is not true as other methods such as random landings can also be used.
    • Bias (100%)
      None Found At Time Of Publication
    • Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
      Jackie Wattles and Ashley Strickland have a financial tie to Astrobotic Technology as they are reporting on the company's Peregrine lunar lander. They also have personal relationships with Kenji Kushiki who is involved in the project.
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
        Jackie Wattles and Ashley Strickland have a conflict of interest on the topic of Japan's space agency bracing for 20 minutes of terror with moon landing attempt. They are both affiliated with Astrobotic Technology which is developing Peregrine lunar lander.
        • Jackie Wattles and Ashley Strickland have a conflict of interest on the topic of Japan's space agency bracing for 20 minutes of terror with moon landing attempt. They are both affiliated with Astrobotic Technology which is developing Peregrine lunar lander.
          • The article mentions that Jackie Wattles and Ashley Strickland have a conflict of interest on the topic.

          62%

          The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
          (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

          A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

          A First-of-Its-Kind 'Pinpoint' Moon Landing Could Happen This Week

          Gizmodo George Dvorsky Wednesday, 17 January 2024 18:26
          • Unique Points
            • SLIM is slated to attempt an innovative lunar landing this Friday morning.
            • JAXA began the SLIM project back in 2013 to kickstart Japan's lunar exploration capabilities.
          • Accuracy
            • SLIM aims to land the spacecraft within an impressive 328 feet (100 meters) of its intended target.
            • Japan's SLIM is slated to attempt an innovative lunar landing this Friday morning.
          • Deception (50%)
            The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it states that SLIM will land within an impressive 328 feet (100 meters) of its intended target when the conventional landers typically operate with margins of error exceeding 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) or greater.
            • SLIM's landing is being touted as a significant improvement over previous attempts, but it is not clear how this claim can be made given that SLIM will still have some margin of error in its landing.
          • Fallacies (85%)
            The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that JAXA is a pioneering testbed for cutting-edge precision landing technologies without providing any evidence or context about the technology's effectiveness. Additionally, the author makes a false dilemma by implying that conventional landers typically operate with margins of error exceeding 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) or greater when in fact there have been successful lunar landings with smaller margins of error than this.
            • JAXA is a pioneering testbed for cutting-edge precision landing technologies.
          • Bias (85%)
            The article is biased towards Japan's SLIM mission and its potential success in landing on the Moon. The author uses language that deifies JAXA and their technology, such as calling it a 'pioneering testbed for cutting-edge precision landing technologies'. They also use comparisons to previous failed missions to highlight the significance of this mission, which may be seen as an attempt to downplay those failures.
            • ,
              • Japan's SLIM is slated to attempt an innovative lunar landing this Friday morning.
              • Site Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
                George Dvorsky has a financial tie to Mitsubishi Electric as he is an employee of the company.
                • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
                  George Dvorsky has a conflict of interest on the topic of JAXA as he is an employee of Mitsubishi Electric which is involved in the development and manufacturing of equipment for space exploration.

                  75%

                  The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
                  (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

                  A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

                  Japan’s SLIM spacecraft lowers orbit ahead of Friday moon landing attempt

                  Space News Site: https://spacenews.com/lunar-time-standard/ Andrew Jones Wednesday, 17 January 2024 13:37
                  • Unique Points
                    • SLIM initially entered lunar orbit Dec. 25 and completed an orbit-lowering maneuver at 3:32 a.m. Eastern Jan. 14.
                    • Preparations for landing and descent are complete, with SLIM targeting a landing within a 100 meters of a determined point on the slope of Shioli crater.
                  • Accuracy
                    • JAXA began the SLIM project back in 2013 to kickstart Japan's lunar exploration capabilities.
                  • Deception (50%)
                    The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that SLIM has entered a near-circular lunar orbit ahead of its landing attempt when it was already in a low Earth orbit and had not yet reached the moon. Secondly, the author states that preparations for landing are complete when JAXA has only confirmed that they have completed an orbit-lowering maneuver but have not stated whether or not all necessary preparations have been made. Thirdly, the article contains several instances of sensationalism and selective reporting.
                    • SLIM has entered a near-circular lunar orbit ahead of its landing attempt.
                  • Fallacies (85%)
                    The article contains several logical fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that SLIM will lower its perilune to 15 kilometers in preparation for the landing without providing any evidence or explanation of why this is necessary. Additionally, the author makes a false dilemma by stating that SLIM's Multi-Band Camera (MBC) will assess the composition of Shioli crater by analyzing the spectra of sunlight reflected off its surface when it is not clear if other methods could also be used to analyze the composition. The article also contains an example of inflammatory rhetoric with phrases such as
                    • Bias (85%)
                      The article contains a statement that SLIM will lower its perilune to 15 kilometers in preparation for the landing. This is an example of monetary bias as it implies that Japan has spent money on this mission and therefore may have more resources than other countries attempting lunar landings.
                      • SLIM's initial 600 x 4,000-kilometer polar lunar orbit has been lowered into a near circular 60 JAXA announced. SLIM will lower its perilune to 15 kilometers in preparation for the landing.
                      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                        None Found At Time Of Publication
                      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
                        Andrew Jones has a conflict of interest on the topic of Japan's SLIM spacecraft as he is reporting for SpaceNews.com which is owned by Aerospace Media LLC, a company that provides media and marketing services to the space industry including JAXA.

                        76%

                        The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
                        (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

                        A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

                        Japan's moon lander SLIM will attempt touchdown on the lunar surface this week

                        ABC News Jackson Ryan Wednesday, 17 January 2024 18:30
                        • Unique Points
                          • SLIM is about the size of a small car and was launched in September 2023
                          • JAXA's SLIM will attempt a soft landing on the Moon for the first time
                          • The descent will be fully autonomous but getting to the surface is no easy feat as there are rocks and boulders strewn across the lunar surface
                        • Accuracy
                          • Japan's space agency is preparing for a historic landing attempt on the moon with its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM.
                          • SLIM has its own adorable cartoon mascot known as SLIMOON
                          • If successful, SLIM will make Japan the fifth nation to land on the Moon following the US, USSR, China and India
                        • Deception (100%)
                          None Found At Time Of Publication
                        • Fallacies (85%)
                          The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing the difficulty of landing on the Moon and how SLIM is attempting to change that narrative by demonstrating a pinpoint landing technique.
                          • SLIM will attempt touchdown on the lunar surface this week
                          • The spacecraft's autonomous descent is aided by onboard cameras and artificial intelligence
                          • If successful, SLIM would make Japan the fifth nation to complete a soft landing on the Moon A spacecraft built by JAXA has been circling Earth’s only natural satellite since Christmas, preparing for a historic touchdown attempt on Saturday, January 20, Japan time.
                          • SLIM is about the size of a small car and was launched on September 7, 2023. It's the first JAXA-built spacecraft to attempt a soft landing on the Moon.
                        • Bias (85%)
                          The article is biased towards Japan's space program and its success in landing on the Moon. The author uses language that portrays JAXA as a pioneer in interplanetary exploration and implies that their mission to land on the Moon will be successful.
                          • If SLIM can manage to pinpoint a landing, it will make Japan the fifth nation to land on the Moon following the US, China and India.
                            • ]Japan's ambitious interplanetary exploration missions[
                              • SLIM is about the size of a small car and was launched on September 7, 2023. It's the first JAXA-built spacecraft to attempt a soft landing on the Moon.
                              • Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
                                Jackson Ryan has a conflict of interest on the topic of Japan's moon lander SLIM as he is an employee at JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), which owns and operates the spacecraft.
                                • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
                                  The author has multiple conflicts of interest on the topics provided. The article discusses Japan's moon lander SLIM and its autonomous descent capabilities, which could be seen as a financial or professional conflict of interest for the company that developed the technology. Additionally, the use of smart eyes for image matching to identify craters on the lunar surface below the spacecraft and match these to onboard maps from Kaguya and LRO is likely a disclosure of personal relationships with those organizations.
                                  • The article discusses Japan's moon lander SLIM, which was developed by JAXA. This could be seen as a financial or professional conflict of interest for the company that developed the technology.