Tech

Nasa finds evidence of Japanese lunar lander’s crash on moon

Published

12 months ago

Farwa

In a major development, Nasa has found evidence of the hard landing of the Japanese lunar lander HAKUTO-R Mission 1, which crashed on the moon’s surface a month earlier, reported CBS News Wednesday.

The Japanese moon lander, designed by the company ispace, was launched on December 11, 2022, and was to land in the moon’s Atlas crater on April 25.

The ispace team said in a news release that the “lander’s descent speed rapidly increased as it approached the moon. It then lost contact with Mission Control.”

“Based on this, it has been determined that there is a high probability that the lander eventually made a hard landing on the Moon’s surface,” the company said.

On April 26, Nasa’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, a robotic spacecraft orbiting around the moon with cameras provided topographic maps of the lunar surface, and captured 10 images around the landing site.

Nasas Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) can be seen in this picture. — Nasa/File — Nasa’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) can be seen in this picture. — Nasa/File

The 10 captured images and the one clicked before the landing helped scientists, operating the spacecraft, begin to look for the Japanese lander in a 28-by-25-mile region.

The team identified what NASA called “an unusual surface change” near where the lander was supposed to end up.

The photo by Nasa’s orbiter shows “four prominent pieces of debris” and several changes in the lunar surface, including some changes that could indicate a small crater or pieces of the lander.

In a statement, Nasa said, “the photos are just the first step in the process. The site will be further analysed over the coming months.”

According to the US space agency, the orbiter will make further observations of the site in different lighting conditions and from other angles.

Despite the crash, the company ispace is eyeing to launch further moon probes.

Seen to the right of the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane positions the Orion crew access arm so it can be attached to the mobile launcher. — Nasa/File — Seen to the right of the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane positions the Orion crew access arm so it can be attached to the mobile launcher. — Nasa/File

Takeshi Hakamada, founder and CEO of ispace, told CBS News before the failed launch that the company’s goal is to help develop a lunar economy and create an infrastructure that will augment Nasa’s Artemis programme and make it easier to access the surface of the moon.

Under the company’s lunar mission, another lander is set to take another rover to the moon in 2024. The third mission is currently under preparation.

Hakamada said that if possible, the goal is to set “high-frequency transportation to the lunar surface to support scientific, exploration, and technology demonstration missions.”

“We are planning to offer frequent missions to the surface. After 2025, we plan to offer two to three missions per year,” said the CEO.

Latest News

Pakistan launches first-ever lunar mission with iCube Qamar

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

China’s Chang’E6 spacecraft carried Pakistan’s first satellite mission to the moon, iCube Qamar, into orbit.

The Institute of Space Technology states that IST worked with Pakistan’s national space agency SUPARCO and China’s Shanghai University SJTU to design and develop the satellite ICUBE-Q.

The launch event was streamed live on both Chinese state television and the IST website.

Two optical cameras are carried by the ICUBE-Q orbiter to capture images of the lunar surface. ICUBE-Q has now been successfully integrated into the Chang’e6 mission after qualification and testing.

The sixth in China’s sequence of lunar exploration missions is called Chang’e6.

China’s Lunar Mission, Chang’6, will land on the Moon’s far side in order to gather surface samples and bring them back to Earth for analysis.

Pakistan would benefit from the mission since it will carry a Pakistan CubeSat Satellite, called iCube-Q, which was created by IST.

Small satellites known as “CubeSats” are typified by their uniform design and compact size. They are built in the form of a cube and are made up of modular parts that follow predetermined dimensions.

These satellites are regularly placed in orbit for a variety of uses and only weigh a few kilos.

Cubesats are primarily used to support space exploration education, technology development, and scientific research. Many different missions are carried out by these satellites, such as telecommunication, astronomy, remote sensing, Earth observation, atmospheric research, and technological demonstration.

CubeSats provide universities, research centers, and commercial organizations with the chance to engage in space missions and acquire important data for scientific advancement and innovation because of their small size and very low cost when compared to regular satellites.

They act as test beds for novel ideas and technology, opening up space to a wider spectrum of users and encouraging cooperation amongst members of the space community.

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The green colour of WhatsApp ‘angers’ some users.

Published

6 days ago

Farwa

After changing its display colour from blue to green, WhatsApp, which was before well-known for its blue motif, caused its users to hold divergent views.

New upgrades to the Meta app always spark a lot of discussion, regardless of how big or small the changes are.

Still, Meta-owned WhatsApp hopes that these modifications would “make it more accessible as well as easier to use” and offer a “modern, new experience” with relation to the updated display color.

A statement from the firm claimed that they had altered WhatsApp’s “looks and feels, including spacing, colors, icons, and more.”

Both iOS and Android users can now view the new WhatsApp update; the green tint on the latter has changed from the previous version.

However, iPhone users will notice that every display element, including the chat-list window and status bar, has changed with the recent design update. WhatsApp used to have a blue color scheme on iPhones.

Furthermore, the formerly blue links shared within the app are now displayed in green.

In addition, WhatsApp has made other improvements to improve its user experience outside of the color shift.

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Punjab will provide fifty thousand solar kits.

Published

1 month ago

Farwa

On Tuesday,Tuesday, while presiding over a review meeting on solar household solutions, the CM gave the order to begin the installation of one kilowatt solar systems right away. She also gave the order to introduce the newest solar systems.

Phase-I solar systems would be balloted for by 50,000 protected users who use 100 units each month, at a cost of Rs 12.6 billion.

Home-based solar systems will eventually be made available to other Punjabi consumers. A solar system will consist of a battery, inverter, sophisticated solar plate, and more related accessories.

Attending the meeting were Provincial Information Minister Azma Zahid Bukhari, MPA Sania Ashiq, Former Senator Pervaiz Rashid, Chief Secretary, Chairman Planning and Development, Secretaries of Energy, Finance, and Punjab Power Development Board (PPDB) Managing Director, in addition to other pertinent officers.

During his inaugural speech as Punjab’s chief minister, Maryam Nawaz outlined her five-year plan and promised to develop a strategy for customers who use fewer than 300 units of power.

According to Maryam Nawaz, the PML-N’s main goals for her term will be to provide jobs, healthcare, and education.

She said, “I am working on a plan to provide solar panels to consumers using up to 300 units of electricity or less in installments.”