krpalmer | Powered Up Again (Reply)

When the Japanese lunar probe SLIM touched down on the moon with its solar cells not facing the sun (the awkward position it wound up in wasn’t clear at first) and had to be powered down before altogether discharging its battery, there were some comments about how sunlight might eventually reach the cells. I have to admit to supposing this was something I’d have to wait for and see. This morning, though, a report did reach me the probe had managed to power up again. There had been comments at the time of landing SLIM wasn’t expected to work after the long lunar day of its landing ended with its components cooling down over the just as long lunar night, but some of that day can now be put to use.