JAXA's SLIM mission may have clues on Moon's origins

The moon has been a thing of fascination for humanity for thousands of years. It's not exactly easy to ignore the brightest object in the night sky. As human ideas and later scientific understanding evolved, there were theories about the exact origin of the Moon. Some of them say that the Moon formed from Earth when it collided with another planet millions of years ago. Other theories suggest that the Moon was an independent celestial body which was later drawn into Earth's gravitational field and became its satellite. Now Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is hoping to have some clues.

JAXA's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) lander is on the lunar surface right now and carrying out important scientific observations. The Associated Press (AP) quoted JAXA's Shinichiro Sakai who said that SLIM has been using its multi-band spectral camera to study the composition of rocks on the lunar surface.

Japan became the fifth nation to land on the lunar surface with a precision landing of SLIM on January 22. The mission experienced last minute hiccup as the lander landed the wrong side up due to a last-minute failure. After the initial period during which the lander was not generating power, it finally did and began functioning.

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"For four days, the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM — which landed on the moon last month — has used its multi-band spectral camera to study rock composition, and worked on examining lunar rocks," said Shinichiro Sakai.

“We are hoping that the rock analysis will lead us to the origin of the moon,” Sakai said. By comparing the mineral compositions of moon rocks and those of Earth, they could find out if the rocks have common elements," he added.

Currently, SLIM is 'hibernating' in the lunar night. It will last till late February. The lander is likely to be activated once sunlight reaches the region where itlanded. But it has the challenge of surviving ultra-low temperatures of the lunar night till then.

(With inputs from agencies)