# @nasaartemis on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/C-DrkskOgGe
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/21780551-nasaartemis-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/35c4d64f66.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-07-30T18:50:23.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** NASA Artemis (@nasaartemis) — https://gondola.cc/nasaartemis

## Caption

Sending signals!⁣
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NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has transmitted a laser pulse to jaxajp’s lander on the Moon and received a return signal.⁣
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Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) landed their Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) on the lunar surface on Jan. 20, 2024. Teams had installed a Laser Retroreflector Array aboard the lander to bounce a signal back to LRO, which it did on May 24, 2024. ⁣
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This was an important accomplishment because the device is not in an optimal position. Retroreflectors are typically secured to the top of landers, giving LRO a 120-degree range of angles to aim toward when sending laser pulses to the approximate location of a retroreflector. However, the SLIM lander had settled on the surface with its top facing sideways, limiting LRO’s range.⁣
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With no power or maintenance required, retroreflectors can last on the Moon’s surface for decades and thus provide reliable beacons for future missions.The retroreflectors could guide #Artemis astronauts to the surface in the dark, for example, or mark the locations of spacecraft already on the surface to help astronauts and uncrewed spacecraft land near them.⁣
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Image description: This image shows SLIM on the lunar surface captured by the LEV-2 (SORA-Q) rover. The lander appears to be bright gold and is standing on the rocky lunar surface a bit crooked. ⁣
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Credit: JAXA/TOMY/Sony Group Corporation/Doshisha University ⁣
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#LunarMission #SLIM #Moon #LunarLander #LunarRover #NASA #JAXA #Space #Retroreflector #STEM #LRO

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 9,897
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- **Comments:** 36

## Tags

retroreflector, nasa, stem, lunarrover, jaxa, space, moon, lunarlander, lro, lunarmission, artemis, slim

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