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☆ New mission could reveal secrets of the moon’s ‘hidden side’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

In one lunar region, Japan’s “Moon Sniper” mission has beaten the odds and survived three long, frigid lunar nights since its sideways landing on January 19. The Tianwen-2 mission will visit the space rock later this decade. But first, China has set its sights on returning to the moon’s “hidden side.”An illustration depicts the far side of the moon, with Earth behind it. Since the Chang’e 4 mission in 2019, China remains the only country to have landed on the moon’s far side, sometimes called the “dark side” of the moon. Scientists hope that returning samples from the far side could solve some of the biggest remaining lunar mysteries, including the moon’s true origin.

Persons: Graziano Ranocchia, Ranocchia, Plato, Emma Pomeroy, “ She’s, ”, Pomeroy, Armas Rakus, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, Kevin Bacon, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Engineers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA, Apollo, Platonic Academy of Athens, University of Pisa, Netflix, University of Cambridge, Norton Disney, Archaeology Group, Roman, International Space, CNN Space, Science Locations: China, Kurdistan, Gunung Leuser, South Aceh, Indonesia, Morocco

☆ Japan’s ‘Moon Sniper’ returns images after third long, lunar night
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Temperatures during the lunar night can plunge to minus 208 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 133 degrees Celsius), according to NASA. And Moon Sniper wasn’t expected to withstand even one lunar night, which is a period of darkness on the moon lasting about two weeks. Riding out the lunar nightThe mission team communicated with Moon Sniper on April 23 after the lander rode out its third lunar night. From JAXAIn addition to surviving the extreme cold of the lunar night, Moon Sniper has also endured the searing temperatures of the lunar day, which can reach 250 degrees Fahrenheit (121 degrees Celsius), according to NASA. On February 29, after seven days of operating, Odie went to sleep because it wasn’t intended to survive the lunar night.

Persons: CNN —, Smart, SLIM, ’, Moon, ”, Odysseus, Odie ”, Odie, “ Odie, Jack Fischer, Fischer, ” Fischer, “, I’m, Vikram, Artemis, Noah Petro, Artemis III, ” Petro Organizations: CNN, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA, JAXA, Reconnaissance, Artemis, Apollo Locations: Japan, Houston, India, China

☆ Japan’s ‘Moon Sniper’ wakes up after long lunar night
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Japan’s “Moon Sniper” is the lunar mission that keeps coming back to life. This feat was unexpected given that the lunar lander wasn’t designed to survive the moon’s harsh temperatures. But the spacecraft’s waking hours were short, and on January 31, the Moon Sniper entered what JAXA called a “two week dormancy period during the long lunar night.” Temperatures during the lunar night can plunge to minus 208 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 133 degrees Celsius), according to NASA. The last scene of the moon from the lander’s perspective before lunar night was shared on X on February 1 once the mission team sent commands to the Moon Sniper and confirmed it was in a dormant state. This moody scene was the last image taken by the SLIM lander before entering lunar night in late January.

Persons: CNN —, Smart, SLIM, Odie ” Organizations: CNN, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, NASA, SLIM, Earth Locations: Japan, Houston

☆ China moon spacecraft named ‘Dream Vessel’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s space agency has revealed the names of the spacecraft that it hopes will take Chinese astronauts to the moon by the end of the decade. In a news release over the weekend, the China Manned Space Agency said development was “progressing well” on the spaceship Mengzhou, or Dream Vessel, the lander, Lanyue, or Embracing the Moon, and a super-heavy-lift carrier rocket named Long March 10. The name Mengzhou is linked to the “Chinese nation’s dream of landing on the moon,” it added. The United States is ramping up its lunar program, with NASA last month announcing its plan to land astronauts on the moon in 2026, a year behind its original schedule. Last week, the commercial Odysseus lunar lander developed by Intuitive Machines became the first US-made spacecraft to touch down on the moon in 50 years.

Persons: “ Lanyue ”, Mao Zedong, Xi Jinping’s, Japan’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, China Manned Space Agency, NASA, Machines Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, People’s Republic of China, United States, Japan, India

☆ How this cult Japanese artist’s eerie paintings foretold our digital malaise
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Christy Choi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —In the land of Hello Kitty, kawaii (“cute”) culture and the Neo-Pop art of 1990s Japan, Tetsuya Ishida was an outlier. An untitled 2004 acrylic and oil painting by late Japanese artist Tetsuya Ishida from the Gagosian retrospective "My Anxious Self." Ishida, who had gone to art school, worked part-time at a print shop and as a night security guard. Many of the 200 or so paintings Ishida completed in his lifetime portray the gloom of becoming a cog in the economic machine. Another painting entitled "Gripe," painted by Ishidia in 1996, portrays a Japanese salaryman with lobster claws for hands.

Persons: kawaii, Tetsuya Ishida, wasn’t, Japan’s “, Gripe, ”, Gulliver, Tetsuya Ishida's, Gagosian, ” Nick Simunovic, “, ” Gagosian, Simunovic, Ishida, ” Simunovic, Gagosian Ishida, Jacky Ho, ‪, Martin Wong, Ishidia, Cecilia Alemani, ” Ishida, Robert McKeever, Tamaki Saito, didn’t, Sharp, Japan's, claustrophobia, Takashi Murakami, Yoshimoto Nara, ” Alemani, Alemani Organizations: CNN, Asia, Art, San Francisco Asian Art Museum, Venice Biennale, Hong Kong, Christie’s Asia, Japan Inc, dehumanization, Gagosian's, Sony Locations: Japan, Japanese, Japan’s, Gagosian, New York, Venice, Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Tokyo, , York

☆ Japan’s ‘Moon Sniper’ robot explorer resumes operations on lunar surface
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Hanako Montgomery | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Tokyo CNN —Japan’s “Moon Sniper” robotic explorer is back in action, the country’s space agency said Monday, after a power issue forced the spacecraft to shut down upon landing on the moon 10 days ago. The agency shut off the lunar explorer to conserve its battery, saying it would automatically be restarted if its solar panel began generating power as the angle of the moon changed. Its mission can be considered at least a “minimum success” because it achieved a precise and soft lunar landing using optical navigation, the agency has said. Multiple space agencies and countries have attempted moon landing missions over the past year, leading to a historic first as well as some failures. The new lunar space race is partly driven by countries’ desire to access water trapped as ice in permanently shadowed regions at the lunar south pole.

Persons: “, Smart Lander, SLIM, China — Organizations: Tokyo CNN, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, Soviet Locations: Japan, , India, United States, Soviet Union, China

☆ Mars Perseverance rover loses its trusty scout
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

And it’s time to bid farewell to one of the most delightfully plucky robots ever to explore Mars. Other worldsThe Ingenuity helicopter, seen here on Mars in an image taken by the Perseverance rover on August 2, 2023, has flown for the last time. Ingenuity served as the Perseverance rover’s faithful companion and aerial scout for nearly three years since its maiden flight on April 19, 2021. A long time agoAiming to trace syphilis' origins, researchers used paleopathology techniques to study ancient human bones at the site Jabuticabeira II in Brazil's Santa Catarina state. They find wonder in planets beyond our solar system and discoveries from the ancient world.

Persons: ”, Theodore Roosevelt, Teddy Tzanetos, Thomas Jefferson, it’s, Jose Filippini, Samson Acoca, Pierre, Olivier Cheptou, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, European Space Agency, NASA, JPL, Caltech, University of Montpellier, Hubble, —, CNN Space, Science Locations: Pasadena , California, United States, Brazil's Santa Catarina, Brazil, France, British

☆ Japan’s ‘Moon Sniper’ lands but its fate is unclear due to power issue
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Rovers, science experiments, golf balls and other telltale signs of human exploration still sit on the lunar surface, and it’s only just beginning as more space agencies and countries plan trips to the moon. An artist's illustration depicts the SLIM lander's descent toward the lunar surface. JAXAJapan’s “Moon Sniper” robotic explorer successfully landed on the lunar surface Friday but almost immediately encountered a critical issue. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency team said it believes the solar power issue is a result of the spacecraft facing the wrong direction. If the Moon Sniper can soak up some sunlight, the mission may continue.

Persons: Smart Lander, Emmanuel Rondeau, ”, Eager, Nick Famoso, Irene Stachon, Trent Ford, Lockheed Martin, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, ”, telltale, JAXA, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, North America, University of Alaska, WWF, Force, NASA, Lockheed, CNN Space, Science Locations: Soviet, North, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Elma, Malayan, Malaysia, Oregon, Mitchell , Oregon, Scandinavia, Finland, Äkäslompolo, United States, Chicago, Illinois

☆ Lunar Anthropocene: Humans may have kicked off a new geological period on the moon
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Touching down on the lunar surface is incredibly difficult, as evidenced by numerous crashes that have made their mark and created new craters. Ultimately, 12 NASA astronauts walked on the lunar surface between 1969 and 1972. Declaring a Lunar Anthropocene could make it clear that the moon is changing in ways it wouldn’t naturally due to human exploration, the researchers said. But a propulsion issue noticed hours after liftoff means that Peregrine won’t be able to attempt a moon landing, and currently, its fate is uncertain. NASA/JSCThe Apollo 11 lunar landing marked the first time humans set foot on another world.

Persons: —, ”, Justin Holcomb, ” Holcomb, bootprints, NASA’s, Micrometeorites, Eugene A, Cernan, It's, ‘, landers, Russia’s Luna, Astrobotic, Peregrine won’t, “, we’re Organizations: CNN, NASA, Geoscience, Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas, ”, Humanity, ASU, Apollo, JSC, Navajo Locations: Soviet, Mare Imbrium, Kansas, Canada, ’, Africa

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher in thin trading Monday with many markets closed for holidays. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index slipped after a central bank survey showed business confidence on the rise. The Bank of Japan’s “tankan” quarterly survey measured business sentiment among major manufacturers at plus 9, up from plus 5 in June. After easing earlier in the day on encouraging signals about inflation, Treasury yields got back to rising as the day progressed. Postponements of such reports could complicate things for the Fed, which has insisted it will make upcoming decisions on interest rates based on what incoming data say about the economy.

Persons: Australia's, Taiwan's Taiex, It's, it's, Brent Organizations: Japan’s Nikkei, Japan’s, Nikkei, Dow, Nasdaq, Treasury, Federal Reserve, New York Mercantile Exchange Locations: BANGKOK, China, South Korea, U.S, Tokyo, Bangkok

For Japan, it is as much a political problem as it is an engineering or environmental one. Despite the determination by the international agency that it was safe to release the water, opponents at home and in neighboring countries have questioned both the government and the agency’s motives. When Japan’s cabinet approved the treated-water plan in 2021, it described the controlled ocean release as the best available disposal option. Although it has been a dozen years since the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl forced tens of thousands of people to flee the area around the ruined Fukushima plant, the cleanup is still in an early phase. The government says the water release is likely to take place over a period of 30 years.

Organizations: Communist Party, ”, Tokyo Locations: Japan, China, South Korea, Fukushima

☆ In Japan’s ‘Gateway to Asia’: Street Food, Night Life and a Thriving Arts Scene
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Erik Augustin Palm | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There’s a soothing hum to laid-back Fukuoka, the largest city on the Japanese island of Kyushu. It’s hard to miss on a weekend afternoon as you stroll down Meiji-dori Avenue, the city’s wide downtown spine, passing places like the Kabuki theater Hakata-za and the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum. Eventually, you’ll reach the slow-flowing Naka River, whose banks are lined with the traditional open-air food stalls known as yatai, a signature attraction in this culinary and arts haven. They come for the city’s lauded cuisine, its casual atmosphere, vibrant arts and nightlife scenes and temperate climate. Here are some places that visitors might want to include on their itineraries.

Persons: dori Organizations: Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, you’ll Locations: Fukuoka, Kyushu, China, Korea, Pacific, Asia

☆ China tips into deflation as efforts to stoke recovery falter
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Liangping Gao | Ryan Woo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Customers select tomatoes at a stall inside a morning market in Beijing, China August 9, 2023. The consumer price index (CPI) dropped 0.3% year-on-year in July, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Wednesday, compared with the median estimate for a 0.4% decrease in a Reuters poll. The producer price index (PPI) declined for a 10th consecutive month, down 4.4% and faster than the forecast 4.1% fall. Asian shares were on the defensive on Wednesday as the Chinese price data confirmed its economic recovery was losing steam. Beijing has set a consumer inflation target of around 3% this year, which would be up from 2% recorded in 2022, and for now, authorities are downplaying concerns about deflation.

Persons: Wang, Japan’s “, ”, Gary Ng, Liu Guoqiang, Xia Chun, Tommy Wu, Wu Organizations: REUTERS, National Bureau of Statistics, “, Asia Pacific, Natixis, Commerzbank Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, China, Asia, Brazil, Japan, Hong Kong

☆ China swings into deflation as recovery falters
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BEIJING (Reuters) -China’s consumer prices fell into deflation in July, while factory gate prices extended their declines, as the world’s second-largest economy struggled to revive demand and pressure mounted for authorities to release more direct stimulus. FILE PHOTO: Staff sort fruits at a Walmart in Beijing, China, September 23, 2019. China’s economic recovery slowed after a brisk start in the first quarter, as demand at home and abroad weakened. “Both CPI and PPI in year-on-year terms fell into negative territory and confirmed economic deflation,” said Xing Zhaopeng, senior China strategist at ANZ. Otherwise, economic data showing some growth improvement is required, which is not coming through yet.”JAPAN-STYLE DEFLATION?

Persons: Tingshu Wang, “, ”, Xing Zhaopeng, Xing, Frances Cheung, Japan’s “, Liu Guoqiang Organizations: Walmart, REUTERS, National Bureau of Statistics, Authorities, CPI, PPI, ANZ, “, OCBC Bank, NBS, Investors Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, China, Shanghai, Singapore, JAPAN, Brazil

☆ Japanese city of Hiroshima rose from the ashes and now it welcomes millions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Emiko Jozuka | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Within the bomb’s hypocenter, only the half-exploded Genbaku Dome – formerly the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall – was left standing as the bombing razed Hiroshima city to the ground. A man relaxes alongside the river on a bench overlooking the Genbaku Dome. ET), Hiroshima city lost roughly 40% of its population, which numbered around 300,000 people at the time. Full-scale reconstruction only began in August 1949 after the Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Law was promulgated, allowing the national government to extend special financial support to Hiroshima. “It’s impressive how Japanese people rebuilt the city from scratch again – building a beautiful city full of green spaces.

☆ Japan’s Banks Get a Shot in the Arm
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Jacky Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A 0.25 percentage point tweak to Japan’s “yield curve control” interest-rate policy has lit a fire under the country’s financial stocks. A sustained shift in monetary policy could add further fuel to the rally. Shares of Japanese banks and insurers have surged since the Bank of Japan unexpectedly raised its effective cap on 10-year government bond yields to 0.5% from 0.25% about two weeks ago. The BOJ has long intervened in the bond market to keep yields of that tenor within a specific trading range around zero.

☆ Japan's best castles to visit at least once
▼ + stars: | 2022-01-20 | by ( David Mcelhenney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

CNN —During Japan’s Sengoku “Warring States” era (1467-1615), castles were constructed, bolstered and fortified all across the Japanese archipelago, resulting in approximately 5,000 individual keeps. Here are some of Japan’s best castles that you can still visit. Edo CastleEdo Castle, bearing the former name of Tokyo, has one of the longest lineages of all Japan’s castles. Edo Castle was huge in its prime, surrounded by a 15-kilometer outer moat crossed by over 30 gates and bridges. Bicchu Matsuyama CastleThe 13th-century Bicchu Matsuyama Castle, perched above quiet Takahashi City in Okayama prefecture, is thought to be Japan’s original yamajiro (mountain castle).

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