Society

Japan gets 'all clear' to mine Mars' moon

May 18 (nypost.com) - Japan is ready to mine Mars' largest moon after successfully completing all of the compulsory "space contamination" paperwork.

Japanese space agency JAXA hopes to travel to the Mars moon, drill into it and then bring a piece of it back to Earth for investigation.

Mars actually has two small moons called Phobos and Deimos and their names mean fear and panic in Latin.

Phobos and Deimos are a lot smaller than our moon and are irregular shapes.

JAXA has its sights set on boring a hole into Phobos and has scheduled this to happen by 2024.

It has dubbed the mission MMX and it will involve a spacecraft with a robotic arm that will do the digging.

However, Earth laws state that humans exploring the solar system must abide by certain rules in order to protect space from human contamination.

JAXA had to apply to the world's Committee on Space Research's Planetary Protection Panel, which recently granted permission.

A team of international scientists make up the panel and are tasked with enforcing the United Nations' Outer Space Treaty of 1967.

Ishiba Shigeru elected LDP leader

Ishiba Shigeru has been elected leader of Japan's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The former LDP Secretary-General is now virtually assured of becoming the next prime minister. (NHK)

Hakamada Case Ends With Acquittal After 58 Years

The Hakamada case, a decades-long legal struggle, ended with an acquittal for Iwao Hakamada (88), who, along with his sister Hideko, fought for 58 years. Hakamada was suspected of the 1966 murder of a miso company executive’s family.

Japan launches information-gathering satellite on H2A rocket

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New Red Lights for Japan's Police Cars

Japan's National Police Agency is introducing new patrol cars equipped with red lights designed to assist people with hearing impairments, flashing differently depending on whether the vehicle is on an emergency run or a routine patrol.

Over 300 New Geoglyphs Discovered by Yamagata University in Nazca

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