Query: As of today,JAXA shows that we have more ice than any time on this date for the past 8 years of Aqua satellite measurement for this AMSRE dataset."

Relevant passages:
JAXA <=SEP=> The , or JAXA , is Japan 's national aero-space agency . Through the merger of three previously independent organizations , JAXA was formed on 1 October 2003 . JAXA is responsible for research , technology development and the launch of satellites into orbit , and is involved in many more advanced missions , such as asteroid exploration and possible manned exploration of the Moon . Its motto is One JAXA and its corporate slogan is Explore to Realize ( formerly Reaching for the skies , exploring space ) .

Aqua (satellite) <=SEP=> Aqua ( EOS PM-1 ) is a multi-national NASA scientific research satellite in orbit around the Earth , studying the precipitation , evaporation , and cycling of water . It is the second major component of the Earth Observing System ( EOS ) preceded by Terra ( launched 1999 ) and followed by Aura ( launched 2004 ) .   The name `` Aqua '' comes from the Latin word for water . The satellite was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on May 4 , 2002 , aboard a Delta II rocket . Aqua is on a Sun-synchronous orbit . It flies as the second in the satellite formation called the `` A Train '' with several other satellites ( Aura , CALIPSO , CloudSat , OCO-2 , the French PARASOL , and the Japanese GCOM W1 ) .

Moon <=SEP=> The Moon is an astronomical body that orbits planet Earth , being Earth 's only permanent natural satellite . It is the fifth-largest natural satellite in the Solar System , and the largest among planetary satellites relative to the size of the planet that it orbits ( its primary ) . Following Jupiter 's satellite Io , the Moon is second-densest satellite among those whose densities are known .   The average distance of the Moon from the Earth is 384400 km , or 1.28 light-seconds .   The Moon is thought to have formed about 4.51 billion years ago , not long after Earth . There are several hypotheses for its origin ; the most widely accepted explanation is that the Moon formed from the debris left over after a giant impact between Earth and a Mars-sized body called Theia .   The Moon is in synchronous rotation with Earth , always showing the same face , with its near side marked by dark volcanic maria that fill the spaces between the bright ancient crustal highlands and the prominent impact craters . It is the second-brightest regularly visible celestial object in Earth 's sky , after the Sun , as measured by illuminance on Earth 's surface . Its surface is actually dark , although compared to the night sky it appears very bright , with a reflectance just slightly higher than that of worn asphalt . Its prominence in the sky and its regular cycle of phases have made the Moon an important cultural influence since ancient times on language , calendars , art , and mythology .   The Moon 's gravitational influence produces the ocean tides , body tides , and the slight lengthening of the day . The Moon 's current orbital distance is about thirty times the diameter of Earth , with its apparent size in the sky almost the same as that of the Sun , resulting in the Moon covering the Sun nearly precisely in total solar eclipse . This matching of apparent visual size will not continue in the far future . The Moon 's linear distance from Earth is currently increasing at a rate of 3.82 ± per year , but this rate is not constant .   The Soviet Union 's Luna programme was the first to reach the Moon with uncrewed spacecraft in 1959 ; the United States ' NASA Apollo program achieved the only crewed missions to date , beginning with the first crewed lunar orbiting mission by Apollo 8 in 1968 , and six crewed lunar landings between 1969 and 1972 , with the first being Apollo 11 . These missions returned over 380 kg of lunar rocks , which have been used to develop a geological understanding of the Moon 's origin , the formation of its internal structure , and its subsequent history . Since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 , the Moon has been visited only by uncrewed spacecraft .