![]() In December 2021, the rover pictured what appeared to be a particularly prominent boulder, dubbed the "Mystery Hut" (神秘小屋), or "Moon Cube", which it was intended to explore in the lunar days (earth months) ahead. These were based on observations made by the Lunar Penetrating Radar (LPR) on board the Yutu-2 rover while studying the far side of the Moon. In February 2020, Chinese astronomers reported, for the first time, a high-resolution image of a lunar ejecta sequence, and, as well, direct analysis of its internal architecture. In December 2019, Yutu 2 broke the lunar longevity record, previously held by the Soviet Union's Lunokhod 1 rover, which operated on the lunar surface for eleven lunar days (321 Earth days) and traversed a total distance of 10.54 km (6.55 mi). In May 2019, it was reported that Chang'e 4 has identified what appear to be mantle rocks on the surface, its primary objective. During its first full lunar day, the rover travelled 120 m (390 ft), and on 11 February 2019 it powered down for its second lunar night. Operations and results Ī few days after landing, Yutu-2 went into hibernation for its first lunar night and it resumed activities on 29 January 2019, with all instruments operating nominally. The site has symbolic as well as scientific value: Theodore von Kármán was the PhD advisor of Qian Xuesen, the founder of the Chinese space program. The landing site is within a crater called Von Kármán (180 km or 110 mi diameter) in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the Moon that was still unexplored by landers. ![]() dollars), depending on the difficulty of construction. dollars) to 1.2 billion yuan (about 172.4 million U.S. The cost-per-kilometer of subway in China varies from 500 million yuan (about 72.6 million U.S. The cost of the entire mission was close to building one kilometer of subway. It will reveal how solar wind interacts with the lunar surface, which may help determine the process behind the formation of lunar water. Advanced Small Analyzer for Neutrals (ASAN), is an energetic neutral atom analyzer provided by the Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF).The spectral range covers visible to near-infrared wavelengths (450 nm – 950 nm). Visible and Near-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (VNIS), for imaging spectroscopy that can then be used for identification of surface materials and atmospheric trace gases.Lunar penetrating radar (LPR), is a ground penetrating radar with a probing depth of approximately 30 m with 30 cm vertical resolution, and more than 100 m with 10 m vertical resolution.It has a spectral range of 420 nm–700 nm and it acquires 3D images by binocular stereovision. Panoramic Camera (PCAM), is installed on the rover's mast and can rotate 360°.Yutu-2 rover was deployed about 12 hours after the landing. The landing craft touched down at 02:26 UTC on 3 January 2019, becoming the first spacecraft to land on the far side of the Moon. The rover's nominal operating time is three months, but after the experience with Yutu rover in 2013, the rover design was improved and Chinese engineers are hopeful it will operate for "a few years." Yutu-2 rover was manufactured in Dongguan, Guangdong province it is solar-powered, RHU-heated, and it is propelled by six wheels. Both the stationary lander and Yutu-2 rover are equipped with a radioisotope heater unit (RHU) in order to heat their subsystems during the long lunar nights, while electrical power is generated by solar panels.Īfter landing, the lander extended a ramp to deploy the Yutu-2 rover (literally: " Jade Rabbit") to the lunar surface. ![]() The moon may be haunted, but there aren't any buildings on its surface ( that we've found so far).The total landing mass is 1,200 kg (2,600 lb). "Why do you have to ruin our fun?" Why indeed. "Booooo! Boo science! I say boo, sir!" Colbert shouted. Colbert, citing a news report on the photo and its spread, noted that the common belief among people in the know is that it's "a large boulder." The host of The Late Show playfully excoriated humanity's greatest hope for understanding the natural world when, during Friday's monologue, he turned his attention to the moon's so-called "mystery hut." That's the shorthand used in at least one report for an unknown structure that appeared in a now-viral photo snapped by China's Yutu 2 rover on the surface of Earth's only natural satellite.Īfter poking fun at the rover's seriously blurry photo - "Evidently the camera installed on the Chinese rover is a duct-taped baby monitor," he quipped - Colbert dropped some truth: Scientists have a sense of what this thing might be. ![]() Stephen Colbert would like a word with "science." Why aesthetics are the secret weapon we need to popularise solar energy 5:24
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