Has Yutu-2 found something unusual?
According to Chinese sources, China’s lunar rover Yutu-2 has spotted something unexpected and unusual on the surface of the far side of the Moon.
On July 28, the Chang’e-4 team was preparing to power Yutu-2 down for its usual midday ‘nap’ to protect the rover from high temperatures and radiation from the sun high in the sky. A team member checking images from the rover’s main camera spotted a small crater that seemed to contain material with a color and luster unlike that of the surrounding lunar surface.
The drive team, excited by the discovery, called in their lunar scientists. Together, the teams decided to postpone Yutu-2’s plans to continue west and instead ordered the rover to check out the strange material. With the help of obstacle-avoidance cameras, Yutu-2 carefully approached the crater and then targeted the unusually colored material and its surroundings. The rover examined both areas with its Visible and Near-Infrared Spectrometer (VNIS), which detects light that is scattered or reflected off materials to reveal their makeup.
VNIS is the same instrument that detected tantalizing evidence of material originating from the lunar mantle in the regolith of Von Kármán crater, a discovery Chinese scientists announced in May.
So far, mission scientists haven’t offered any indication as to the nature of the colored substance and have said only that it is “gel-like” and has an “unusual color.” One possible explanation, outside researchers suggested, is that the substance is melt glass created from meteorites striking the surface of the moon.
The report is at present too vague to really tell us anything. What I predict is that this discovery will almost certainly not be as strange or alien as this report makes it sound.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
According to Chinese sources, China’s lunar rover Yutu-2 has spotted something unexpected and unusual on the surface of the far side of the Moon.
On July 28, the Chang’e-4 team was preparing to power Yutu-2 down for its usual midday ‘nap’ to protect the rover from high temperatures and radiation from the sun high in the sky. A team member checking images from the rover’s main camera spotted a small crater that seemed to contain material with a color and luster unlike that of the surrounding lunar surface.
The drive team, excited by the discovery, called in their lunar scientists. Together, the teams decided to postpone Yutu-2’s plans to continue west and instead ordered the rover to check out the strange material. With the help of obstacle-avoidance cameras, Yutu-2 carefully approached the crater and then targeted the unusually colored material and its surroundings. The rover examined both areas with its Visible and Near-Infrared Spectrometer (VNIS), which detects light that is scattered or reflected off materials to reveal their makeup.
VNIS is the same instrument that detected tantalizing evidence of material originating from the lunar mantle in the regolith of Von Kármán crater, a discovery Chinese scientists announced in May.
So far, mission scientists haven’t offered any indication as to the nature of the colored substance and have said only that it is “gel-like” and has an “unusual color.” One possible explanation, outside researchers suggested, is that the substance is melt glass created from meteorites striking the surface of the moon.
The report is at present too vague to really tell us anything. What I predict is that this discovery will almost certainly not be as strange or alien as this report makes it sound.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Uh oh… Is it… green?
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064393/
I think we will regret not funding a long term unmanned lunar exploration the past 40 years and into the future. The history of science in all disciplines says that if you go looking you’ll find things that you never expected to see, things you never could predict.
If it’s not the spawning pods from Oumuamua I will be deeply disappointed!!
;-)
Rock colonized by tardigrades!
Them! (1954)
https://youtu.be/v4URRp39XOo
3:16
@ Wayne… I remember watching this as a young boy…. Probably 40 years ago .. along with all those “werewolf meets Dracula” brilliant black and white movies…
I’m going to try and introduce my kids to them…. I will probably fail… But they were class entertainment!!!
Thank you!
Lee S–
It’s one of the better early 1950’s science fiction movies. (Granted, a morality play with heavy political overtones, but that’s a whole Topic unto itself. Ya’ have to place these in proper perspective.)
We had the “Creature Feature” package of movies on TV, circa late 60’s, (Saturday night) and our UHF channel played movies every day, every genre.
Highly recommend–
The Thing (From Another World)
(1951)
https://youtu.be/T5dwbZKd64Y
1:34
Howard Hawks adaptation of a John W. Campbell Jr. story from Astounding Science Fiction circa late 1940’s if I recall correctly. (the pulp predecessor of the current Analog magazine.)
Patrick–
I was thinking maybe “The Blob” (1958).
The Thing and Them are absolutely two of our favorite movies. Classics.
The Maltese Falcon –
“let’s talk about the bird” excerpt
Bogart/Greenstreet
https://youtu.be/Yiq5Fkr3yX8
3:58
Triffids!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_of_the_Triffids
The Andromeda strain!
M Puckett–
Excellent movie!
“The Andromeda Strain” 1971
Wildfire intro
https://youtu.be/rgDmJzaSd40
4:41
“Marooned” – 1969
-launching through the hurricane eye-
https://youtu.be/yD1hbplN4DE
6:53
> The Maltese Falcon?
Really?
Hey! Where’s the CGI, Hip-Hop soundtrack, Product Placements, car chases, crashed, explosions, Credit roll thanking Catering, Security, ILM?
Jon and Vangelis
“The Friends of Mr. Cairo” (1981)
https://youtu.be/Y_PBU9a8FQY
12:10
“She came, as in the book, Mickey Spillane.
That Saturday night dark masquerade,
Had filled his friend with lead, the same, sweetheart.
But then, as nothing happens quite the same.
Investigation is the game.
He had to check her story right away-he dead.
Sam Spade his buddy Archer first to go, he got it.
She spelt it out, how could they know the ‘Fatman’ got it -he dead
Her sister didn’t really live at all-confusion-he dead
His chase led to the Fatman,
to face the friends of Mr. Cairo….”