Awaiting contact from China’s rover as lunar day arrives.
Awaiting contact from China’s rover as lunar day arrives.
The sun started coming up over the weekend, so if Yutu is to come back to life, it must do it soon.
Tag: China
More information on the problems with China’s lunar rover Yutu.
More information on the problems with China’s lunar rover Yutu.
It appears that the rover was not responding properly to commands from the ground and thus did not prep itself properly for going into hibernation for the long lunar night.
Something is wrong with China’s lunar rover.
Something is wrong with China’s lunar rover.
The link above is exceedingly short, one sentence, and describes the problem as an “abnormity” which makes no sense, so there is as yet no clear idea what the issue is.
A longer report is here, but it doesn’t add much, other than the “abnormality” is related to “mechanical control.”
A look at China’s plans to develop a heavy-lift rocket.
A look at China’s plans to develop a heavy-lift rocket.
China’s rover and lander on the Moon have both been successfully reawakened after hibernating through the two week long lunar night.
China’s rover and lander on the Moon have both been successfully reawakened after hibernating through the two week long lunar night.
The Chinese rover Yutu, before going into hibernation for the long lunar night, successfully took its first spectrum of the Moon’s surface.
The Chinese rover Yutu, before going into hibernation for the long lunar night, successfully took its first spectrum of the Moon’s surface.
China’s rover about to go to sleep for the long lunar night.
China’s rover is about to go to sleep for the long lunar night.
According to Wu Fenglei of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center, the lander will “go to sleep” at about 7 a.m. on Christmas Day and the moon rover, Jade Rabbit, will fall asleep at about 1 a.m. on Boxing Day. The forthcoming lunar night, expected to begin on Dec. 26, will last for about two weeks, experts with the center estimated. During their “sleep”, both lander and rover will have to tolerate minus 180 degrees Celsius. Scientists tested the lander early Tuesday to ensure it can stand the temperature drop. Both lander and rover are stable, said Wu, adding they have completed a series of scientific tasks in the past two days.
This report states the rover landed in Sinus Iridum, the original announced landing site, contradicting other reports that said the lander came down in Mare Imbrium.
China outlines the plans for its next two unmanned lunar probes, with the second targeted as a 2017 sample return mission.
China outlines its plans for its next two unmanned lunar probes, with the second targeted as a 2017 sample return mission.
Key quote:
The new mission planned for 2017 would mark the third and final phase of China’s robotic lunar exploration program and pave the way for possibly landing an astronaut on the moon after 2020.
As I mentioned last night, the soft landing on Saturday demonstrated they are developing the technology to land a manned vehicle safely on the Moon. To return samples safely would demonstrate they are developing the technology to return that manned vehicle safely as well.
Update: Yutu did not land anywhere near its planned landing location.
China had originally publicized a location in the Sinus Iridum (Bay of Rainbows) — a level area thoroughly surveyed by a previous Chinese mission — as the landing spot. Local media even stated that Chang’e 3 landed there. But Chinese scientists have since confirmed that the spacecraft landed slightly to the east, in the northern part of Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rains).
It is unclear whether this was a late change or the result of a technical problem.
After a successful soft landing, China’s lunar rover Yutu has successfully rolled onto the lunar surface.
The competition heats up: After a successful soft landing, China’s lunar rover Yutu has successfully rolled onto the lunar surface.
The real significance of this mission is that China has now demonstrated that it has developed the engineering to achieve a controlled soft landing on another world. With this technology, they can move on to building a manned lander, something only the U.S. has been able to accomplish.
Chinese scientists have concluded that the asteroid Toutatis is a rubble pile barely held together by gravity, based on data obtained from Chang’e 2’s flyby one year ago.
Chinese scientists have concluded that the asteroid Toutatis is a rubble pile barely held together by gravity, based on data obtained from Chang’e 2’s flyby one year ago.
China’s Chang’e 3 lunar orbiter has lowered its orbit around the Moon.
China’s Chang’e 3 lunar orbiter has lowered its orbit around the Moon.
This is in preparation for the planned landing of its rover on December 14.
The failure of a Chinese Long March rocket to put a commercial satellite into orbit earlier this week was caused by a malfunction in the rocket’s third stage.
The failure of a Chinese Long March rocket to put a commercial satellite into orbit earlier this week was caused by a malfunction in the rocket’s third stage.