Stunning
high-definition photographs of the far
side of the Moon have been captured by China's lunar rover,
Yutu-2. The images show the dusty lunar terrain pitted with craters, tracks
made by Yutu-2 after descent from the Chang'e-4 lander, and Yutu-2's own shadow
on the surface on the Moon. They were captured
by the rover's panoramic camera , as it makes its way west from
its landing site in the South Pole-Aitken basin - an impact crater on the far
side of the Moon.
The
South Pole-Aitken basin is of interest to scientists because it is believed
that an ancient lunar impact may have exposed the Moon's mantle in this area. By
studying this region, scientists hope to learn more about the early solar
system and Earth, and demonstrate the feasibility of future human and robotic
far side missions. Since landing
on the moon in January , Chang'e-4 and Yutu-2 have been conducting
science and exploration tasks in the Von Kármán crater.
The
crater is believed to be composed of various chemical compounds, including
thorium, iron oxide, and titanium dioxide, which could provide clues about the
origin of the lunar mantle. Progress has been slow because both vehicles power
down during lunar nights - a roughly 2-week period each month - when their
location is in darkness.
The
rover is also required to take intermittent "naps" - brief periods of
hibernation - because of the daytime's brutal temperatures, which soar to 200
degrees centigrade. Despite this, however, Chang’e 4's mission has already
greatly exceeded expectations, according to the Planetary
Society .
The
rover and lander were only initially designed to last about three lunar days,
but when they wake up from their current hibernation on April 28 they will be
going on their fifth lunar day. The rover has covered 178.9 meters since
deployment from the Chang'e-4 lander, carefully navigating the area in order to
approach and analyse specimens with its visible and infrared spectrometer.
Some
environment modelling will be required to put this data into context, but
scientists reportedly expect to have publishable results in the next month or
so.