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Credit & Copyright: Chinese National Space Administration,
Xinhuanet
Explanation:
A new desk-sized rover has begun exploring the Moon.
Launched two weeks ago by the
Chinese National Space Administration, the
Chang'e 3
spacecraft
landed
on the Moon yesterday and deployed the robotic rover.
Yutu, named for a folklore lunar
Jade Rabbit,
has a scheduled three-month mission to explore several kilometers inside the
Sinus Iridum
(Latin for "Bay of Rainbows") impact crater.
Yutu's cameras and spectrometers will investigate surface features and
composition while
ground penetrating radar will investigate deep soil
structure.
Chang'e 3 achieved the first soft Moon landing since the Soviet Union's
Luna 24 in 1976,
and Yutu is the first lunar rover deployed since the USSR's
Lunokhod
2
in 1973.
Pictured above,
Yutu was
imaged from its
lander yesterday soon after rolling onto the Moon.
Note:
APOD is available in Chinese from the Beijing Planetarium.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Moon - rover
Publications with words: Moon - rover
See also: