Turk Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 (edited) Feb 12, 2014 10:59 AM ETYutu moon buggy had been experiencing problems since Jan. 25The Yutu or Jade Rabbit lunar rover arrived on the moon in December aboard the Chang'e 3 lander, which took this photo of the rover. (Xinhua/The Associated Press)China's first lunar rover, Yutu, has officially been declared lost.The English-language website of the state-owned China News Service reported Wednesday that Yutu "could not be restored to full function Monday as expected and netizens mourned it on Weibo, China's Twitter-like service."In this image made off the screen at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing, is the Chang'e-3 moon lander, taken by the camera on the 'Yutu' (Jade Rabbit) moon rover, during the mutual-photograph process in the area known as Sinus Iridum (Bay of Rainbows), on Dec. 15, 2013. Yutu touched down on the moon and left deep traces on its loose soil, according to Chinese media.In this image taken by the on-board camera of the lunar probe Chang'e-3 and made off the screen of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing, China's first moon rover 'Yutu' - or Jade Rabbit - is on the lunar surface in the area known as Sinus Iridum (Bay of Rainbows).A picture of the moon surface taken by the on-board camera of the lunar probe Chang'e-3 on the screen of the Beijing Aerospace Control Centre in Beijing. China landed an unmanned spacecraft on the moon on Saturday, state media reported, in the first suchA photograph taken on a giant screen at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing shows an animated image of the Chang'e-3 lunar probe descending onto the surface of the moon, Dec. 14, 2013. The Chang'e 3, a probe named after a lunar goddess in traditional Chinese mythology, is carrying the solar-powered Yutu, or Jade Rabbit buggy, which will dig and conduct geological surveys.Visitors take pictures of a prototype model of a lunar rover at the 15th China International Industry Fair in Shanghai, China. China landed its first probe on the moon on Dec. 14.The Long March 3B rocket carrying the Chang'e-3 lunar probe blasts off from the launch pad at Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China's Sichuan Province on Dec. 2, 2013. It will be the first time for China to send a spacecraft to soft land on the surface of an extraterrestrial body, where it will conduct surveys on the moon.Researchers work in the control room of the Chang'e 3 lunar probe at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing, China.The six-wheeled, solar-powered moon buggy, whose name translates to "Jade Rabbit" in Chinese, hasn't been working since Jan. 25, when it experienced mechanical problems. The problems appeared to be related to the probe's process for shutting down for the lunar night, which lasts more than two weeks and brings the surface temperature down to –180 C.The 140-kilogram rover arrived on the moon in December aboard the stationary Chang'e 3 lander, which became the first man-made vehicle to land on the moon in 37 years. It was designed to spend three months exploring for natural resources on the moon.Chang'e 3 was named after a mythical Chinese goddess of the moon. It is designed to take scientific measurements for a year.http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/china-s-jade-rabbit-lunar-rover-dies-on-moon-1.2533780 Edited February 15, 2014 by Turk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dMog Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 the american found it and zapped it with a high tech hi-intensity laser :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ballistic Gelatin Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Bummer...a setback for lunar and space exploration. These ventures are expensive and risky, but we need to persevere nonetheless. I commend the Chinese for their efforts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turk Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share Posted February 15, 2014 China's Jade Rabbit rover comes 'back to life' February 13, 2014"It came back to life! At least it is alive and so it is possible we could save it," the official Xinhua news agency quoted Pei Zhaoyu, spokesman for the lunar programme, as saying on a verified account on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter.http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/chinas-jade-rabbit-rover-comes-back-to-life-20140213-hvc8p.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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