If you are familiar with Chinese culture, you are probably aware that the 2023 Spring Festival holiday, which lasts from January 21 to 27, is almost approaching. 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit, which makes us think of China’s Yutu-2 lunar rover, also known as the “rabbit” on the moon.
The Chinese moon goddess Chang’e’s pet rabbit inspired the naming of the Yutu-2. The Chang’e-4 lunar expedition from China landed the rover on the far side of the moon on January 3, 2019. It was the first such soft landing on a part of the lunar surface that had not yet been explored.
Four years have passed since the illustrious landing. What’s going on with the “space rabbit” on the moon?
A lander and a rover make up the Chang’e-4 lunar expedition.The Von Karman Crater in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon serves as the probe’s landing spot.
The Yutu-2 rover can ascend slopes of 20 degrees and overcome obstructions that are 200 millimeters high. Although its intended service life was only three months, it has now operated on the moon for a record-breaking four years.
The rover has so far gathered useful information on solar wind studies, cloddy dirt, gel-like minerals, and brand-new tiny craters inside the Von Karman Crater. The Yutu-2’s data and photos have improved geological understanding of the landing location and deepened understanding of the moon’s genesis and evolution.Here is a fun tidbit. Of the many pictures of the lunar landscape taken by the Yutu-2, one mysterious square object caused great debate among people on Earth over what it was. When the rover finally approached the object, it turned out to be a rabbit-shaped rock. What an interesting coincidence!
The Yutu-2 has traveled more than 1,400 meters on the far side of the moon so far. It will continue its journey and unveil more mysteries of the moon.
