Chinese probe has landed on the unseen side of the moon
The unmanned rover became the first vehicle in history to settle on the unseen side of the Moon. The rover landed at. 3.26 Polish time in the Von K craterármáon and sent the first photo.
The crater is part of a structure called the South Pole-Aitken Basin, one of the largest known impact structures in the entire Solar System and the oldest on the Moon. Researchers believe that the 2,500-kilometer diameter structureoIn and depth of 13 kilometersow, is a key area thatory could provide answers to several important questions about the Moon’s early history, including its internal structure and thermal evolution.
Communication with the rover is possible via the Queqiao satellite, whichory orbits wokolunar. Since Chang'e-4 will never be in direct line of sight with Earth, the satellite relay is essential for communication.
Chang'e 4 in the coming months will perform rohe various research work thatore potentially able to helpoc scientists in better understanding the structure, formation and evolution of Earth’s natural satellite. And the more we know about the Moon, the more we can learn about the history of our planet and the entire solar system. The exploration probe may returnocić a whole lot of valuable data from geological studies of the surface wokoł the south pole basin of Aitken, a part of the Moon about which theorej we currently know little.
Photo. China National Space Administration/Xinhua News Agenc
The lander should roalso be able to make useful observations of deep space. The side of the Moon that is invisible from Earth is free of noise from our planet, ktory effectively drowns out weak signals.
Chang'e-4 began its mission on Dec. 8, but Beijing has been developing and heavily funding the Middle Kingdom’s entire space program for years. The ultimate goal is to create a lunar base to serve humans in the future. However, the agency did not specify when such an investment is planned. Chang'e-4 is the second Chinese lander on the moon. Earlier in 2013, China planted Chang'e-3 on the surface of the Silver Globe. The Chang'e-4 lander and accompanying rover were originally a backup for the Chang'e-3 mission.
