BEIJING, Dec. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- China’s first lunar rover and lander took photos of each other on the moon’s surface on Sunday night, a day after the Chang’e-3 landed on the surface of the moon.
Another historic moment for China’s lunar exploration program.
On Sunday night, the country’s first moon rover and lander took photos of each other on the moon’s surface .
The one-minute photograph session came a day after China completed its first lunar soft landing, the world’s first in nearly four decades. The last soft landing was carried out by the former Soviet Union in 1976.
At 11:42 p.m. Beijing Time, the six-wheeled Yutu, or Jade Rabbit, moved to a spot 9 meters north of the lander and the picture-taking began.
The color images were transmitted live via a deep space network designed by China. It was the first time images of the Chinese national flag had been taken on an extraterrestrial body.
President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang witnessed the moment together with hundreds of scientists as the photos appeared on a monitoring screen at the Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Center.
Cheers and congratulations all round.
The chief commander of the lunar program declared the Chang’e-3 mission a "complete success".
"The moon rover and lander have completed the task of taking photos of each other. Data transmission was normal and complete, and images received were clear. The moon rover and lander are currently in a stable condition. I now declare the Chang’e-3 mission a complete success," said Ma Xingrui, chief commander of China’s lunar program.
Chinese vice premier Ma Kai congratulated everyone involved in the program.
"The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the State Council and the Central Military Commission congratulate you for the complete success of Chang’e-3 mission and we thank everyone who took part in the mission for their efforts. Your achievement will surely inspire the people across the country to work harder for China’s modernization and Socialism with Chinese characteristics. The Chinese people will never forget your efforts," Chinese vice premier Ma Kai said.
Xi Jinping and other officials then shook hands with staff members at the control center, extending greetings to all participants of the mission.
The Yutu rover will travel at a speed of 200 meters per hour to survey the moon’s geological structure and surface substances and look for natural resources for three months or even a longer time. The lander will conduct in-situ analysis at the landing site for one year.
The 140-kilogram rover separated from the lander and touched the lunar surface at 4:35 a.m. on Sunday, several hours after Chang’e-3 lunar probe soft-landed.
Chang’e-3 landed in the Sinus Iridum, or the Bay of Rainbows. China is now the third country to carry out a rover mission on the moon, after the United States and Soviet Union.
The rover is 1.5 meters long with its two wings folded, 1 meter in width and 1.1 meters in height. It is a highly efficient robot controlled by the command center from the earth. It will face challenges including temperature differences of more than 300 degrees Celsius on the moon.
Chang’e-3 is part of the second phase of China’s lunar program, which includes orbiting, landing and returning to the Earth. It follows the success of the Chang’e-1 and Chang’e-2 missions in 2007 and 2010.
(Source: CNTV.cn)
|
