Chang's moon probe in China: we finally know exactly where the spacecraft landed

The Chinese spacecraft Chang & # 39; e 4 did in January what Beresheet of Israel or Chandrayaan from India 2 could handle later in the year by landing softly on the moon in one piece. The most impressive, however, is the fact that the LG was the first boat to land at the back of the moon. Exactly where has not been known – until now.

Little lunar reminder: the moon is closely related to Earth, which means that it does not turn on its axis as does our world. The same side of the satellite is always facing our planet. Chang & # 39; e 4 landed on the other side that still faces us.

Landing on what Pink Floyd called (not quite accurately) the "dark side of the moon" was to be done without Earth-based tracking or telemetry, which meant that Chang & # 39; e 4 had to basically land on the autopilot.

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China's journey at the other end of the moon

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The lander and the Yutu-2 rover that he dropped on the moon have since returned images and even found a mysterious substance from the other side, but the exact identification of the absolute landing of Chang & # 39; e 4 has only been realized now.

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences published Tuesday an article in Nature Communications that reconstructs the descent of the LG to the lunar surface with the help of camera and rover images . If you intend to visit, you will find Chang & e 4 at 177.5991 ° E, 45.4446 ° S. Look for the spaceship on the gentle slope of an old crater named Von Karman .

"As a permanent artificial landmark on the lunar face, the location … can serve as a potential checkpoint on the hidden side," the paper says.

The researchers hope to have calculated a new waypoint that will help current and future explorers – robotic or human – find their way.

The works could also prove useful in future autonomous landings around the solar system, in order to reduce the number of boats going in the direction of Beresheet or Chandrayaan 2. RIP.

Originally published at 8:17 am Pacific Time