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Discover the hidden side of the moon like never before: China releases striking new images captured by its Yutu 2 rover as the mission folds for another long lunar night
- China's lunar mission has exceeded expectations by releasing new lunar images
- Yutu 2 and his lander hibernate as the look to enter their fifth lunar day
- The mission seeks to analyze layers of the lunar mantle never seen before
The Chinese Chang'e 4 Lander and Yutu 2 Rover captured new images during their successful mission of exploring the hidden face of the moon as the duo plans to extend their study to a fifth lunar day.
On the moon, the cycle of day and night corresponds to nearly 30 terrestrial days in total, lasting about two weeks each.
The new images captured on the rover, Yutu 2 and released this month, provide further details on the mission's journey after the publication of a first set of photos after their arrival on the crater Von Kármán, off of 115 km, in January.
The objectives of the lander and rover mission – the first to explore the hidden face of the moon – include analyzing the chemical differences between the lunar side facing the Earth and the target area of the mission.
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The Chinese mission Chang'e 4 was a resounding success with its lander and rover far exceeding their expected life. The new images captured by the rover, Yutu 2 and released this month, provide more details on the mission's journey.
As reported by the Planetary Society, no concrete science regarding the Chang & # 39; e 4 mission has yet been published, but scientists involved in the project have indicated that the study area shows potential evidence of deep excavated mafic materials, which could reveal the mineralogy of the lunar mantle. & # 39;
The hidden face of the Moon, which is the hemisphere still facing the Earth, has not yet been explored by such missions before and, like its visible counterpart of the Earth, the location knows two week intervals of solar light and two weeks of darkness. .
According to a Space.com report, the Chang'e 4 mission has already far exceeded expectations.
The spaceships were initially designed to last about three lunar days in total.
The lander and the mobile are currently in hibernation mode and are resting on a lunar night, but on April 28, when another two-week day will rise away from the moon, they would both leave for their fifth lunar day , since they are & # 39; still completely intact.
Thanks to their many data, scientists hope to reveal facts about our primitive solar system. The hidden face of the moon, which is the hemisphere still turned to the outside of the Earth, has not yet been explored by such missions before
The mission rover, Yutu 2, has outstripped its predecessor by 60 meters more
Due to the brutal temperatures of the day that reach 200 degrees Celsius (390 degrees Fahrenheit), the rover must also make intermittent "naps" – brief periods of hibernation – until it be able to move again.
Despite the dangers and obstacles involved in exploring the hidden side of the moon, the Yutu 2 managed to travel a little less than 180 meters during its one month stay.
With data already collected by scientists and bonuses that the rover is able to glean from potential attempts later this month, the researchers plan to analyze and then publish the results in about a month, according to the Planetary Society.
In addition to satisfying the curiosity of humans about the hidden face of the moon, the mission will also help illuminate scientists who understand the composition of our early solar system.
The craters studied by the rover were created by an ancient impact where the layers of the lunar mantle are exposed, where they can be studied to determine the contents and more.
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