China is a country that has rivalled USA and Russia in many terms, so it should not be surprising that the country sends another rover to the moon. You heard that right, people. China has sent a spacecraft called Chang’e-4, in which that aptly named spacecraft brought a rover called Yutu 2 (a name that it earned form a worldwide poll conducted by the Chinese government).
If you are someone who is familiar with the Chinese pantheon, those two names would not be something new to you. Chang’e is a sort of moon goddess for the Chinese people while Yutu is Chang’e’s rabbit companion, who is always mixing an elixir of life for the beautiful moon goddess (talk about dedication).
The spacecraft itself landed perfectly at 10:26 Beijing Time on Thursday before deploying Yutu-2 12 hours later to the ground to do some mission. It landed on the side of the moon that has not been explored fully, too, making it a ‘great stride’ for China. While other countries might probe the moon on the side that we normally see, Chang’e-4 landed on the part of the moon that is not visible to our eyes. Nobody ever did that thing, so you can probably guess why the Chinese are so proud of that achievement.
Why is this very important for China?
Because nobody has ever tried doing it. You see, when you are someone who is doing something for the first time (ahead of your peers), of course it would be a very important thing. It gives you something to brag about AND you get to see what is on the far side of the moon first. If you have discovered something new and shocking there, you would be the first one to be informed about it. Information is very useful these days, so that is that.
Was it hard to land on the far side of the moon?
Not really, no. The only problem that one can face when one is in the want to land on the far side of the moon is communication problems. You might think that it is not significant, but communication plays a VERY important part concerning unmanned spacecraft. With no direct communication, you would not be able to control the spacecraft. Also, you would not be able to see what the spacecraft transmit from there. If you cannot see the moon, you cannot research it. By not being able to communicate with the spacecraft, it would only turn into a million dollar space junk; you equivalently litter on the moon. Even if the litter basically worth more than your entire life, no famous country wants to be called a moon litterer.
What can we expect to learn from Chang’e-4 mission?
The ‘dark side of the moon’, actually. Because this is the first space mission that touches that far end of the moon, we can expect to learn a lot about that spot on the moon. No countries have ever tried that, so no research has been conducted on it. China will be the first country to do just that, and you can be sure they would be eager to share their foundings with the world, further cementing their standing as one of the most powerful countries in the world.
Chinese’s Chang’e-4: The Chinese’s Answer to Moon Research
