How is it going, Yutu?
25 March 2014
US-American space expert Leonard David had the opportunity to ask Yong-Chun Zheng, an Associate Researcher at the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences: How is Yutu doing? What is the status of China's Moon landing mission Chang'e 3? The answers to these questions can be found on Leonard David's website.
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China's May 2013 Launch
13 March 2014
David Wright, Co-Director and Senior Scientist of the Union of Concerned Scientists is giving a very detailed analysis of the suborbital rocket launch conducted by China almost one year ago, on 13 May 2013. He explains the different options of the flight profile but also warns not to have enough information for a final conclusion on the event.
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"Don't poke me... I'm already up!"
15 March 2014
In China's previous space missions, astronauts like Yang Liwei emerged as heroes, but in the country's third lunar exploration, a robot has unexpectedly grabbed the nation's heart. "Don't poke me... I'm already up!" the six-foot robot told the 600,000-strong followers of the blog, who had been crossing their fingers that the rover would survive its second sleep since a mechanical abnormality was spotted at the end of January. Yutu's waking from its third dormancy suggests that the lunar rover has survived its design life of three months.
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Yutu alive but hampered
14 March 2014
China's moon rover Yutu woke up again at 6:42 a.m. on Friday, after its third dormancy, but even after a long rest, mechanical problems have not been resolved. Yutu and the lander, which woke up earlier on Wednesday, have restarted their operations and are exploring as scheduled, according to the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND). The control issues that have troubled Yutu since January remain, but its panorama camera, radar and other equipment are functioning normally, SASTIND said. The cause of the problems is a mystery. The lander functioned normally during its first three lunar days, according to the SASTIND. A lunar day is equivalent to about two weeks on Earth.
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