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DRAGON SPACE
Chinese lunar rover alive but weak
by Staff Writers
Beijing (XNA) May 29, 2014


File image.

China's troubled lunar rover Yutu is still alive and functional after more than five months on the moon, a lunar program official said Wednesday.

Its functionality has been weakened considerably by the bitterly cold lunar nights after the rover experienced a "mechanical control abnormality" in January, said Li Benzheng, deputy commander-in-chief of China's lunar program.

The rover can still send data back to Earth via China's lunar probe Chang'e-3 which carried Yutu to the moon, he said, but its wheels are no longer functioning nor are the solar panel designed for thermal insulation during lunar nights.

"With each lunar night, the functionality of Yutu is yet again weakened," Li said.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

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Related Links
China National Space Administration
The Chinese Space Program - News, Policy and Technology
China News from SinoDaily.com






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China's Jade Rabbit moon rover 'alive but struggling'
Beijing (AFP) May 28, 2014
China's troubled Jade Rabbit moon rover is still alive after more than five months on the moon but is heading for an icy death, state media reported on Wednesday. The rover launched in December can still send data back to Earth, Xinhua news agency cited Li Benzheng, deputy commander-in-chief of China's lunar programme, as saying. But it is unable to move after its wheels broke down, the ... read more


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