China's Jade Rabbit Moon rover sends back pictures

Описание: China is really happy with itself now that it has become the third country to make a soft landing on the moon. They did it right on the heels of the Russians too. Too bad it only took them 37 years.

China's first-ever moon rover is now driving around on the Moon's surface after successfully deploying from its carrier lander to begin exploring the Bay of Rainbows.

The Chang'e 3 lunar lander reached the moon Saturday at about 9:12pm Beijing time. This makes China the third country to make it to the moon after the former Soviet Union and the United States. The lander also deployed the robotic rover Yutu, translated as "Jade Rabbit," to the surface to begin its three-month long exploration mission.

A few hours after touch down, Jade Rabbit's wheels were unlocked by activating explosive devices and the rover unfolded its solar wings and deployed its instrument-covered mast. A cable that was connecting the rover to the lander was then cut. A transferer system, essentially two ladders set up on the lander, then deployed allowing the Jade Rabbit access to the lunar surface.

The six-wheeled rover moved to a spot about 9 meters north of the landing vehicle on Sunday night and the pair took photos for about a minute. The Jade Rabbit will survey the moon's geological structure and surface and will look for natural resources for the next three months.

No doubt China will be patting itself on the back for this for quite some time to come.

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