While you may never find yourself standing on the surface of the Moon, new true-color HD photos released by China’s space agency can essentially take you there right now.
The photos were captured by the China National Space Administration’s Chang’e-3 lunar lander and rover. Just as striking as the photos is the decision by the normally secretive space program to make them openly available for the general public.
To access and download the photos, you simply need to create a user account on China’s Science and Application Center for Moon and Deepspace Exploration website. According to reports, access outside of China can be fraught with outages and bottlenecks. Reports have said the photos are also available on the Planetary Society website.
This is the Yutu rover’s view of what the team came to call Long Yan (Pyramid Rock). Credit: Chinese Academy of Sciences / China National Space Administration / The Science and Application Center for Moon and Deepspace Exploration)
The pictures show the moon’s crust in true color and breathtaking detail. The tracks of the Jade Rabbit rover can be easily seen in some images.
On December 14, 2013, the Chinese lander and lunar rover touched down on the moon’s northern Mare Imbrium. The successful landing made China the third country ever to pull it off and the first since 1976, when the Soviets landed their Luna 24 probe.
Once the 2,600-pound Chang’e lander arrived at the lunar surface, it released the 310-pound Yutu rover, whose name translates to “Jade Rabbit.” The Yutu rover was built with 6 wheels, a radar instrument, and spectrometers to evaluate the intensity of several wavelengths of light. Yutu’s geologic evaluation indicated the lunar exterior is less homogeneous than initially thought.
360-degree view from the lander. Credit: Chinese Academy of Sciences / China National Space Administration / The Science and Application Center for Moon and Deepspace Exploration)
Due to Yutu being unable to properly protect itself from the cold lunar night, it encountered significant mobility issues in early 2014 and was left incapable of moving across the lunar surface.However, Yutu still had the capability to collect information, send and receive signals, and record pictures and video up until March of last year. Today, the Yutu lander is no longer functional.
China’s space agency has said its follow-up mission, Chang’e 4, is slated to launch as soon as 2018 and the mission is designed to land on the far side of the moon. Should this happen, China will become the first nation to land a craft on the so-called “dark side of the Moon.”
Credit: Chinese Academy of Sciences / China National Space Administration / The Science and Application Center for Moon and Deepspace Exploration
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Feature Image: Chinese Academy of Sciences / China National Space Administration / The Science and Application Center for Moon and Deepspace Exploration
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