Second Anniversary Looms For China's Moon Rover Yutu, Despite Mechanical Control Abnormality

by Benson Agoha | Technology

Yutu, China's first moon rover sets record for longest stay in Lunar Surface.  When it arrived in December 2013, it heralded a new era for the worlds fasted growing economy, and a thing of pride.

It was laden with the latest technological equipment that will enable it carry out far reaching probe of the lunar surface.

And equipped with ground-penetrating radar that will be able to probe up to 100  beneath the lunar surface to analyse soil compositions and other independent scientific research set by China.

But it was not to be - not immediately - because shortly afterwards, just one month into its journey in fact, it went to sleep, stopped communicating with earth and leaving Scientists at mission control worrying about how to organize an overhaul or repairs 250,000 kms away.

Two months later, in March 2014 Yutu woke up and has remained communicating ever since.  It has now been operating on the moon for almost two years. But the mechanical control anomaly experience by the robot means it can no longer move around and remains in one place.

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Despite this it has set record.  According to China's Xinhua Agency remarked Thursday that it sets the record for the longest stay on the moon by a rover, according to a Chinese lunar probe scientist.

Xinhua said "Yutu was deployed and landed on the moon via China's Chang'e-3 lunar probe in 2013, staying longer than the Soviet Union's 1970 moon rover Lunokhod 1, which spent 11 months on the moon."

* "Paralysed": Yutu

Yutu has its own account on China's equivalent of Twitter "Weibo" on which it has more than 600,000 followers. It's operations have also streamed live through the Sina Weibo.

But Yutu is paralysed since it went to sleep and unable to move. It is however still collecting data from its base. "It continues to collect data, send and receive signals, and record images and video," according to Xinhua News.

Ye Peijian, chief scientist with China's Chang'e-3 program was quoted as saying "Human history is relatively short, and people are brimming over with curiosity about the universe," adding "We have to explore more by going out."

China launched its first satellite called Dongfanghon-1 in 1970. The launch of domestic rocket in 1970 made China the 5th Country in the world to do so after the Soviet Union, The United States, France and Japan.

China's journey to the moon continues, with its plan to be the first to visit the dark side of the moon (the far side of the moon). The mission will be launched using an improved technology to the one that landed Yutu - the Chang'e-4 which will also be a back up prove for Chang'e-3.