bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

knowledgeQuestion

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Stephen Chen


China's lunar rover Yutu, or Jade Rabbit, has rolled on to the surface of the moon and started beaming its first photographs back to earth last night.
The Yutu and the Chang'e-3 landing spacecraft took photos of each other, including a close-up of the national flag on the Yutu.
President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and other state leaders were in the flight control centre in Beijing to watch events unfold and shake hands with scientists.
The rover took about 90 minutes to leave the landing craft and edge down two rails to the lunar surface. It stopped several times for checks to be carried out before touching rock in an area of the moon called the Bay of Rainbows, or Sinus Iridum in Latin.
The lunar lander carrying Yutu had touched down on moon at 9.12pm on Saturday, about six hours before the rover started its first mission.

Space scientists and engineers were holding their breath throughout Yutu's exit from the landing craft for fear the force of landing and fine lunar dust might have damaged some critical electronic or mechanical parts.
Zhang Tingxin, chief commander of the rover system, told state television that the separation was "smoother than expected".
"The landing vehicle was in a very good position. After touchdown, it was standing almost entirely vertically, with only one or two degrees of tilt," he said.
The craft had also found a landing area clear of rocks or large debris, making the rover's first steps on the moon easier.
Zhang said they had prepared for worse scenarios, such as the landing vehicle leaning dangerously to one side, or the rover facing a large rock or deep hole in front of the landing tracks. "We have encountered none of these problems. We had not anticipated such smoothness," he said.
The landing craft and rover will conduct a series of experiments over the next three months. These include carrying out astronomical observations, studying the earth's upper atmosphere and using ground-penetrating radar and spectrometers to investigate the moon's geological structure and mineral and chemical make-up.
Dr Morris Jones, an Australian space analyst, said he was impressed China had managed to put a craft on the surface of the moon at the first attempt.
"This was no easy task. The moon keeps its secrets well and needs to be probed with skill and persistence," he said.

The photos due to be beamed back from the moon were taken with a 3-D panoramic camera space scientists and engineers have spent years developing.
Pictures taken during the nation's previous lunar missions were in black and white.
The camera is just one of numerous technological breakthroughs accomplished for the mission. Some technology and instruments were not only new to China but had never been used by any country in a moon landing, the last of which was carried out by the Russians in 1976.
A variable thrust engine brought the speed of the landing craft from more than 6,000km/h to virtually zero in minutes and allowed it to hover and move horizontally about 100 metres above the moon before touchdown, This enabled the spacecraft to avoid rocks and holes and land in the safest area.
Liu Zhirang, a rocket expert with the mission, told Xinhua the landing craft system was the best China could produce and its performance demonstrated the nation's growing capability in rocket engineering.
Wu Fenglei, a mission flight control expert, said the success was not due to luck. "The smoothness of the mission is a result of technological preparation, not luck," he told CCTV.



US and China talking about how to preserve Neil Armstrong’s footprint on the moon, top scientist says

China’s out-of-sight lunar mission

Countdown starts for China’s Chang’e 6 sample mission to the far side of the moon

Feared failure of Peregrine mission could put US behind China in the moon race, space policy expert says

Jade Rabbit lunar rover

China's lunar rover Yutu rolls smoothly onto moon's surface

The national flag is clearly visible on the Yutu moon rover in this photograph taken by the camera on the Chang'e-3. Photo: Xinhua

A video grab shows China's first moon rover, Yutu, or Jade Rabbit, separating from Chang'e-3 moon lander. Photo: Xinhua

A boy looks at a model of the moon rover in the Chang'e-3 lunar probe mission for sale in a bookstore in Nanjing. Photo: EPA

The Chang'e-3 moon lander, taken by the camera on the 'Yutu' (Jade Rabbit) moon rover/ Photo: AP

China's moon-mining dream called pie in the sky

The lunar rover's landing was splashed across the front pages of mainland papers as seen from this newsstand in Beijing. Photo: EPA

China takes its place in space with Chang'e-3 and Jade Rabbit

One giant leap for China as Chang'e-3 probe makes perfect moon landing

A shot of the moon surface taken from aboard the lunar probe. Photo: Xinhua

A screen of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center shows a computer-generated image of China's lunar probe Chang'e-3 land on the moon on Saturday night. Photo: Xinhua

Staff members monitor the landing of Chang'e-3 at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center. Photo: Xinhua

How Chang'e-3 soft-lands on the moon. Graphics: Xinhua

A model of China's moon rover Yutu, or Jade Rabbit, is displayed in a showcase, in Dongguan, south China's Guangdong Province. Photo: Xinhua

A woman watches a video of the moon at an astronomy museum in Beijing on December 11, 2013. Photo: AFP

Chang'e-3 decelerates from 15 km above the lunar surface. Photo: Xinhua

Scientists prepare for Chang'e-3's soft-landing on the moon at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing. Photo: Xinhua

Scientists at the control centre in Beijing celebrate after Chang'e-3 made its smooth landing. Photo: AFP

News

China

Vehicle sends first photos back to earth as leaders watch in control centre


China's lunar rover Yutu, or Jade Rabbit, has rolled on to the surface of the moon and started beaming its first photographs back to earth last night.


Update | China's lunar rover Yutu rolls smoothly onto moon's surface

Vehicle sends first photos back to earth as leaders watch in control centre