Currently posted on the far side of the Moon, China's Yutu 2 rover recently came across a strange, small, cube-shaped rock looming on the horizon. Analyzes will soon determine its origin.
On January 3, 2019, China became the first country to land gently on the far side of the Moon as part of its Chang’e-4 mission. The lander and its rover Yutu 2 are currently still positioned in the Von Karman crater , in the South Pole-Aitken Basin. As a reminder, this is the largest impact crater in the Solar System.
Since its arrival, the rover has been heading northwest from its landing point, with almost 800 meters of distance covered already. The vehicle, which weighs only 140 kilos , relies on its panoramic cameras, Lunar Penetration Radar (LPR), and visible and near-infrared imaging spectrometer to collect data.
Yutu has already isolated a number of distinct layers of rock that may have been created by volcanism and asteroid impacts. During his journey, which was originally supposed to last only 90 Earth days , he also came across some surprises.
Last February, Yutu 2 notably spotted a strange little stone with a very elongated shape. Among specialists, the discovery has aroused a lot of interest. Finally, Chinese scientists claimed that it was a breach produced during the impact of a meteorite.
Last November, during the 36th lunar day of its mission, Yutu 2 also came across another mysterious object, this time cubic in shape , as it made its way through the crater.
In the image below posted by Our Space, a science outreach channel affiliated with the China National Space Administration (CNSA), the object is profile about eighty meters away .
Scientists on the team obviously expressed great interest in this object. The rover should also approach over the next three lunar days (about three Earth months) to take a closer look. Updates will therefore be expected. Just like the previous event, it could be a rock excavated by an impact event.
Chang'e 4, as its name suggests, is China's fourth lunar mission and the second to deliver a rover to the Moon after Chang'e 3. Since , the country landed there for a third time as part of its Chang'e 5 sample return mission. Other missions are already scheduled to prepare for the installation of a base of permanent research in collaboration with Russia.
