Tech & Sci
2020.09.24 20:59 GMT+8

China's Chang'e-4 lunar probe completes 22nd lunar day with latest findings

Updated 2020.09.24 20:59 GMT+8

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The lander and the rover of China's Chang'e-4 lunar probe have been in the dormant mode after completing the work during the 22nd lunar day, according to the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center under the China National Space Administration.

The lander was switched to the dormant mode at 7:30 a.m. Beijing time on Thursday, after Yutu-2 the rover at 11:18 p.m. on Wednesday.

So far, the probe has survived on the far side of the Moon for 630 Earth days, equivalent to 45 lunar days, and the rover has traveled 547.17 meters.

The rover also explored the impact crater about 1.3 kilometers northwest of the landing site and the areas with high reflectivity.

With the panoramic camera, infrared imaging spectrometer and lunar radar, the rover can peer beneath the surface of the mysterious far side of the Moon, based on which multiple achievements have been made and published recently in the journal Nature Astronomy.

The scientific team carried out in-depth study on the radar detection data and obtained important findings on the lunar soil and shallow structure of the landing area.

The results showed the materials detected by Yutu-2 come from the nearby Finsen impact crater rather than the basalt erupted from the lunar mantle, which filled the bottom of the Von Karman Crater.

It was further revealed that the Von Karman Crater, the landing area of Chang'e-4, had experienced multiple impacts and basalt magma eruptions.

The latest discoveries are of great significance for understanding the evolution of the South Pole-Aitken basin of the Moon, as well as for the future exploration and study on the composition and structure of the lunar interior.

(With input from Xinhua News Agency)

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