Space
11:14, 16-Aug-2018
Design of China's 4th Moon lander goes to the public: Naming contest begins
Updated
11:08, 19-Aug-2018
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China's space program has introduced its fourth Moon lander, code named "Chang'e-4," to the public on Wednesday, with a naming contest that everyone can participate.
The lander, planned to be launched in December, will land on the far side of the Moon – a first in human history.
Many devices and humans have made it to the moon in the last century, but none of them landed on the far side.
A rover will be included in the lander, which has six wheels and will explore the literal dark side of the Moon.
A render of China's new Moon rover. /Xinhua Photo
A render of China's new Moon rover. /Xinhua Photo
The Moon, which is the only natural satellite of the Earth, rotates around our planet in a manner that only one side of it is visible to the ground.
The phrase "dark side of the Moon" can also be used to describe something that's unknown or unseen. It's usage was made popular after British music band Pink Floyd released its album "The Dark Side of the Moon."
In the means of astronomy, the far side of the Moon is not dark because it's only invisible to the Earth, not the Sun.
Name it if you want
As mentioned above, "Chang'e-4" is only a code name of the lander. The real name will be determined by a public naming event.
According to State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, anybody in the world can submit name suggestions online.
The launch event of the naming contest. /Xinhua Photo
The launch event of the naming contest. /Xinhua Photo
Try this link if you have a name and know any bit of the Chinese language.
The final result of the contest will be revealed in October.
The name of the previous Moon lander is "Yutu" after the name of a fantasy rabit species in Chinese myth stories. It was launched in 2013 and successfully landed on the Moon.