Space & Astronomy

More pictures, videos from far side of the Moon

By T.K. Randall
January 14, 2019 ·  5 comments

The rover took this shot of the Chang'e lander. Image Credit: CNSA / CLEP Situated within the 2,500km-wide South Pole-Aitken basin, the lander and rover are the first ever to touch down on the unexplored far side of the Moon which always points away from the Earth.

A high-resolution panoramic image of the lander's surroundings can be viewed - here.Footage taken by the lander during its descent on to the lunar surface can also be viewed below.

"This is a great technological accomplishment as it was out of sight of Earth, so signals are relayed back by their orbiter, and most of the landing was actually done autonomously in difficult terrain," said Professor Andrew Coates of UCL's Mullard Space Science Laboratory.

"The landing was almost vertical because of the surrounding hills."


Source: Spaceflight Now | Comments (5)

Tags: Moon, China