China Put Caterpillars On The Far Side Of The Moon
For the first time ever, humanity has landed on and obtained images of the far side of the Moon. But never one to forget their manners, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) has also brought a gift for the visit: A big ol’ box of caterpillars. Thanks, China.
In a historic moment yesterday, China’s Chang’e-4 space probe became the first spacecraft to land on the side of the Moon facing away from Earth. While several countries have landed on the side of the Moon near the Earth, this is the first time any nation has landed on the Moon’s far side. The far side of the Moon always faces away from Earth due to the Moon and Earth’s synchronised rotations.
The CNSA has already released the first photographs ever taken from the far side of the Moon’s surface, showing a barren expanse punctuated by a crater.
“The returned data should provide us valuable information to disclose the secrets of our moon, from the never-touched side!” said China University of Geosciences planetary geoscientist Long Xiao, speaking to National Geographic.
One of the reasons no country had landed on the far side of the Moon previously was due to the resultant difficulty communicating with the craft. The entire mass of the Moon stands between Earth and any spacecraft on the Moon’s far side, blocking radio contact. Chang’e 4, therefore, uses relay satellite Queqiao to communicate with Earth, though messages take longer to arrive than they would if Chang’e 4 was on the Moon’s near side.
Chang’e 4 includes a lander and a rover, both of which are equipped with cameras. But Chang’e 4 isn’t just there to take some rare photos. Over the lander’s 12-month and rover’s three-month missions, their objectives will include measuring the chemical composition of the lunar surface, monitoring the surface’s temperature in different conditions, and analysing cosmic rays.
The first ever pictures of the surface of the far side of the Moon!
China's Chang'e 4 probe has successfully landed in the South Pole-Aitken basin which is (you guessed it) near the Moon's South Pole. pic.twitter.com/s88LYaYdjU
— Andy Weir (@andyweirauthor) January 3, 2019
The CNSA is also attempting to grow space potatoes, just like Matt Damon before them. The Chang’e 4 lander carries a small, 3kg biosphere of silkworms, potatoes and cress, which scientists hope will grow and thrive. They will be able to observe the biosphere via one of the launcher’s cameras, and will watch to see if the lunar environment has any effect upon the plants and insects. Hopefully, we won’t return to the Moon in several years to find it overrun by giant space moths.
Launched from Xichang Satelite Launch Centre on December 7 last year, Chang’e 4 is part of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program. The next probe to launch will be Chang’e 5, which will aim to collect samples from the Moon and bring them to Earth.
The dark side of the Moon is slowly becoming less mysterious, making it a little easier to be Li Shang’s definition of a man.