Chang'e-4 farside landing mission Options

[Station]

Here goes a new image taken from Yutu2. Apparently rover took it after driving few meters bit forward to NW.

[tolis]

The tip of that vertically-erected antenna is sitting some 7m above the surface (say 5m for the antenna, 2m for the lander deck). Would that constitute the tallest
articifial structure on the Moon at the moment?

[Phil Stooke]

Yes, I think it would be the highest structure.

The picture is newly released, and might be newly transmitted, but it was taken before sunset on the previous lunar day (based on the direction of the shadow). I have not seen any pictures or evidence of driving on this second lunar day.

Phil

[Steve G]

What spectacular scenery! Will the cameras on the lander have survived the lunar night? I believe that on Chang'e 3 the colour cameras were not protected and did not function afterwards.

[Station]

Newly released image (from first "sol") taken by Yutu2 shortly after deployment onto lunar surface.

[Phil Stooke]

http://www.9ifly.cn/forum.php?mod=viewthre...ra=&page=89

This link is to the 9ifly forum, where a user has posted a map of Von Karman showing names "approved by the IAU" (the IAU planetary nomenclature site at USGS does not show it but they may not have updated yet, perhaps due to shutdown issues).

Three craters around the landing site take names from the 'summer triangle' of bright stars, Vega, Altair, Deneb but using their Chinese names. The landing site is Statio Tianhe, where Tianhe means Milky Way. The names refer to the story of the Weaver and the Cowherd, lovers separated by the Milky Way and allowed to meet by crossing on a bridge formed of magpies, the same story from which the relay satellite gets its name. Finally the central peak is named Mons Tai after Taishan, a mountain in China.

Phil

[volcanopele]

LROC got an oblique image of the landing site last week:

http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/1090

[Phil Stooke]

Spectacular, but I would hope a vertical view was obtained on a later orbit!

Phil

[Phil Stooke]

Well, a few orbits later but still the same day, a less oblique view:

http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/1091


Lander and rover both visible, just. A vertical view on the next day is probably still to be released. Here is a modified view of the landing site:

[Station]

It's a pity there is no information about second lunar day on the surface. I wonder if the mission is in any trouble and therefore chinese officials don't want to give any further details about the encountered problems...

[Phil Stooke]

We have information about the first few (Earth) days of the second lunar day as shown on the map. Since then there has been a big holiday period coinciding with New Year in China, and many government offices etc. will have been closed. We might learn more this week. But no reason to expect a problem at this point. Also, a COSPAR meeting coming up where news may be released.

Phil

[Paolo]

welcome to Statio Tianhe

https://www.iau.org/news/pressreleases/detail/iau1901/

[Olympusmonsuk]

Vertical LRO view of Chang'e 4 landing site-Statio Tianhe

http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/1092

[Station]

Hi,

Any further information about CH-4 mission status? Some chinese forum? This continuing lack of info is very disturbing. I wonder if something went wrong and chinese mission's directors don't want to publish it online untill resolution is found...

[Paolo]

Any further information about CH-4 mission status?

there was a very nice full moon this night, which means that it's night on the farside and CE4 and Yutu are sleeping peacefully