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27-01-2014, 06:10 PM
An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:
China's lunar rover has mechanical trouble
10:49 PM Monday Jan 27, 2014
BEIJING (AP) China says its first lunar rover is experiencing mechanical problems, in a rare setback for its burgeoning space program.
The six-wheeled Yutu vehicle began operating last month after making the first soft landing on the moon by a space probe in 37 years. It was designed to roam the lunar surface for three months while surveying for natural resources and sending back data, along with its stationary lander, Chang'e 3.
The mission has been a popular success for China's space program and the rover has attracted more than 150,000 followers on its microblog. It last posted on Saturday saying repairs were underway and hope was not lost.
"Sorry to make you all sad. The engineers and I haven't given up yet," the posting said.
The mechanical problems appeared to be related to the solar-powered probe's process for shutting down for the lunar night, which lasts more than two weeks. The temperature during that time drops to minus 180 degrees Celsius (minus 292 degrees Fahrenheit).
The probe had survived its first lunar night shutdown, during which it is unable to generate energy from its solar panels and relies on a radioactive power source to keep its delicate sensors and other equipment intact.
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?173682-Stupid-Chinese-fake-lunar-rover-breaks-down&goto=newpost).
China's lunar rover has mechanical trouble
10:49 PM Monday Jan 27, 2014
BEIJING (AP) China says its first lunar rover is experiencing mechanical problems, in a rare setback for its burgeoning space program.
The six-wheeled Yutu vehicle began operating last month after making the first soft landing on the moon by a space probe in 37 years. It was designed to roam the lunar surface for three months while surveying for natural resources and sending back data, along with its stationary lander, Chang'e 3.
The mission has been a popular success for China's space program and the rover has attracted more than 150,000 followers on its microblog. It last posted on Saturday saying repairs were underway and hope was not lost.
"Sorry to make you all sad. The engineers and I haven't given up yet," the posting said.
The mechanical problems appeared to be related to the solar-powered probe's process for shutting down for the lunar night, which lasts more than two weeks. The temperature during that time drops to minus 180 degrees Celsius (minus 292 degrees Fahrenheit).
The probe had survived its first lunar night shutdown, during which it is unable to generate energy from its solar panels and relies on a radioactive power source to keep its delicate sensors and other equipment intact.
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?173682-Stupid-Chinese-fake-lunar-rover-breaks-down&goto=newpost).