April 18, 2024
All Alone
Originally published December 29, 2013
image by CNSA/CCTV
Looking like a little bird who just left the nest and has yet to test its wings, the Chinese rover Yutu is very small against the expansive desolation of this lunar plain. There is no welcoming view of vegetation, nor others of its kind, it is starkly alone on an alien world. It seems odd that the mission was planned so that sunset would occur so soon after landing. Just the other day Yutu rolled slowly down its lander ramp and made a celebratory circle, and apparently has done little else before the Sun went down, and it plays like a bear and hibernates. I hope this little creature survives its first nap and comes back in two weeks full of energy and ready to explore.
Chuck Wood
Does anyone have a suitable image for Dec 31 or Jan 1?
Related Links
Pre-hibernation news
Yesterday's LPOD: Looking Over the Shoulder of a Lunar Scientist
Tomorrow's LPOD: The Passing of the Old
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