Another Giant Step For Mankind : China Lands 'Blind" On The Dark Side Of The Moon

BEIJING, CHINA:

Chinese lunar rover landed on far side of the moon on Thurs

a global first that boosts Beijing as space superpower

Chang'e-4 probe touched down, sent photo of "dark side" of moon

Queqiao satellite relay communications to Earth

Beijing hopes of crewed space station by 2022

Chang'e-4 lunar mission launched in Dec from southwestern Xichang

2nd Chinese probe to land on moon

Yutu (Jade Rabbit) rover mission in 2013

Chang'e-4 carrying six experiments from China, four from abroad

including low-frequency radio astronomical studies

to take advantage of lack of interference on far side

1959 Soviet Union captured first images of moon's "dark side"

No lander ever previously touched the surface there

no easy technological feat -- China preparing for years

major challenge was communicating with lander

no direct "line of sight" for signals to far side of moon

As solution, China blasted Queqiao ("Magpie Bridge") satellite into moon's orbit

to relay data, commands between lander and Earth

another extreme hurdle, lunar night (14 Earth days, -173 degrees Celsius

lunar day, also 14 Earth days, temperatures 127 C

instruments have to withstand those fluctuations

generate enough energy to sustain during long night

Yutu surveyed moon's surface for 31 months

major boost to China's space programme

ambitious Chinese targets include

reusable launcher by 2021

super-powerful rocket payloads heavier than NASA and SpaceX

moon base, permanently crewed space station, and Mars rover

My comments : This is another fantastic achievement by China. They have got it right the first time without any hitches. Previous to this China landed their first moon rover on the moon. This Chang-e 4 is no different. The 'difficult' hurdle of no communications (because it is on the dark side of the moon) was solved by parking a communications satellite off the moon's dark side to relay radio signals back to earth.

Here is a quick YouTube from sometime before Chang-e 4 :