China's Jade Rabbit Moon rover sends back first photos

[mickw]

The first robot to land on the Moon in nearly 40 years, China's Jade Rabbit rover, has begun sending back photos, with shots of its lunar lander.
Jade Rabbit rolled down a ramp lowered by the lander and on to the volcanic plain known as Sinus Iridum at 04:35 Beijing time on Saturday (20:35 GMT).
It moved to a spot a few metres away, its historic short journey recorded by the lander.
On Sunday evening the two machines began photographing each other.
A Chinese flag is clearly visible on the Jade Rabbit as it stands deployed on the Moon's surface.

More:  BBC
A bit more:   Space.com

[MarkS]

How long before we get a new crop of conspiracy theories?   

[Mike]

If you look at the YouTube comments for the china rover videos you can see there are already a load of lunatics that have crawled out of the woodwork and are calling this a fake. Sheesh.

[mickw]

I knew I shouldn't have looked 

Stupid people giving stupid explanations to other stupid people 

Apparently the ISS is orbiting in the atmosphere 

[JohnP]

For a high tech piece of kit that's a crap photo.... Mark's photo's of ISS are better quality...

[MarkS]

Stupid people giving stupid explanations to other stupid people 

Isn't that what forums are all about?

[Mike]

It does make your blood boil and you really have to resist the urge to reply to them. Like you say, best not to look in the first place. It is amazing just how stupid some people are.

[mickw]

For a high tech piece of kit that's a crap photo.... Mark's photo's of ISS are better quality...

Should have used a camera off a fake iPad 

[MarkS]

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has photographed the Chinese Jade Rabbit on the lunar surface:
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/news/index.php?/archives/849-Change-3-Lander-and-Rover-From-Above.html#extended

[Ian]

so the conspiracy widens... we all know the Chinese never sent a lander to the moon, now the US are in on it too.

[MarkH]

Makes you wonder doesn't it, I mean the USA, employ about 400,000 people, and keep them ALL quiet. Build a couple of dozen huge rockets and send them out of the atmosphere and manufacture and waste all that fuel in the bargain. Develop a digital guidance computer that enabled ibm to develop the microchip that kick started the world computer revolution. Then stage a dreadful fire and loose the lives of three astronaughts. Oh but jodrell bank definitely tracked several vehicles down to the surface and then there's the laser reflector, how did that get there. And surely the russian spy network would have uncovered a fake and let the world know. Wouldn't it just be easier to go to the moon?

[Mike]

Exactly, it make's me laugh. With 1960's technology it would have been way harder to fake a moon landing and keep it all a secret for so long with so many people involved than to just go there.

[MarkH]

BTW an interesting fact about the saturn v rocket, the first stage had a power output of approx 60gw the total current consumption for the whole of the uk is around 49gw

[Rick]

China Moon rover Jade Rabbit in trouble

China's Jade Rabbit Moon rover is in trouble after experiencing a "mechanical control abnormality", state media report.

The Moon exploration vehicle ran into problems due to the moon's "complicated lunar surface environment", Xinhua news agency said, citing science officials.

The rover landed in December as part of China's Chang'e-3 mission - the first "soft" landing on the Moon since 1976.

It was expected to operate for around three months.

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-25908527

[Fay]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-25908527