China's lunar rover has mechanical trouble
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.
"Sorry to make you all sad. The engineers and I haven't given up yet," the posting said.
'Sorry to make you all sad. The engineers and I haven't given up yet.'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.
The 300-pound rover was traversing a relatively flat part of the moon known as Sinus Iridum, or the Bay of Rainbows, at a speed of 200 yards per hour. The landing vehicle, which has already shut down for the lunar night, is designed to conduct scientific examinations for one year.
Online speculation focused on the possibility of lunar dust having blocked one of the solar panels from folding inward, leaving equipment exposed to the dangerously low temperatures. It won't be known if the probe is able to function again until after the two-week break.
China's space program has made steady progress since the country launched its first manned spacecraft in 2003. It has launched a lunar orbiter, conducted space walks, and put in orbit a prototype space station, to be replaced by a permanent station at the end of the decade.
Yutu, or "Jade Rabbit," is named after a mythological Chinese animal said to live on the moon.