China's lunar probe soft-lands on moon

China's lunar probe Chang'e-3 landed on the moon on Saturday night, marking the first time that China has sent a spacecraft to soft land on the surface of an extraterrestrial body.

Now a closer look at Chang’e-3, and what it will be doing once it lands on the moon. The lander is powered by a radio-isotope thermo-electric generator. It’s also equipped with an astronomical telescope with an extreme ultraviolet camera.

This landing will set up the world’s first astronomical observatory on the moon. It’ll make long-term continuous observations of important celestial bodies, to study their light variation and low galactic latitude.

From there the camera will acquire images of these bodies and of the Earth. The six-wheeled rover named Yutu, or Jade Rabbit, will be deployed from the lander to explore the moon’s surface. It can dig and perform simple analysis of soil samples and has automatic sensors to prevent it from colliding with other objects.

It will get its energy from a solar panel, allowing the rover to operate through lunar days. Yutu carries a radar unit on its underside, allowing for the FIRST direct measurement of the lunar soil’s structure. Yutu is tasked with surveying the moon’s geological structure and surface substances, while looking for natural resources.