The Chinese moon robot Yutu 2, which is translated into German as “Jade rabbit 2” and is currently rolling on the back of the moon, has helped scientists to gradually unravel the secret deep beneath the surface of the Earth’s satellite. Constantly new knowledge about meteorite impacts and volcanic activities would soon shed new light on the geographic evolution of the moon, according to the researchers.
Yutu 2 is the vehicle of the Chinese lunar probe Chang’e-4, which was launched on December 8, 2018. On January 3, 2019, the probe managed to land softly in the Von Karman crater in the Aiken basin at the south pole on the back of the moon. Due to the so-called “coupled rotation” when circling the two nearby celestial bodies, scientists always point the same side of the moon to Earth.
A recent study, carried out by a research team led by Professor Li Chunlai and Professor Su Yan from the National Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, suggests what is hidden under the surface of the moon.
Using the LPR (Local Positioning Radar) system on the Rover Yutu 2, the research team tried to send radio signals deep into the surface of the moon. With a high frequency of 500 MHz, the signals were able to penetrate to a depth of 40 meters. This is three times as deep as the signals sent by the Chang’e 3 lunar probe at the end of 2013 on the front of the moon, the scientists say.
This time, the resulting data allowed the researchers to develop an image of the underground formation on the back of the moon.
“We found that the penetration depth of the signals on the Chang’e 4 site was much deeper than that of the Chang’e 3 probe. So far, we know that the surface texture at the Chnag’e 4 landing site, that is on the back of the moon, is very complicated. Our qualitative observation indicates that the geological features of the front and back of the moon are completely different, ”said Professor Li Chunlai, head of the research team and deputy director of the National Observatory.
Professor Sun Yan, deputy head of the research team, said: “Despite the good quality of the radar images and the rover’s total distance of 106 meters, it is still difficult to determine the geological structures and the geographic structure due to the complexity of the spatial distribution of the subsurface Identify or interpret events that have shaped the lunar surface. “
Using the tomographic process, scientists have now been able to comprehensively analyze the returned radar images. The results show that the subsoil on the back of the moon is composed mainly of highly porous granules and a number of rocks, the researchers said.
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