Yutu on a Little Planet

Astronomy Picture of the Day · 2016-02-13 · NASA (public domain)

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Yutu on a Little Planet — APOD for 2016-02-13

Tracks lead to a small robot perched near the top of this bright little planet. Of course, the planet is really the Moon. The robot is the desk-sized Yutu rover, leaving its looming Chang'e 3 lander after a mid-December 2013 touch down in the northern Mare Imbrium . The little planet projection is a digitally warped and stitched mosaic of images from the lander's terrain camera covering 360 by 180 degrees. Ultimately traveling over 100 meters, Yutu came to a halt in January 2014. The lander's instruments are still working though, after more than two years on the lunar surface . Meanwhile, an interactive panoramic version of this little planet is available here.

Astronomy Picture of the Day for 2016-02-13 — image & explanation courtesy of NASA (public domain), mirrored at Tukuk-OS for reading and search convenience.

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