China's Jade Rabbit lunar rover dies on moon
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Re: China's Jade Rabbit lunar rover dies on moon
#2This is a shame, but most people -- even in space programs -- don't appreciate how cold the Moon's shaded areas become. It's now estimated that these areas get to 26 Kelvins -- that's 26 degrees above absolute zero. To get a sense of how cold this is, Pluto's average surface temperature is seven degrees warmer.
Also consider that, because of the specifics of the Moon's orbit, a given area stays shaded for just over 14 days each month. That's a long time at a very low temperature. Unless a spacecraft has a way to heat itself during the long lunar night, its electronics will self-destruct.
Re: China's Jade Rabbit lunar rover dies on moon
#3This is a shame, but most people -- even in space programs -- don't appreciate how cold the Moon's shaded areas become. It's now estimated that these areas get to 26 Kelvins -- that's 26 degrees above absolute zero. To get a sense of how cold this is, Pluto's average surface temperature is seven degrees warmer . Also consider that, because of the specifics of the Moon's orbit, a given area stays shaded for just over…
Does China have the capabilities and reserves of radioactive material to make probes with RTGs?
Re: China's Jade Rabbit lunar rover dies on moon
#4This is a shame, but most people -- even in space programs -- don't appreciate how cold the Moon's shaded areas become. It's now estimated that these areas get to 26 Kelvins -- that's 26 degrees above absolute zero. To get a sense of how cold this is, Pluto's average surface temperature is seven degrees warmer . Also consider that, because of the specifics of the Moon's orbit, a given area stays shaded for just over…
Does China have the capabilities and reserves of radioactive material to make probes with RTGs?
It has a radioisotope heating unit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yutu_%28rover%29#Specification...
Re: China's Jade Rabbit lunar rover dies on moon
#5Shame as well space exploration is still so primitive and infant that I root for any nation venturing out there. Too bad its clouted by military achievements.
Re: China's Jade Rabbit lunar rover dies on moon
#6This is a shame, but most people -- even in space programs -- don't appreciate how cold the Moon's shaded areas become. It's now estimated that these areas get to 26 Kelvins -- that's 26 degrees above absolute zero. To get a sense of how cold this is, Pluto's average surface temperature is seven degrees warmer . Also consider that, because of the specifics of the Moon's orbit, a given area stays shaded for just over…
Does China have the capabilities and reserves of radioactive material to make probes with RTGs?
Online accounts say there's a radiation source for heating during the lunar night, but it seems one of the solar panels used for normal operations didn't fold up properly (by folding up these panels are closer to the heat source) before the sun went down, and that exposed component froze and was ruined, which sealed the spacecraft's fate.
Source: http://www.dvice.com/2014-2-12/chinas-jade-rabbit-lunar-rove...
Re: China's Jade Rabbit lunar rover dies on moon
#7This is a shame, but most people -- even in space programs -- don't appreciate how cold the Moon's shaded areas become. It's now estimated that these areas get to 26 Kelvins -- that's 26 degrees above absolute zero. To get a sense of how cold this is, Pluto's average surface temperature is seven degrees warmer . Also consider that, because of the specifics of the Moon's orbit, a given area stays shaded for just over…
Does China have the capabilities and reserves of radioactive material to make probes with RTGs?
Looks like it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Republic_of_Chi...
They had capability to produce required material decades ago.
They also have sufficient nuclear arsenal to warrant maintaining stockpiles of the stuff: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_and_weapons_of_mass_destr...
Re: China's Jade Rabbit lunar rover dies on moon
#8Well that sucks.
Is anyone here a big follower of the Chinese space programme? I follow "western" space efforts pretty closely, but with heavy military involvement, a preoccupation with face-saving, and the language barrier, I find the Chinese programme nigh on impossible to track. Do they have the same sort of spending split that NASA has with respect to the manned v. unmanned programmes? Or does their unmanned programme get substantially more than a pittance? As things stand, I'm not even able to tell if they are actually serious about space outside of military use, or if it's all just a prestige play. Anyone care to fill in some detail?
Re: China's Jade Rabbit lunar rover dies on moon
#9Chinese space program had come a long way. Interesting test would be how they handle this failure. Will they go assigning blame and scapegoats. Or will they learn from this mistake and improve quality control/redundancy for future missions.
Re: China's Jade Rabbit lunar rover dies on moon
#10This is a shame, but most people -- even in space programs -- don't appreciate how cold the Moon's shaded areas become. It's now estimated that these areas get to 26 Kelvins -- that's 26 degrees above absolute zero. To get a sense of how cold this is, Pluto's average surface temperature is seven degrees warmer . Also consider that, because of the specifics of the Moon's orbit, a given area stays shaded for just over…
> Pluto's average surface temperature is seven degrees warmer.
What about the temperature in Pluto's shaded regions (if there are any)?