Following an incident involving a "mechanical control abnormality," China's Jade Rabbit went to sleep during the last lunar night. While scientists were skeptical that the Jade Rabbit would still be operational after going into dormancy, China has once again surprised the world after it announced that the Jade Rabbit was "awake."
The Jade Rabbit landed on the Moon on Dec. 14 of last year. While it was able to roam around and gather data for over a month, the rover encountered mechanical difficulties last January just before the last lunar night started. After going into a dormant state to weather the cold lunar night, Chinese media earlier reported that the rover was beyond saving. However, the state-run news agency Xinhua has published a new report stating that the Jade Rabbit was "awake" and partially operational. While it has been confirmed that the rover has successfully come out of its dormant state, the mechanical problems besetting the rover have not yet been resolved.
"Yutu has come back to life!" said Chinese lunar program spokesperson Pei Zhaoyu.
Pei has confirmed that the rover's signal reception function is now up and running. Moreover, amateur radio operations have also confirmed that the the rover was transmitting messages back to Earth.
Chinese scientists and engineers are still investigating the rover's mechanical problems. At the moment, they are still unsure regarding what caused the problems in the first place. Current theories involve a build-up of sticky moon dust on the rover's moving parts.
"Yutu went into sleep under an abnormal status," said Pei. "The rover stands a chance of being saved now that it is still alive," he added.
The Jade Rabbit's original mission should have lasted three months. However, the rover's mechanical problems have put China's lunar plans in jeopardy. While the Chinese lunar mission can still end up as a failure, international scientists are still commending the country for pulling off a lunar landing. Given the fact that lunar missions in general have a high rate of failure, the Jade Rabbit's lunar landing is still a significant step forward for a country with a relatively young space program.
Reactions to the Jade Rabbit's difficulties range from sorrowful to amusing. While Chinese netizens have showed an outpouring of concern and support for the stricken rover, some view the rover's plight in a more humorous light. Chinese netizens have once again stirred up lively online discussions following the announcements of the rover's "awakening."
