Chinese and Indian lunar landing sites .

The space where Yutu 2 landed on lunar surface ..

2019 can be described as the best year for India and China in space, more particularly, the moon. Chinese Chang'e 4 spacecraft landed on the South pole of Moon in the von Karman crater, in the Aitkin crater on the 3rd of January 2019.(not to forget the US and Japanese successes on Mars and Ryugu meteoroid respectively in 2019).

India launched the Chandrayaan 2 mission on the 22nd of July 2019 and the Vikram lander and Pragyaan rover will land on lunar surface near the lunar South pole, near the brink of the Aitkin crater, one of the largest on the lunar solar surface with a diameter of 2400 km on the 6th of September 2019.

Click here for a link on Yutu2 rover on lunar surface.

The Von Karman crater in the Aitkin
crater where Yutu 2 landed

Click here for a VOA report on Chandrayaan 2 launch ..

Both the Chinese and India
missions of 2019 are landing on the other side of moon which is never visible to us on earth.

The rover communicates with a lunar orbiter which is in contact with the earth station. Every lunar night lasting 14 earth days, the temp on lunar surface can go to -140 deg Celsius. 

The Chinese Chang'e rocket released the orbiter, Que Qiao satellite already orbiting the moon and the Yutu 2 rover landed in the 180 km diameter and 13 km deep Von Karman crater.

As has been indicated by ISRO, Indian Space Research Organisation, lander Vikram will land near the brink of the Aitkin crater.

This is how Yutu 2 is communicating with the
earth station

How can these landings of the Chinese and Indian missions on moon be helpful for humanity.

In six months, the 140 kg Chinese rover Yutu 2 has traveled just 160 m on the lunar surface. In two weeks as per indications the 27 kg Pragyaan would be traveling almost 150 to 200 metres on lunar surface, with a life to last just 14 days.

 The Indian rover would in turn be carrying out a series of experiments that will help it find the extent of water on lunar surface.

The Aitkin crater near the
lunar south pole

Will the landings and the subsequent discoveries of water, moisture etc. help the world to set up camps to stay there ?

If water is available and with the supply of oxygen which can be ensured either with experiments or can be taken from earth, can we we grow vegetables and fruits out there in space in large volumes and bring them to earth for human consumption ?

Yutu 2 on moon, Credits China Space Administration

China has a strategic intent in this lunar mission as moon is known to have vast reserves of Helium 3, most suitable for nuclear fusion energy generation. Yutu 2 is looking out for deposits of Helium 3 on lunar surface.

The strategic military intent of China on lunar surface is a cause of worry for US, Russia and India ..

Other side of moon, China Space

No earth expedition has been able to find what is underneath a planet like Mars or the moon surface, except the Hayabusa2 spacecraft of Japanese Space Agency JAXA, which has been able to shoot into the Ryugu asteroid 300 million kms away from earth on the 12th of June 2019 and collect samples of sub-surface materials on the asteroid.

We hope all the countries of the world who are exploring outer space in the solar system to be able to collect solid evidence that points fingers at the right time and mix of celestial events that led to the formation of our solar system.

George.. (Picture credits to Planetary News, spacenews.com and space.com)..