Why Did China Send a Probe to the Far Side of the Moon?

For the first time in history, there is a rover on the far side of the moon and the Chang’e 4 mission is just beginning to explore this hidden side.

By Seeker

Published on 1/3/2019 at 11:19 AM

The moon has a side it never shows us. Humans have flown by it to take pictures and crashed a couple of probes into it, but we’ve never landed a spacecraft on its surface to get up close and personal with our satellite’s hidden half. Until now.

First though, some clarification. Sometimes this side of the moon is referred to as “the Dark Side of the Moon.” That’s inaccurate. The moon is tidally locked with the Earth, meaning one side is always facing us,but the side facing away from us still gets sunshine. So the more correct term is the far side of the moon.

China’s Chang’e 4 probe will be the first spacecraft to poke and prod and study this hidden side of the moon. But why go there at all? A big reason for this mission is, well, because we can.As the name implies, Chang’e-4 is not the first of its kind. The first Chang’e mission, named after the goddess of the moon from Chinese mythology, was an orbiter that launched in late 2007, orbiting the moon for a year and four months before it’s planned impact in march of 2009. Chang’e-2 was built as a backup to Chang’e 1, and launched in 2010. It orbited the moon before setting off for the Earth and Sun’s second Lagrange point, and then continued on to fly by an asteroid in 2012. Busy little craft.

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Scientists Trapped Electrons In a Quantum Fractal (And It's Wild!)

Fractals aren’t just crazy cool mathematically infinite shapes. They might just have the capacity to revolutionize modern electronics as we know it.

Why Twisted Light Holds the Key to Radically Faster Internet
Elements
S3 E15

Why Twisted Light Holds the Key to Radically Faster Internet

With this new nanophotonic device we just might have unlocked how to harness the data transfer potential of “twisted light”.

Will This New Male Birth Control Gel Actually Work?
Elements
S3 E14

Will This New Male Birth Control Gel Actually Work?

Right now, clinical trials are underway for a new form of birth control for men. What is it, and how does it work?

This Nuclear Robot Could Tunnel for Alien Life on Europa
Elements
S3 E13

This Nuclear Robot Could Tunnel for Alien Life on Europa

This nuclear-powered tunneling robot could one day find life on Europa. Here’s how it works.

How Did Roboticists Get This Ancient Fossil To Walk?
Elements
S3 E12

How Did Roboticists Get This Ancient Fossil To Walk?

Advanced computer tomography scans are changing the way paleontologists are studying ancient life and “OroBOT” may be just the beginning.

We May Have Just Unlocked a Secret to How Life on Earth Began
Elements
S3 E16

We May Have Just Unlocked a Secret to How Life on Earth Began

Scientists have been trying to piece together the chemical recipe for how the building blocks of life originated. Now, they may have found it.

Everything It Takes to Engineer the World’s Largest Sea Bridge
Elements
S3 E11

Everything It Takes to Engineer the World’s Largest Sea Bridge

120 years. That’s how long engineers want the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge to last. Given the suspension cables, artificials islands, and even an underground tunnel, the HZMB just might.

What Really Happens to Your Blood After You Donate?
Elements
S3 E10

What Really Happens to Your Blood After You Donate?

Plasma gathered from your blood can be exported across the globe, but what exactly is it, and why is it in demand?

There’s a Subterranean Biosphere Hiding in the Earth’s Crust and It’s MASSIVE
Elements
S3 E9

There’s a Subterranean Biosphere Hiding in the Earth’s Crust and It’s MASSIVE

This mysterious new ecosystem is being called the ‘subterranean galapagos’ and it’s almost twice the size of earth’s oceans. We’ve never seen anything like it.

The Crazy Plan to Deliver the First Baby in Space
Elements
S3 E8

The Crazy Plan to Deliver the First Baby in Space

A startup has announced plans to send a pregnant woman to space to give birth. Will this be the first baby born in space?

These Metamaterials Go Beyond the Properties of Nature
Elements
S3 E7

These Metamaterials Go Beyond the Properties of Nature

These materials have been engineered to interact with radiation in unnatural ways. Here’s how they’re making microscopic optical lenses, chip-sized synchrotrons, and so much more.

Can Hawking’s Black Hole Paradox Be Solved With Fuzzballs?
Elements
S3 E6

Can Hawking’s Black Hole Paradox Be Solved With Fuzzballs?

Our current ideas about black holes present some interesting paradoxes. Could this unusual black hole model solve them?

How Ferroelectricity Could Change the Way We Store Data
Elements
S3 E5

How Ferroelectricity Could Change the Way We Store Data

This hidden ferroelectric “particle” has evaded scientists for years, until recent studies have now discovered it and hacking into their potential.

How a Government Shutdown Screws Up Scientific Research
Elements
S3 E4

How a Government Shutdown Screws Up Scientific Research

Thousands of scientists were sent home on temporary non-paid leave, what does it mean for the research they had to leave behind?

A New Genetic Alphabet Is Creating Things Nature Has Never Seen
Elements
S3 E3

A New Genetic Alphabet Is Creating Things Nature Has Never Seen

If you thought DNA was made of just A, T, G and C-- think again. Scientists have been expanding these options, and the resulting organisms could create the impossible.

Can We Power the World With a Single Energy Grid?
Elements
S3 E2

Can We Power the World With a Single Energy Grid?

China is building a 1.1 million volt power line that will carry power 3,200km. Could this be the beginning of a united global energy grid?

Why Did China Send a Probe to the Far Side of the Moon?
Elements
S3 E1

Why Did China Send a Probe to the Far Side of the Moon?

For the first time in history, there is a rover on the far side of the moon and the Chang’e 4 mission is just beginning to explore this hidden side.