Ten years later, is Yutu-1 still on the moon?
In 2013, China's first lunar rover, Yutu-1, successfully landed on the moon. But as a first-time attempt, Yutu-1 encountered many challenges.
It was originally planned to travel ten kilometers on the moon, but in reality it only traveled 1148 meters. Yutu-1 malfunctioned before the second night on the moon, preventing it from moving forward.
Surprisingly, the cause of the failure was a damaged cable. According to the designer, due to the first control of the lunar rover, the speed was not properly controlled, which caused the cable to be hit by stones. Coupled with the extreme temperature difference of the Moon, the cables became brittle, and a slight collision caused a failure.
Despite this, Yutu No. 1 remained at the post for three years until 2016, when it officially "retired". Today, it is still resting peacefully on the moon.
And in 2019, Yutu-2 followed closely behind and successfully landed on the moon. Compared to the Yutu 1, the performance of the Yutu 2 is outstanding. It has been in stable operation for nearly five years, and has not only learned the lessons of Yutu-1, but also adopted a more cautious marching strategy. In the past few years, Yutu-2 has only traveled more than 1,000 meters, which is about the equivalent of walking around the playground three times. It is this care that allows it to carry out exploration missions on the moon for a long time.