China's Yutu rover spots 'mysterious hut' on far side of the Moon
- Reference: 1638766855
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/12/06/yutu_2_moon_rover_spots_hut/
- Source link:
A [1]post to Chinese social media site qq.com describes the object as a "mysterious hut" thanks to its cubic shape.
The post was made by "Our Space" – a qq.com account that promotes the feats of China's National Space Agency (CNSA) and appears to have some official approval to do so.
[2]
The "hut" is just 80 metres from Yutu 2's present position, and Our Space suggests CNSA's boffins are keen to trundle over and have a closer look.
[3]China celebrates third year of operations on the far side of the moon
[4]Pics or it didn't happen: First images from China's Mars rover suggest nothing has gone Zhurong just yet
[5]Chang'e 4 wakes and Yutu 2 stretches its solar panels for another day... on the friggin' MOON
Yutu 2 landed on the Moon in January 2019 and has been active ever since. It even holds the record for length of lunar operations, having passed 1,000 days of exploring in late September. At that time Chinese media [6]reported that the rover had travelled 840m from its landing place in the Von Karman Crater and sent home 3.6 terabytes of data.
The rover's progress is intermittent, as it must endure lunar nights that last 14 Earthly days and are so cold it needs radioisotope heater units to keep its instruments warm enough to remain operational.
[7]
The 'mysterious hut'. Click to enlarge
Reaching the mysterious hut should take two or three days. Early analysis suggests it is almost certainly not a hut, but rather a rock that was blasted out of the Moon by an ancient impact.
If it is a hut … The Register suggests it could become hot property – if only because the 2.6-second round trip that light takes to travel between Earth and Moon probably makes it impossible to participate in Zoom meetings. Of course it's also not very convenient to shops, transport or local schools. ®
Get our [8]Tech Resources
[1] https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/dpKkjWHk9tay3JERnrfuUw
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Ya3tcO4ZISB5V80waWkpGAAAAAk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/05/chinas_change_4_moon_probe_third_year/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/19/china_mars/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2019/01/31/change_4_wakes/
[6] https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202109/29/WS61546ce7a310cdd39bc6c71f.html
[7] https://regmedia.co.uk/2021/12/06/handout_mysterious_moon_hut.jpg
[8] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
What if it's full of Rabbits?
More specifically Lunar Rabbits who are a type of Youkai....
Watch out for this one: Reisen Udongein Inaba..
Re: What if it's full of Rabbits?
At last we know where the [1]Monkeys on the Moon are staying.
[1] https://youtu.be/Q5lv4uucWHg?t=187
Chinese maps now include an 11-dash line incorporating the Moon and all its Cubes that were part of China since ancient times.
Get the popcorn ready....
I suspect that some or many of the conspiracy types here in the States will be coming up with all sorts of hilarious and bizarre explanations at to what this is.
Lunar Hut
Well it can no longer be a Hewlett Packard delivery...
https://www.theregister.com/2008/07/18/hp_packaging/
Maybe an Amazon warehouse?
Or a spec of dust on the photosensor.
Re: Lunar Hut
Imagine a monstrous HP box containing an itty-bitty screw for fastening some object to a motherboard...
I’ve examined the picture carefully and it’s clearly not a hut. It’s obviously two aliens standing next to each other. Watching. Waiting.
If it is a hut ... it's also on the far side so your boss can not peek at you through a telescope.
It's a coin-operated robot. With skis.
No, no...
It's a side view of the Golden Arches on the horizon... and their closed!
https://imgur.com/gallery/NN8a2
Re: No, no...
*they're
As usual
It's a portapotty, normally the first thing to be installed on a new construction project, the second thing will be a huge billboard with an overly ambitious artist's impression of what the new building will look like.
Most likely a condo development by Uranus Products.
Re: Uranus Products
That's their old name, they changed it to avoid the embarrassment.
They're now known as Urectum Products.*
* with apologies to Professor Farnsworth
It's occupants enjoying a uniquely Biroid lifestyle
its
Its
Its
Monty Pythons Flying Cir-cus
It's the hut where the Ruler of the Universe and his cat live.
There should be a cliff nearby with 'we apologise for the inconvenience' in letters of fire.
How do we know?
It could be the hut where the ruler of the universe lives. Or it could just be an imaginary construct of our mind to account for the discrepancy between our memory of things and what we see now.
Apologies to Douglas Adams for mangling his prose so badly.
"mysterious hut"
there's no better way to generate news about Chinese 'metoo!' adventures in space.
p.s. I do remember American soldiers smirking about Japanese crap watch imitations around WW2 and such. So, the Chinese might get the last me-too laugh...
Re: 'metoo!'
I think you'll find it's called Yutu.
It's obvious
It's a McDonald's.
Since it is reported that McDonald's Corp said it would almost double the number of stores in mainland China by 2022, they have to put them somewhere.
No, it's a hut
so it's obviously Pizza Hut.
Re: No, it's a hut
Sunglass Hut would be more useful for half the time.
It's a film set
They had to film the moon landings somewhere, Kubrick liked realism so insisted they were filmed on the Moon.
Just a local shop. Nothing for you here.
Lets hope
Theyre not out of chicken nuggets by the time it reaches the drive in.
it's where the old bloke on that John Lewis ad lives.
Hermes
Actually, it's a box containing a luxury scratching post, a kitty-brush and a litter scoop. Hermes have been practising the art of throwing things over fences and houses but unfortunately for Mr Snufflelumps, this delivery driver was a little too enthusiastic with his technique.
And the winnner for 2021 of Shed of the year is.....
Bloody John Lewis!
Well John Lewis "Never Knowingly Undersold" ran a Christmas ad a few years back see it again at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emoUWMmGzXo
It was one of their better ones and cost them millions, their claim not mine.
You would think that a reputable posh store like them would have rehomed the old guy with the remarkably small telescope in relation to the required focal length required for his spying on 22 Acacia Drive, Borehamwood (Regomized).
Such a lavish budget and they couldn't be arsed to take the hut with them. Oh it makes my blood boil!
Merry Christmas fellow El Reg Readers.
Mark.
Re: Bloody John Lewis!
>>spying on 22 Acacia Drive,
Sad - misread Drive as Avenue (its early, I have no coffee...)
I was going to be witty about spying through a telescope and a certain ditty or, IIRC, two by Iron Maiden regarding the activities of a young woman by the name of Charlotte... oh well. Back to work I guess.
Here be Dragons
Soup Dragons to be precise, as any fule know.
Rosie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clangers
Re: Here be Dragons
I suspect someone's dropped a clanger......
Problem solved: Arthur Jackson's other shed.
It's the BOFH's lunar base.
"not very convenient to shops, transport or local schools"
And Ocado don't have any delivery slots free until next Thursday!
Of course, if it's full of stars then that's a whole different ballgame.