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China's Jade Rabbit Fights To Come Back From the Dead
Despite being declared officially lost, the Chinese moon rover may yet have some life left. Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes "CNN reports that reports of Jade Rabbit's demise may have been premature as signs are emerging that China's first lunar rover may be up and running again. Following technical malfunctions Xinhua says that the lunar rover had lost communication with mission control but on Thursday the state news agency said that the rover was "fully awake" and had returned to its normal signal-receiving status. "Jade Rabbit has fully resurrected and is able to receive signals, but still suffers a mechanical control abnormality," says China's lunar program spokesman Pei Zhaoyu. "The rover entered hibernation while in an abnormal state. We were worried it wouldn't be able to make it through the extreme cold of the lunar night. But it came back alive. The rover stands a chance of being saved as it is still alive." The lunar rover's end seemed near when it signed off at the end of January with a poignant message: "Goodnight humanity." Yutu, as the device is known in Mandarin, had been out of action for two weeks following a technical malfunction, and media around the world filed its obituary late on Wednesday after a short statement on Chinese state media alerted the world to its apparent terminal failings. Should Jade Rabbit make a full recovery, it would cap another success for space exploration, which has seen NASA's Opportunity Mars rover, currently exploring the red planet, far outlast its expected lifespan."
and was recovering from all the partying and travel back to the Moon.
(Seriously, great news!)
The China National Space Administration has already announced they will no longer be sourcing components via Alibaba or eBay.
Chinese have the skill to make both cheap crap and premium components. It's really only about the targeted price point and what the customer orders.
it signed off at the end of January with a poignant message: "Goodnight humanity."
No it didn't. Some guy in a press office wrote it.
Can we please stop anthropomorphising rovers? They hate that.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
Mostly dead is a little bit alive. A little bit alive they can work with.
Never shake hands with a man you meet in a fertility clinic.
China's still saying it's dead; it's amateur radio enthusiasts who have detected its broadcast.
No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?