A lunar day and night each equal about 14 days on Earth. The Chinese YuTu-2 rover , as part of the Chang’e 4 mission, has taken 800 Earth days.
The odometer of the Chinese YuTu-2 rover is already 682.77 meters , according to the Center for Lunar Exploration and Space Program of the China National Space Administration.
Chang’e 4
To mitigate the chill of the lunar night , both the rover and the lander incorporate a Russian -made plutonium-238 radioisotope generator. It emits 120 watts of thermal power, which allows the instruments to be heated overnight, by means of a circulating conductive liquid.
Both the rover and its lander switched to lunar night idle mode last weekend after operating steadily during the 28th lunar day of stay .
Through an analysis of the detection data obtained by the Chang’e-4 probe, the researchers have made a series of scientific discoveries that include the mineral composition and the history of the topographic and geological evolution of the landing site.
The Chang’e 4 was originally designed to run for one year and the Yutu 2 for three months . Indeed, both vessels have already exceeded that time but also both continue to function properly.