Touch down of China's moon mission | Human World

Check out this video of China’s first-ever lunar lander, Chang’e 3, which set down in the moon’s Bay of Rainbows on Saturday (December 14, 2013) at about 9:12 p.m. Beijing time. China’s moon landing made it only the third country in the world to land on the moon, after the U.S. and former Soviet Union. The lander delivered a robotic rover called Yutu (“Jade Rabbit”) to the moon’s surface. The plan is for the rover to spend some months exploring on the moon’s surface. The lander is named after Chang’e, the goddess of the moon in Chinese mythology. It’s a follow-up to the Chang’e 1 and Chang’e 2 lunar orbiters.

Bottom line: Video of China’s Chang’e 3 lunar lander as it set down on the moon’s surface on December 14, 2013.

Deborah Byrd

Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.