Text by Bob Shell, Copyright 2022
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‘Mystery Hut’ On The Moon
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China’s Yutu 2 lunar rover has spotted a mysterious object on the far side of the Moon, the side never visible from Earth.Often called ‘The Dark Side of the Moon,’ the far side of the Moon is far from dark — sorry Pink Floyd. The far side gets just as much sunlight as the side we can see. We never see the far side because our Moon, unlike most known moons, is tidally locked to the Earth, keeping the same side toward us at all times. Why this is so is just one of the mysteries about our solo satellite.
In photos taken by the Chinese rover, the ‘mystery hut,’ as the Chinese space agency is calling it, looks like a flat ‘table’ supported on two or more thick ‘legs.’ It looks to me like some of the neolithic stone structures found in many countries, although many of those have collapsed. It is located on the edge of the Von Karman Crater, where the rover landed on January 3, 2019, the first spacecraft to land on the far side of the Moon. The rover is now making its way across the 115 mile wide crater to investigate this strange object. It will take about three months to get there.
In December, 2020, China succeeded in bringing lunar samples back to Earth for the first time in forty years. Chinese scientists say the material is two billion years old, about a billion years younger than those brought back by Apollo astronauts.
China has big plans for Lunar exploration:
Chang-6 will be the first spacecraft to explore the Moon’s south pole. It is expected to travel there in 2023 or 2024.
Chang-7 will analyze the.Moon’s surface composition and environment.
Chang-8 will verify technology for China’s planned Moon base, to be constructed using 3-D printing.
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About The Author: Bob Shell is a professional photographer, author, former editor in chief of Shutterbug Magazine and veteran contributor to this blog. He is currently serving a 35 year sentence for involuntary manslaughter for the death of Marion Franklin, one of his former models. He is serving the 13th year of his sentence at Pocahontas State Correctional Facility, Virginia. To read additional articles by Bob Shell, click here: https://tonyward.com/censorship/
Editor’s Note: If you like Bob Shell’s blog posts, you’re sure to like his new book, COSMIC DANCE by Bob Shell (ISBN: 9781799224747, $ 12.95 book, $ 5.99 eBook) available now on Amazon.com . The book, his 26th, is a collection of essays written over the last twelve years in prison, none published anywhere before. It is subtitled, “A biologist’s reflections on space, time, reality, evolution, and the nature of consciousness,” which describes it pretty well. You can read a sample section and reviews on Amazon.com. Here’s the link:
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