14 DAY TRIAL // Officials with the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) have announced that their Chang'e-3 lander and Yutu, or Jade Rabbit, rover have entered a new period of inactivity. Over the next two weeks, the spacecraft will be in sleep mode during the long lunar night.
During this period, temperatures at their location in Mare Imbrium will drop considerably, jeopardizing the mission as they have twice before already. Chinese mission controllers are worried that the mechanical fault that hit Yutu shortly after landing on the Moon, on December 14, 2013, will now lead to the rover's doom during this lunar night.
Both Chang'e-3 and Yutu entered sleep mode on February 22, as temperatures plummeted to a bone-chilling -180 degrees Celsius (-292 degrees Fahrenheit). These are the same values the NASA Cassini probe has averaged for Titan, Saturn's largest moon, Space reports.
Jade Rabbit suffered a critical issue shortly after landing on the Moon, which affected the hinges on its solar panels. This means that the panels were unable to close and be stored inside the rover during its first lunar night. Since the compartment itself could not close, the sensitive electronics inside were exposed to the cold, causing concerns that the mission would end prematurely.
Thus far, luck has been on CNSA's side, and hopefully it will continue to be throughout the third lunar night of the mission. Following its second lunar night, Yutu was two days late in waking up, so mission controllers do not actually know what to expect at the end of the next two weeks.