Suppose China were to send another Rover up in the next 5 years, and it found this one. In theory, could this one be repaired? Or will the "electronics self-destruct" be thorough by then?
• The RTG in Yutu (the rover already up) will last that long
• Yutu does not move, get struck by a meteor, or other normal events in space that will damage it further
• The team who understands Yutu is still around in 5 years
Then China could, in theory:
• Assemble a rover with the repair parts on board
• Launch it to the moon
• Land on the moon intact
• Locate Yutu
• Do a remotely-operated repair
There's a lot of risk in each of those steps. It might be an interesting mission to push the boundaries of tele-operated robotics etc. Realistically it seems less expensive to launch a second rover that has been improved based on the lessons learned from Yutu. Hopefully China can think of lots of things to improve the second time.
Comments
Suppose China were to send another Rover up in the next 5 years, and it found this one. In theory, could this one be repaired? Or will the "electronics self-destruct" be thorough by then?
Some assumptions I have to make are:
• The RTG in Yutu (the rover already up) will last that long
• Yutu does not move, get struck by a meteor, or other normal events in space that will damage it further
• The team who understands Yutu is still around in 5 years
Then China could, in theory:
• Assemble a rover with the repair parts on board
• Launch it to the moon
• Land on the moon intact
• Locate Yutu
• Do a remotely-operated repair
There's a lot of risk in each of those steps. It might be an interesting mission to push the boundaries of tele-operated robotics etc. Realistically it seems less expensive to launch a second rover that has been improved based on the lessons learned from Yutu. Hopefully China can think of lots of things to improve the second time.
Interesting thought experiment, though.