In reality, it may just be a piece of rock, meanwhile the rover is trying to get closer to the structure. Yutu-2 spotted a strange cube-shaped object on the lunar surface.
In early December, China's Yutu-2 rover spotted an intriguing cube-shaped object on the lunar surface, which was described as a "mystery house" by the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The CNSA joked that the structure might be a home "built by aliens after a crash landing." In reality, the truth is far less intriguing: it would be a piece of lunar rock. To know for sure what it is, we await the results of a closer observation of the object with the rover that is trying to shorten the distance from the strange object on the Moon.
The discovery of the "mysterious house" on the Moon
Yutu-2 landed on our satellite in January 2019 and became the first probe to ever arrive on the far side of the Moon. In nearly three years of exploration, it sent back numerous incredible photos. For the past 36 lunar days, precisely just under three Earth years, the rover has provided data from the Von Kármán crater. Just in this area, last month, it spotted the strange object on the northern horizon. While the possibility of a lunar "home" cannot be ruled out, most evidence suggests that the mysterious cube is probably just a large boulder that may be in its current location after being launched into space following a meteorite impact. Unlike Earth, the Moon does not have an atmosphere to protect it from space rocks, which means it is constantly being hit by debris fragments, hence the abundance of craters on its surface.
Where is the "mystery house"
The particular cube is located near some of these craters, and Yutu-2 is now heading to the object to find more details and figure out where it came from. Despite being only 80 meters away, the rover should only be able to get close between two to three lunar days, which is equivalent to two to three Earth months. The path that Yutu-2 must face is not easy to travel and is full of obstacles. Another problem causing a slowdown in the rover's approach to the "mystery house" is the solar-powered power supply that causes the vehicle to continually shut down during the long lunar nights.
However, CNSA scientists believe the difficult journey is necessary because a closer look at the rock could reveal valuable information about the composition of lunar boulders from beneath the Moon's surface. On our satellite, meanwhile, Nasa is considering a nuclear reactor as it prepares for a mission to return man to the Moon in 2025. There are also several projects that aim to bring a telescope on its surface that will serve to investigate the dark side of the Universe.
Stefania Bernardini