--- title: "China Claims Its Moon Rover Found a Colorful “Gel-Like” Substance" description: "China's moon rover Yutu-2 has apparently found a colorful \"gel-like\" substance in a crater on the far side of the Moon." date: "2019-09-05" modified: "2019-09-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-moon-rover-gel-substance" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "Science & Energy" - "Space" tags: - "china" - "lunar rover" - "the digest" - "yutu" --- # China Claims Its Moon Rover Found a Colorful “Gel-Like” Substance ![China claims its Yutu-2 lunar rover has stumbled upon an unsually colored "gel-like" substance on the bottom of an impact crater on the Moon.]() *\Image: CNSA/Victor Tangermann\* ## Puzzling Discovery China [claims]() its Yutu-2 lunar rover has stumbled upon an unusually colored "gel-like" substance on the bottom of an impact crater on the far side of the Moon — and they have no idea what it is. The Chinese space agency has remained vague about the nature of what its rover found, referring to it as a "colored mysterious substance" in the [rover's diary]() as translated by Google. Its shape "shape and color is significantly different from the surrounding lunar soil," according to the diary. Our best guess as to what it might be: a type of [glass material]() that formed as a result of the heat caused by the meteor impact itself. It remains unclear if the substance has any gel-like properties or is rather a solid object with a reflective surface. ## Hard Work Yutu-2, or "jade rabbit" in Mandarin, had to shut down its systems and take a nap after the discovery. The rover [set off]() on its journey across the mysterious surface of the far side of the Moon — the less-studied, mountainous half that faces away from the Earth — on January 4 after being [dropped off]() by lander Chang'e-4. The rover also carried with it the first plant [ever grown]() on another world. Unfortunately the plant [has since died](). **READ MORE:** [China's Lunar Rover Has Found Something Weird on the Far Side of the Moon]() \[*Space.com*\] **More on Yutu-2:** *[Bad News: That Moon Plant Everybody Was Talking About Is Dead]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()