China's space agency accomplished a historic feat last evening when they became the first nation to land a craft on the far side of the moon. The mysterious lunar realm, colloquially mislabeled as the 'dark side' of the moon, had heretofore only been observed by orbiting astronauts and photographed by satellites. Beyond that, the area has never explored on the ground by any space agency due to its rocky terrain and difficulties surrounding communicating with a craft located on the hemisphere which almost permanently faces away from the Earth.
Nonetheless, in an admirable accomplishment, China's Chang'e 4 craft reportedly managed to successfully land on the mysterious side of the moon and is already beaming back images from the site. Celebrating the history-making landing, the nation's space agency declared that it "opened up a new chapter in human lunar exploration." While that may sound like a bit of hyperbole, the vast array of instruments aboard the craft, which is both a lander and a rover, suggest that may not be just wishful thinking.
Learn more about the Chang'e 4 craft at the Coast to Coast AM website.