Old news, but here's the Planetary Society link:
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2016/01281656-fun-with-a-new-data-set-change.htmlCHINA REACHES THE MOON SNAPPING INCREDIBLE, NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN HIGH-DEFINITION IMAGES
5/23/2017
http://www.physics-astronomy.com/2017/05/china-reaches-moon-snapping-incredible.htmlWhile exploring the lunar surface, China’s Chang’e 3 lander discovered a new type of moon rock, and managed to snap THOUSANDS of high-resolution images of the moon.
For the first time ever, you can take a peek at the lunar surface like never before thanks to the sophisticated cameras located onboard the Chang’e 3, one of China’s most advanced lunar landers.
[...]
While the mission took place in 2013, China’s National Space Administration released thousands of the high definition images during 2015. The images however, weren’t displayed by western media due to the fact that China is used to release images in a period of one to one and a half years after received them.
Not long ago, Planetary Society’s Emily Lakdawalla spent weeks searching through the photo trove –which has over 45 gigabytes of data—and presenting it all in a easily downloadable manner for the entire world to see.
[...]
While the CNSA website is difficult to navigate - not to mention entirely in Chinese - the US Planetary Society has reposted the images from both Yutu and Chang'e 3 in accessible formats.
In 2017, China plans to send another lander to the moon which will even return numerous lunar samples back to Earth, exploring the moon in the process and helping researchers back on Earth understand the complex geology and origin of the moon, which has remained one of the most mysterious celestial objects in our solar system.
Excerpt. Read more and see more images at
http://www.physics-astronomy.com/2017/05/china-reaches-moon-snapping-incredible.html
