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Bruce Murray Space Image Library

Chang'e 3 and Yutu seen from orbit

Chang'e 3 and Yutu seen from orbit
Chang'e 3 and Yutu seen from orbit On December 25, 2013, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spied Chang'e 3 and Yutu on the lunar surface. It was near sunset on the pair's first lunar day of operations. In its extended mission, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is in an elliptical orbit whose altitude over the Chang'e 3 landing site is 150 kilometers, so its highest-resolution images have about 1.5 meters per pixel. NASA / GSFC / ASU

Here is a comparison of the terrain before and after the landing.

Chang'e 3 landing site as seen from orbit (before and after)
Chang'e 3 landing site as seen from orbit (before and after) The two images were taken on June 30 and December 25, 2013, before and after the landing.Image: NASA / GSFC / ASU