By Tim Binnall
China's national space agency has released a breathtaking video of their Chang'e 4 probe touching down on the far side of the moon. The historic feat, which was accomplished last week, marked the first time than any country had landed a craft on the mysterious 'dark side' of the lunar surface. Shortly after arriving on the moon, Chang'e 4 quickly got to work, deploying a rover and transmitting images back to Earth.
Today saw the release of a remarkable video which shows the historic landing of Chang'e 4 from the perspective of the craft. In the footage, the lander can be seen slowly descending toward the surface of the moon and adjusting its speed to ensure for a safe arrival in the Von Karman Crater. Incredibly, at one point, Chang'e 4 actually stops and slightly changes its position so that it can avoid obstacles down below and then slowly resumes the landing until it arrives on the moon with a bit of a thud that kicks up some lunar dust.