The moon is for us a self-contradictory celestial body. Like no other, with its alternating phases of continuous change, but at the same time he knows us, in his discontinuity to calm down by a always the same face. The “moon face”, as described by Plutarch once, the us has led people to speculation: are there mythological figures, oceans, mountains, or even the mirror image of our world that we admire as dark spots?

The invention of the telescope was thus able to dispel some of the myth, however, the technological disenchantment of the us-facing surface of the moon is left to the imagination after all, a retreat: Who could tell what went on the far side of the moon, so everything in front of you? The Soviet Lunik-3 Mission could provide and in 1959 the first pictures of the back of the guard for further disillusionment. No moon people, not in front of us hiding civilizations are to be found there, but at least it is a very foreign-looking surface without the valued dark patch of the moon from the back, faceless.

The reason for this is that The moon’s crust is on the low side of slim, and could be launched at strikes more easily, so that the large Maria, circular dark spots, formed by the impact craters filled with molten Rock. The erdabgewandte page is, however, quite flat in terms of many highland craters littered.

yesterday’s landing of the Chinese Chang’e-4 Mission to the far side of the moon is now a further important step on the way to the deciphering of our companion. The impressive country opened maneuver in a crater of the South pole-Aitken basin, the succeeded in the radio shadow of the earth by indirect satellite communications, a Phase of intense scientific studies. Lander and Rover to carry a total of eight instruments, including two developed in international collaborations, one of which is in Germany. Studied the lunar surface and its chemical composition. Also the growth of plants under the influence of the weak lunar gravity will be explored.