On Dec. 13, 2012, a Chinese spacecraft flew by the asteroid Toutatis.
Chang'e 2 launched in 2010 and was originally a lunar orbiter that China launched as part of a three-phase lunar exploration effort. The spacecraft's main mission was to scout for potential landing sites for China's first moon lander, the Chang'e-3. By April of 2012, it had finished its primary mission and took off toward the asteroid for an extended mission. It flew within 2 miles of the asteroid's surface and took some pretty sweet pictures of the strangely shaped space rock.
Chang'e 2 launched in 2010 and was originally a lunar orbiter that China launched as part of a three-phase lunar exploration effort. The spacecraft's main mission was to scout for potential landing sites for China's first moon lander, the Chang'e-3. By April of 2012, it had finished its primary mission and took off toward the asteroid for an extended mission. It flew within 2 miles of the asteroid's surface and took some pretty sweet pictures of the strangely shaped space rock.
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TechTranscript
00:00On this day in space.
00:04In 2012, a Chinese spacecraft flew by the asteroid Tutatus.
00:08Chang'e 2 launched in 2010 and was originally a lunar orbiter that China
00:12launched as part of a three-phase lunar exploration effort. The spacecraft's
00:16main mission was to scout for potential landing sites for China's first moon lander,
00:20Chang'e 3. By April of 2012, it had finished its primary
00:24mission and took off towards the asteroid for an extended mission.
00:28It flew within two miles of the asteroid's surface and took some pretty sweet pictures of the
00:32strangely shaped space rock. And that's what happened on this day in space.
00:36Music
00:40Music