Moon rover Yutu comes closer to public

A small replica of lunar rover Yutu, the Jade Rabbit, has gone on show in Beijing.

The model, half the size of the real rover, is the star of the 17th China Beijing International High-tech Expo at the China International Exhibition Center. The model was created by Chang'e Benyue Aerospace Science and Technology Co., Ltd (CBASTCL), a subsidiary of China's lunar exploration project.

Mini Yutu attracted a host of admirers including Beijinger Niu Baohong who told Xinhua, "I only had some vague knowledge of Yutu before, but I feel so close to it today."

Lunar probe Chang'e-3 with rover Yutu on board, landed on the moon's Sinus Iridum in 2013, making China the third country to put a rover on the moon after the United States and Soviet Union.

Yutu's presence at the expo is an attempt to fuel public creativity, said Yang Zhiyong, Secretary General of the China Creative Industry Alliance, a government agency.

"Although this is just a model, it gives people a glimpse of what is going on with China's advanced technology. It should make them proud and give them heart," Yang said, adding that such feelings can only come to the fore when people see the model up close.

Another model, the same size as the original rover, will be presented to the National Museum of China for exhibition in the next one or two months, according to Yao Sirui, project manager at CBASTCL.

This expo runs till May 18.