China's Moon Rover 'Back From the Dead'

Zombie on the moon: China's Jade Rabbit lunar rover has shown signs of life despite earlier reports that it had died following mechanical difficulties in the extreme cold of the lunar night. The rover—which signed off with the ominous words "Goodnight humanity" at the end of January—is now sending out signals and Chinese state media say it has become "fully awake," reports the BBC.

"At first we were worried the rover could not withstand the low temperatures on the moon, because it entered its dormant state while in an abnormal state," a spokesman for China's lunar program says. "It is still alive, so there is a chance it could be saved." Technical teams are still trying to determine the source of the problems and it's not clear whether the probe, part of the first "soft landing" moon mission since 1976, will be able to resume searching the lunar surface for resources, reports CNN. (More Jade Rabbit stories.)