China said Thursday its latest lunar probe has finished taking samples of the moon's surface and sealed them within the spacecraft for return to Earth.
https://phys.org/news/2020-12-china-...les-earth.html
Order of Kilopi
China said Thursday its latest lunar probe has finished taking samples of the moon's surface and sealed them within the spacecraft for return to Earth.
https://phys.org/news/2020-12-china-...les-earth.html
Do good work. —Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom
Established Member
The page doesn't indicate how far the drill penetrated, I wonder how far it did reach.
Order of Kilopi
Good question, as the Apollo astronauts had a heck of a time with drilling through the regolith.Originally Posted by bknight
Do good work. —Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom
Order of Kilopi
Found an article that said the drill was to go 2 meters into the lunar soil. Wow, that's ... amazing? impossible? I don't know what to say.
https://apnews.com/article/beijing-m...d9622153a3a828
Do good work. —Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom
Order of Kilopi
My bad. Apollo 17 was able to get 94 inches down, so I stand corrected. If the Chinese say they have a 2-meter drill, it probably worked.
https://airandspace.si.edu/collectio...m_A19810903000
Do good work. —Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom
Order of Kilopi
Probe has lifted off from Moon, preparing to return to Earth.
https://apnews.com/article/science-b...bd96ca26fe83b9
Do good work. —Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom
Banned
Lift-off Footage:
https://www.space.com/china-chang-e-...-lunar-surface
Order of Kilopi
Good, another important step completed successfully. Now for the transfer in orbit.
"The problem with quotes on the Internet is that it is hard to verify their authenticity." — Abraham Lincoln
I say there is an invisible elf in my backyard. How do you prove that I am wrong?
The Leif Ericson Cruiser
Established Member
It's good to see the moon getting some attention again recently after decades of being passed over.
Order of Kilopi
More photos and other images from the Chang'e 5 mission.
https://www.cnet.com/news/chinas-cha...th-moon-rocks/
Do good work. —Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom
Order of Kilopi
Good to see all is going well for the mission and I expect those rocks to deliver some interesting results.
Established Member
Is the lander still operational?
Established Member
Apparently, it was operational enough to deploy and unfurl a Chinese flag on the surface. China thus becomes only the second nation to plant its flag on the moon.
Last edited by Selenite; 2020-Dec-05 at 02:27 AM.
Order of Kilopi
"Chang’e-5 spacecraft prepare for historic lunar orbit rendezvous, sample relay"
It was supposed to have docked at 16:40 p.m but still no news
https://spacenews.com/change-5-space...-sample-relay/
China’s Chang’e-5 spacecraft are preparing for a first-ever robotic rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit, a major hurdle to delivering lunar samples to Earth.
At 11:15 a.m. Eastern Saturday an ascent vehicle fresh off the moon and laden with samples will begin an approach phase with the orbiting Chang’e-5 service module, with both spacecraft traveling at around 1.6 kilometers per second.
The pair are planned to rendezvous and dock by around 16:40 p.m. in one of the most challenging and complex milestones in the ambitious Chang’e-5 sample return mission.
I am because we are
(African saying)
Order of Kilopi
I think the writer means 16:40 EST since they used EST in the first paragraph. If so then still a few hours to go."Chang’e-5 spacecraft prepare for historic lunar orbit rendezvous, sample relay"
It was supposed to have docked at 16:40 p.m but still no news
https://spacenews.com/change-5-space...-sample-relay/
Order of Kilopi
You are right as it has now successfully docked.Now to transfer the precious cargo to the return capsule.
https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/5/2...-lunar-samples
China’s Chang’e-5 mission completed a tricky docking maneuver on Saturday, as it prepares to return the soil samples it collected from the Moon’s surface back to Earth.
I am because we are
(African saying)
Established Member
It's probably pointless to ask, but I can't help but wonder what's going through the minds of the remaining Apollo Hoax Believers when they see the uncanny resemblance between contemporary Chinese lunar surface pictures and the Apollo ones from fifty years ago. The same starless black sky over rounded grey hills. Another stiff, undrooping flag.
"China's in on it!", I suppose will be the standard mental defense.
Order of Kilopi
The transfer also has been done. Now to bring it back to earth.You are right as it has now successfully docked.
https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/5/2...-lunar-samples
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-12-0...XnW/index.html
The ascender of China's Chang'e-5 probe successfully rendezvoused and docked with the orbiter-returner combination in lunar orbit at 5:42 a.m. BJT on Sunday, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) has announced.
It's the first time that a Chinese spacecraft has carried out a rendezvous and docking in a lunar orbit, which also marked the very first human effort in automated lunar orbit rendezvous.
The samples collected on the moon weighing roughly 2 kilograms have been transferred from the ascender to the returner, said the CNSA.
I am because we are
(African saying)
Order of Kilopi
A series of reports of what Chang'e-5 have done so far.
"Orbiter-returner combination of Chang'e 5 separates from ascender"
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/20201...d0ba99fdd.html
"China completes first spacecraft rendezvous, docking in lunar orbit"The orbiter and returner combination of China's Chang'e 5 probe successfully separated from the spacecraft's ascender at 12:35 pm Sunday (Beijing Time), according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
http://www.ecns.cn/news/sci-tech/202...y4395794.shtml
"China's first lunar orbit docking: How to avoid a space crash"The ascender of China's Chang'e-5 probe successfully rendezvoused and docked with the orbiter-returner combination in lunar orbit at 5:42 a.m. (Beijing Time) on Sunday, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) has announced.
This is the first time Chinese spacecraft have carried out rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit.
The samples collected on the moon had been transferred from the ascender to the returner safely by 6:12 a.m., said the CNSA.
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-12-0...Epq/index.html
"Chang'e-5 ascender docks with orbital module in lunar orbit"In one of the 11 steps to bring 2 kilograms of moon samples back to Earth, the ascender of China's Chang'e-5 lunar probe has docked with the orbiter module and is ready to return.
Docking in space is in no way similar to how it happens in Japanese animes, wherein robots often speed up and rush into the action, even producing loud, metal clunking sound. In reality, the docking process is very gentle, achieved at an acceleration of only a thousandth of a rocket.
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-12-0...XnW/index.html
"China completes first spacecraft rendezvous, docking in lunar orbit"The ascender of China's Chang'e-5 probe successfully rendezvoused and docked with the orbiter-returner combination in lunar orbit at 5:42 a.m. BJT on Sunday, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) has announced.
It's the first time that a Chinese spacecraft has carried out a rendezvous and docking in a lunar orbit, which also marked the very first human effort in automated lunar orbit rendezvous.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/20201...d0ba99fce.html
The rendezvous and docking, showed in this video provided by the China National Space Administration, took place between the probe's ascender and reentry capsule without external assistance from navigation satellites.
The ascender then delivered into the reentry capsule a sealed container holding 2 kilograms of lunar rocks and soil, according to the administration.
I am because we are
(African saying)
Established Member
0f course. And the day a Chinese rover rolls up to an Apollo landing site and finds exactly what we believer's expect to find, that will be proof Apollo was all a hoax.
Order of Kilopi
"Lunar samples a rich source of information"
http://www.ecns.cn/news/2020-12-07/d...y4395816.shtml
Scientific study of the lunar samples to be brought back by the Chang'e 5 mission will help to improve mankind's knowledge about Earth's celestial companion, especially its history and resources, Chinese researchers said.
Guo Hongfeng, a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatories under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the biggest scientific value in the Chang'e 5 mission lies in the lunar rocks and soil to be brought back by the robotic probe.
"These stones and dirt record the history of the moon, like how it has been affected by cosmic radiation, how many small asteroid bodies and meteorites have slammed into the lunar surface and how the celestial body has changed after those impacts," she said.
"Research on lunar samples is one of the most important approaches for us to know about the past, present and future of the moon, and it also helps a lot when scientists investigate the evolutions of other members of our solar system."
Samples from Chang'e 5's landing site near Mons Ruemker, a raised region in a vast lunar mare called Oceanus Procellarum, or the Ocean of Storms, have been of special interest to scientists.
I am because we are
(African saying)
Established Member
I haven't read any of the articles, however, has the Chinese space agency indicated how deep the drill reached?
Order of Kilopi
I believe 2 meters.
Do good work. —Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom
Established Member
That was the deepest possible, but did it get that deep?
Order of Kilopi
From post #58 - "The lander first drilled a 2-meter-deep hole"
I am because we are
(African saying)
Established Member
Ok.
Order of Kilopi
The Chang'e-5 ascender didanother successful controlled landing on the Moon, to avoid it becoming space junk in Luna orbit. Well done China for being environmental conscious and landing on the Moon for the 4th time
http://www.stdaily.com/index/kejixin..._1058275.shtml
Another report says it smashed into the moon.The reporter learned from the National Space Administration that at 6:59 on December 8th, the Chang'e-5 ascender was de-orbited in accordance with ground instructions, and landed at about 0° longitude of the moon and 30° south latitude. Drop point.
Experts from the National Space Administration's Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center said that the Chang'e-5 ascender has successfully completed its mission. The controlled deorbiting and landing of the moon can prevent it from becoming space junk and avoid affecting the international community's subsequent lunar exploration missions. This is China's responsibility. An important commitment of major powers to the peaceful exploration and use of space by mankind.
https://spacenews.com/change-5-space...eting-mission/
The Chang’e-5 ascent vehicle which carried precious samples into lunar orbit was commanded to crash into the moon Monday after completing its role in the mission.
Mission control sent commands to the spacecraft at 5:59 p.m. Eastern Monday, resulting in the ascent vehicle impacting the moon around 6:30 p.m., the China Lunar Exploration Program announced Tuesday.
The impact occurred at 0 degrees longitude and 30 degrees south. The reported coordinates suggest impact between the ancient craters Regiomontanus and Walther in the southern highlands region.
I am because we are
(African saying)
Order of Kilopi
Uh yeah....landing? I call that lithobraking with intent to scatter.The Chang'e-5 ascender did
http://www.stdaily.com/index/kejixin..._1058275.shtml
Another report says it smashed into the moon.
https://spacenews.com/change-5-space...eting-mission/
Order of Kilopi
Sounds more like a controlled impact. This is a perfectly reasonable thing to do, and sometimes can provide more science, but the trick with the moon is to keep satellites in orbit. The Moon has mascons (mass concentrations) that make its gravity “lumpy.” Without periodic corrections, satellites in low lunar orbit are pretty much guaranteed to impact and in a fairly short time frame (it can be a matter of months). The US found this fairly early when a passive satellite’s orbit started changing dramatically and unexpectedly, and fairly quickly impacted.The Chang'e-5 ascender did
What is probably more useful is to control the rough location of impact. Chances are nothing of importance would be hit by a random impact today, but it will become more and more important that things aren’t just allowed to drop. So a good practice, but not for the reason the article mentioned.
"The problem with quotes on the Internet is that it is hard to verify their authenticity." — Abraham Lincoln
I say there is an invisible elf in my backyard. How do you prove that I am wrong?
The Leif Ericson Cruiser
Order of Kilopi
More details on the mission including the results from its Science payloads. Most interesting to me was the information of the soil.
https://www.leonarddavid.com/chinas-...rn-next-steps/
Fu said that the lunar soil structure detector explored the soil before and after the drilling of samples, collecting information about the difference of the soil structure several meters under the lunar surface.
The panoramic camera took multiple panoramic photos of the landing site before and after the collection of lunar surface samples. Over 700 photos of the lunar surface were obtained.
“During the collection of lunar surface samples, the lunar mineralogical spectrometer conducted a dozen full-spectrum explorations of the sampling site, the rocks and the lunar surface soil,” Fu added. “It also completed a full-field multispectral scanning for the sampling site. So far, all the scientific data has been sent back to the Earth and our research team is processing and analyzing the data.”
I am because we are
(African saying)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote