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The lander and ascender landed on the Moon on 1 December 2020 at 15:11 UTC.<ref name=":2"/> The mission's landing zone is near [[Mons Rümker]] in [[Oceanus Procellarum]] (Ocean of Storms), located in the northwest region of the [[Moon]]'s near side. This area contains geological units around 1.21 billion years old, compared to the Apollo samples that were between 3.1 and 4.4 billion years old.<ref name=":0"/> The location is a large, elevated volcanic mound {{cvt|70|km}} in diameter that features a strong spectroscopic signature of [[Basalt#Lunar and Martian basalt|basaltic]] [[lunar mare]] material.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Zhao|first=Jiannan|last2=Xiao|first2=Long|last3=Qiao|first3=Le|last4=Glotch|first4=Timothy D.|last5=Huang |first5=Qian|date=June 27, 2017|title=The Mons Rümker volcanic complex of the Moon: a candidate landing site for the Chang'e-5 mission|journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets|volume=122|issue=7 |pages=1419–1442|doi=10.1002/2016je005247|issn=2169-9097|bibcode=2017JGRE..122.1419Z}}</ref><ref name="laps07">{{cite conference|author=Wöhler, C.|author2=Lena, R.|author3=Pau, K. C.|title=The Lunar Dome Complex Mons Rümker: Morphometry, Rheology, and Mode of Emplacement|booktitle=Proceedings Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVIII|publisher=Dordrecht, D. Reidel Publishing Co|date=March 12–16, 2007|location=League City, Texas|url=http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2007/pdf/1091|access-date=10 March 2017}}</ref> The young age of the samples is invaluable to scientists who can use them to better calibrate techniques for estimating the ages of geological surfaces on planets, moons and asteroids throughout the Solar System.<ref name=":2"/> |
The lander and ascender landed on the Moon on 1 December 2020 at 15:11 UTC.<ref name=":2"/> The mission's landing zone is near [[Mons Rümker]] in [[Oceanus Procellarum]] (Ocean of Storms), located in the northwest region of the [[Moon]]'s near side. This area contains geological units around 1.21 billion years old, compared to the Apollo samples that were between 3.1 and 4.4 billion years old.<ref name=":0"/> The location is a large, elevated volcanic mound {{cvt|70|km}} in diameter that features a strong spectroscopic signature of [[Basalt#Lunar and Martian basalt|basaltic]] [[lunar mare]] material.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Zhao|first=Jiannan|last2=Xiao|first2=Long|last3=Qiao|first3=Le|last4=Glotch|first4=Timothy D.|last5=Huang |first5=Qian|date=June 27, 2017|title=The Mons Rümker volcanic complex of the Moon: a candidate landing site for the Chang'e-5 mission|journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets|volume=122|issue=7 |pages=1419–1442|doi=10.1002/2016je005247|issn=2169-9097|bibcode=2017JGRE..122.1419Z}}</ref><ref name="laps07">{{cite conference|author=Wöhler, C.|author2=Lena, R.|author3=Pau, K. C.|title=The Lunar Dome Complex Mons Rümker: Morphometry, Rheology, and Mode of Emplacement|booktitle=Proceedings Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVIII|publisher=Dordrecht, D. Reidel Publishing Co|date=March 12–16, 2007|location=League City, Texas|url=http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2007/pdf/1091|access-date=10 March 2017}}</ref> The young age of the samples is invaluable to scientists who can use them to better calibrate techniques for estimating the ages of geological surfaces on planets, moons and asteroids throughout the Solar System.<ref name=":2"/> |
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The electronics and systems on Chang'e 5 would have ceased working on Friday, December 11, due to moon's extreme cold while not equipping the [[radioisotope heater unit]]. However, the Chang'e 5 lander was already damaged and stopped working after acting as the launchpad for the launch of the ascender module from the lunar surface on December 3, which was not unexpected from the engineers.<ref name="spac_Chin">{{Cite web |title=China's Chang'e 5 moon lander is no more after successfully snagging lunar rocks |last=Jones |first=Andrew |work=Space.com |date=December 14, 2020 |access-date=December 15, 2020 |url=https://www.space.com/china-chang-e-5-moon-lander-is-no-more |archive-date=15 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215210218/https://www.space.com/china-chang-e-5-moon-lander-is-no-more |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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=== Returning to Earth === |
=== Returning to Earth === |
Revision as of 19:34, 16 December 2020
Mission type | Lunar sample return |
---|---|
Operator | CNSA |
COSPAR ID | 2020-087A |
SATCAT no. | 47097 |
Mission duration | 1299 days, 13 hours, 20 minutes |
Spacecraft properties | |
Manufacturer | CAST |
Launch mass | 8,200 kg (18,100 lb) [1] |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 23 November 2020 20:30 UTC 24 November 2020 04:30 CST[2] |
Rocket | Long March 5 |
Launch site | Wenchang |
Contractor | CALT |
End of mission | |
Landing date | 16 December 2020 |
Landing site | Inner Mongolia, China |
Lunar orbiter | |
Orbital insertion | 28 November 2020 12:58 UTC [3] |
Orbital parameters | |
Periapsis altitude | 400 km (250 mi)[3] |
Lunar lander | |
Landing date | 1 December 2020 [4] |
Return launch | 3 December 2020 |
Landing site | Mons Rümker, region of Oceanus Procellarum [5][6] |
Sample mass | 2,000 g (71 oz) [5] |
Chang'e 5 (Chinese: 嫦娥五号; pinyin: Cháng'é wǔhào[note 1]) is a robotic mission of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program. It was launched on 23 November 2020 at 20:30 UTC and landed on the Moon on 1 December 2020, before returning to Earth with lunar samples on 16 December 2020.[8][9][10] Chang'e 5 was China's first sample return mission, which aimed to return at least 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of lunar soil and rock samples back to the Earth.[5] Like its predecessors, the spacecraft is named after the Chinese Moon goddess, Chang'e.
This was the first lunar sample-return mission since Luna 24 in 1976.[11] China is the third country to return samples from the Moon after United States and Soviet Union. It launched from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan Island.
Overview
The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program is designed to be conducted in four [12] phases of incremental technological advancement:
- The first was simply reaching lunar orbit, a task completed by Chang'e 1 in 2007 and Chang'e 2 in 2010.
- The second is landing and roving on the Moon, as Chang'e 3 did in 2013 and Chang'e 4 in 2019 (launched in December 2018, landed on the far side of the Moon in January 2019).
- The third phase is collecting lunar samples from the near side and sending them to Earth, a task for the Chang'e 5 and the future Chang'e 6 missions.
- The fourth phase consists of the development of a robotic research station near the Moon's south pole.[12][13][14]
The program aims to facilitate a crewed lunar landing in the 2030s and possibly build an outpost near the lunar south pole.[15]
Components
The mission consists of four modules or components:[16][17]
- The lander collected about 2 kg (4.4 lb) of samples from 2 m (6 ft 7 in) below the surface [6] and placed them in an attached ascender that was launched into lunar orbit on 3 December 2020.
- The ascender made an automatic rendezvous and docking with an orbiter that then transferred the samples into a sample-return capsule for their delivery to Earth.[5][18]
- The orbiter began the roughly 4.5-day trip back to Earth and released the reentry capsule just before arrival. The reentry capsule performed a skip reentry to bounce off the atmosphere once before reentering.[3]
- The returner received samples from the ascender and brought them back to the Earth.
The estimated launch mass is 8,200 kg (18,100 lb),[19] the lander is projected to be 1,200 kg (2,600 lb) and the ascent vehicle is about 500 kg (1,100 lb).
Unlike Chang'e 4 which was equipped with a radioisotope heater unit to survive the extreme cold of lunar night, the Chang'e-5 landing and sampling need to take place within a single, 14-Earth-day lunar daytime. The total mission lasted a total of 23 days until landing in Dorbod Banner, Inner Mongolia, on 16 December 2020. Samples will be transferred to specially developed facilities for handling, analyzing, and storing the lunar material.[20]
Lander science payload
The lander carries landing cameras, a panoramic camera, a spectrometer to determine mineral composition, a soil gas analytical instrument, a soil composition analytical instrument, a sampling sectional thermo-detector, and a ground-penetrating radar.[5][18]
For acquiring samples, it is equipped with a robotic arm, a rotary-percussive drill, a scoop for sampling, and separation tubes to isolate individual samples.[18]
Mission profile
The Chang'e 5 consists of a service module, lunar lander, ascender, and a sample-return vehicle. This probe was planned to be launched in November 2017 by a Long March 5 rocket from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan Island; however, a July 2017 failure of the referenced carrier rocket forced a delay to the original schedule.[21] On 27 December 2019, the Long March 5 successfully returned to flight operations, thereby allowing the current mission to proceed.[22]
Launch
The Chang'e 5 probe was finally launched on 23 November 2020 at 20:30 UTC, by a Long March 5 rocket from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan Island. Sunrise over Mons Rümker occurred on 27 November 2020, ahead of the landing.[20]
Selenocentric phase
On 28 November 2020 at 12:58 UTC, it fired its engine for 17 minutes and braked into orbit around the Moon at an altitude of 400 km (250 mi).[3] On the morning of 30 November 2020, the lander with the ascender separated from the lunar orbiter in preparation for landing.[23]
Landing site
The lander and ascender landed on the Moon on 1 December 2020 at 15:11 UTC.[9] The mission's landing zone is near Mons Rümker in Oceanus Procellarum (Ocean of Storms), located in the northwest region of the Moon's near side. This area contains geological units around 1.21 billion years old, compared to the Apollo samples that were between 3.1 and 4.4 billion years old.[20] The location is a large, elevated volcanic mound 70 km (43 mi) in diameter that features a strong spectroscopic signature of basaltic lunar mare material.[24][25] The young age of the samples is invaluable to scientists who can use them to better calibrate techniques for estimating the ages of geological surfaces on planets, moons and asteroids throughout the Solar System.[9]
The electronics and systems on Chang'e 5 would have ceased working on Friday, December 11, due to moon's extreme cold while not equipping the radioisotope heater unit. However, the Chang'e 5 lander was already damaged and stopped working after acting as the launchpad for the launch of the ascender module from the lunar surface on December 3, which was not unexpected from the engineers.[26]
Returning to Earth
On December 3, the Chang'e 5 ascender lifted off from Oceanus Procellarum at 15:10 UTC and, six minutes later, achieved lunar orbit.[27] The ascender docked with the orbiter-returner combination in lunar orbit on December 5 at 21:42 UTC, and the samples were transferred to the return capsule at 22:12 UTC.[28] Undocking of the ascender from the orbiter-returner combination took place on December 6 at 04:35 UTC.[29] After completing its role in the mission, the ascender was commanded to deorbit on December 7, at 22:59 UTC, and crashed into the Moon's surface at 23:30 UTC, in the area of (~30°S, 0°E).[30] On December 13 at 01:51 UTC, from a distance of 230 kilometers from the lunar surface, the orbiter and returner successfully fired four engines to enter the moon-Earth Hohmann Transfer orbit.[31]
On December 16 at around 1:00pm EST, the roughly 300-kilogram return capsule performed a ballistic skip reentry, effectively bouncing off the atmosphere over the Arabian Sea before re-entry. The capsule containing around 2 kilograms of drilled and scooped lunar material landed in the grasslands of Siziwang Banner. Recovery vehicles located the capsule shortly after.[32]
Lunar Samples
Verifying the age of the samples would confirm hypothesis that some areas of the moon experienced late-stage volcanism, and compositional analysis could provide insights into the reasons behind it. Katherine Joy, a Reader in Earth Sciences at the University of Manchester says the samples might represent some of the last lunar lava flows to have erupted. “If so, they not only tell us about the Moon’s thermal history but these are also vital samples to help us calibrate the Moon’s impact history.”[32]
Furthermore, Joy said calibrating this young part of the Moon’s impact record would have “important implications for understanding the surface ages of all other bodies in the Solar System.”[32]
Related missions
Chang'e 5-T1
Chang'e 5-T1 is an experimental robotic lunar mission that was launched on 23 October 2014 to conduct atmospheric re-entry tests on the capsule design planned to be used in the Chang'e 5 mission.[33][34] Its service module, called DFH-3A, remained in orbit around the Earth before being relocated via Earth-Moon L2 to lunar orbit by 13 January 2015, where it is using its remaining 800 kg of fuel to test maneuvers key to future lunar missions.[35]
International collaboration
The European Space Agency (ESA) supports the Chang'e 5 mission by providing tracking via ESA's Kourou station, located in French Guiana. ESA will track the spacecraft during the launch and landing phases while providing on-call backup for China's ground stations throughout the mission. Data from the Kourou station will help the mission control team at the Beijing Aerospace Control Centre to determine the spacecraft's health and orbit status. Chang'e 5 is expected to return to Earth around 16 December 2020. During the landing phase, ESA will use its Maspalomas Station, located in the Canary Islands and operated by the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA) in Spain, to support the tracking efforts.[36]
Implications
Science journalist Bob McDonald discussed Chang'e 5 in comparison to the Luna program, which involved Luna 15, Luna 16, and Luna 24 being sent to the Moon. Luna 15 attempted to grab a sample of lunar soil and return it to Earth before the Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin got back in July 1969. It crashed during its landing attempt, hence losing the opportunity for a "propaganda coup." Luna 16 mission did successfully return about 100 grams of lunar soil a year later and two other sample return missions succeeded in following years. With Chang'e 5 returning the first Moon rocks since Luna 24 in 1976, McDonald said China just entered another Moon race, except this time the robots might be in the lead.[11]
Bradley Perrett, Asia-Pacific Bureau Chief of Aviation Week Network, opined that the moon race between the Soviet Union and the US in the 1960s was driven by propaganda, a message to the world about their strength. Perrett noted that the Chang'e project was also driven by propaganda utility, but primarily for the internal audience—the reason that the Chinese government funded this was to show the Chinese people, "China can do it."[37]
See also
- Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP)
- Exploration of the Moon
- List of missions to the Moon
- List of artificial objects on the Moon
- Lunar resources
- Moon landing
Footnotes
- ^ Pronounced like Chang-Er, which is also an alternative spelling for the goddess it was named after.[7]
References
- ^ Chang'e 5 and Chang'e 6 Archived 10 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine Gunter Dirk Krebs, Gunter's Space Page, Accessed on 9 January 2019
- ^ "NASA - NSSDCA Spacecraft Details - Chang'e 5". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b c d Andrew Jones 28 November 2020. "China's Chang'e 5 enters lunar orbit for historic attempt to return moon samples". space.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Berger, Eric. "China Chang'e 5 probe has safely landed on the Moon". arstechnica.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Williams, David R. (7 December 2018). "Future Chinese Lunar Missions". NASA. Archived from the original on 4 January 2019. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b Andrew Jones (7 June 2017). "China confirms landing site for Chang'e-5 Moon sample return". GB Times. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
- ^ Loong, Gary Lit Ying (27 September 2020). "Of mooncakes and moon-landing". New Straits Times. Malaysia. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
- ^ Jones, Andrew (23 November 2020). "China launches Chang'e-5 Moon sample return mission". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- ^ a b c Myers, Steven Lee; Chang, Kenneth (1 December 2020). "China Lands Chang'e-5 Spacecraft on Moon to Gather Lunar Rocks and Soil". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
- ^ "China recovers Chang'e-5 moon samples after complex 23-day mission". SpaceNews. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
- ^ a b Bob McDonald (27 November 2020). "Chinese sample return mission to the moon harkens back to 1960s lunar race". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ a b Chang'e 4 press conference Archived 15 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine CNSA, broadcast on 14 January 2019
- ^ China's Planning for Deep Space Exploration and Lunar Exploration before 2030[permanent dead link] XU Lin, ZOU Yongliao, JIA Yingzhuo, Space Science, 2018, 38(5): 591-592 doi:10.11728/cjss2018.05.591
- ^ A Tentative Plan of China to Establish a Lunar Research Station in the Next Ten Years Archived 15 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine Zou, Yongliao; Xu, Lin; Jia, Yingzhuo, 42nd COSPAR Scientific Assembly, Held 14–22 July 2018, in Pasadena, California, United States, Abstract id. B3.1-34-18
- ^ China lays out its ambitions to colonize the Moon and build a "lunar palace" Archived 29 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine Echo Huang, Quartz, 26 April 2018
- ^ "Orbiter-returner combination of Chang'e-5 separates from ascender". Xinhua News. 6 December 2020. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
The Chang'e-5 probe, comprising an orbiter, a lander, an ascender and a returner...
- ^ "China schedules Chang'e-5 lunar probe launch". China National Space Administration. 27 February 2017.
...the lunar probe is comprisedof four parts: an orbiter, a returner, an ascender and a lander...
- ^ a b c "Chang'e 5 test mission". Spaceflight101.com. 2017. Archived from the original on 4 October 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
- ^ "十年铸器,嫦娥五号这些年". mp.weixin.qq.com. 26 November 2020. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- ^ a b c "China rolls out Long March 5 rocket to launch Chang'e-5 lunar sample return mission". SpaceNews. 17 November 2020. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ Foust, Jeff (25 September 2017). "Long March 5 failure to postpone China's lunar exploration program". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 16 March 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
- ^ "Successful Long March 5 launch opens way for China's major space plans". SpaceNews. 27 December 2019. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ "China's moon mission about to touch down on lunar surface". South China Morning Post. 30 November 2020. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ Zhao, Jiannan; Xiao, Long; Qiao, Le; Glotch, Timothy D.; Huang, Qian (27 June 2017). "The Mons Rümker volcanic complex of the Moon: a candidate landing site for the Chang'e-5 mission". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 122 (7): 1419–1442. Bibcode:2017JGRE..122.1419Z. doi:10.1002/2016je005247. ISSN 2169-9097.
- ^ Wöhler, C.; Lena, R.; Pau, K. C. (12–16 March 2007). "The Lunar Dome Complex Mons Rümker: Morphometry, Rheology, and Mode of Emplacement". Proceedings Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVIII. League City, Texas: Dordrecht, D. Reidel Publishing Co. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
{{cite conference}}
: Unknown parameter|booktitle=
ignored (|book-title=
suggested) (help) - ^ Jones, Andrew (14 December 2020). "China's Chang'e 5 moon lander is no more after successfully snagging lunar rocks". Space.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ Andrew Jones 03 December 2020. "China's Chang'e 5 probe lifts off from moon carrying lunar samples". Space.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "2nd LD-Writethru-Xinhua Headlines: China completes first spacecraft rendezvous, docking in lunar orbit, | The Star". www.thestar.com.my. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ "嫦娥五号对接组合体成功分离 择机返回地球-中新网". www.chinanews.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
- ^ "Chang'e-5 spacecraft smashes into moon after completing mission". spacenews.com. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
- ^ "Orbiter-returner of Chang'e-5 enters moon-Earth transfer orbit" Archived 15 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine. www.chinanews.com. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
- ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
:3
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Chinese Long March Rocket successfully launches Lunar Return Demonstrator". Spaceflight101. 23 October 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
- ^ "China launches test return orbiter for lunar mission". Xinhuanet. 24 October 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
- ^ "Chang'e 5 Test Mission Updates". Spaceflight 101. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- ^ "ESA tracks Chang'e-5 Moon mission". esa.int. European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- ^ DiMascio, Jen; Perrett, Bradley; Klotz, Irene (3 December 2020). "Podcast: How Chang'e 5 Fits into China's Space Program". Aviation Week Network. Archived from the original on 6 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.