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According to the Chinese Space Administration (CSNA), the Chang & # 39; e 4 will hold its first landing on the other side of the moon in early January. will release the mobile platform which will be the communication link between the mobile and a satellite already in lunar orbit.
Diagram of the voyage of the probe Chang & # 39; e 4 who left the Earth on December 8, 2018. Credits: CSNA / DR
The "dark" side of the Moon also receives sunlight
the Moon, always with the same face facing the Earth, would have a half that does not receive sunlight. But this is not the case.
The moon, although its rotation is slow and "invisible" to the eyes of man, also realizes it, as any planetoid space body. Whenever the moon is in the new moon phase, it means that the sunlight illuminates its hidden face. The solar eclipses in which the Moon is placed between the Sun and the Earth, cutting light from this star, are unequivocal proof of this.
Phases of a solar eclipse in which the moon covers sunlight on Earth. Reuters / DR
The Other Unexplored Side of the Moon
It is common knowledge that the Moon still has the same face on our planet. Astronomical phenomenon resulting from the fact that our natural satellite performs the same rotational time with respect to the translational movement that it performs around the Earth.
But why did space agencies not send missions to the dark side of the moon for years? The answer lies in the inability to communicate with our planet because of the natural barrier that cuts any line of sight between the sender and the recipient. This problem was solved by the Chinese sending of the Queqiao geostationary satellite, which will serve as a relay between the spacecraft and the rover and control of the mission in China.
According to the SCNC, the probe will land in early January in the Von Kármán Crater, a 186-kilometer-long hole, located in an area considered one of the largest marks of physical impact of the solar system . This site is part of the South Pole-Aitken Basin and extends over 2500 km.
But what does the Chinese hope to find on the other side of the moon? At first, nothing special, if it is to achieve a historical feat and to badyze if the composites and the lunar relogitos are different from those of the face exposed to the Earth.
Lunar probe region Chang & # 39; e-4 in the crater Antoniadi. The white arrows indicate the secondary landing zones, the yellow lines the trajectory. The location of this area is indicated by the white box. The basic image was obtained by the Japanese lunar satellite Kaguya. Credit: Jun Huang and others / DR
Chang & # 39; e 4 contains eight scientific instruments: a landing chamber (LCAM), a ground observation chamber (TCAM), a low frequency spectrometer (LFS), as well as Neutron Counter (LND), provided by Germany.
The small robotic vehicle features a panoramic camera (PCAM), a high gain lunar radar (LPR), a visible near-infrared near-infrared spectrometer (VNIS), but also from a small Advanced Neutral Analyzer (ASAN), a contribution from Sweden.
This equipment will allow Chang & # 39; e 4 to characterize his environment in great detail. For example, the LFS will take data on the composition of the surface, while the LPR will show the layered structure of the moon's subsoil.
Such information could help scientists better understand the differences between the two lunar faces. For example, the large dark basaltic plains cover much of the brighter side, but are virtually nonexistent on the opposite side.
Moon receives tomato seeds, kale eggs and silkworms
There is still no permanent human life on the moon, but this one will receive for the first time organic organisms plants and animals. through Chang & # 39; e 4.
In addition to the various scientific instruments, the probe carries a small container containing silkworm eggs, tomato seeds and Arabidopsis plants (cabbage and mustard family). Organics that researchers will keep under the eyes, because the experiment will know how these organisms will behave on the lunar surface.
High resolution image of the lunar surface captured by the Yutu rover, where you can see the Chinese lunar explorer and lunar probe Chang & # 39; e 3. Credits: CSNA / Xinhua / DR
For the moment, it is the last stage of Chinese space exploration, but Beijing wants to go further and put people on the moon, even if it is n & rsquo; There is still no specific date for this project.
After sending the first unmanned missions on the moon (Chang & 3 e and Chang & # 5; e 5), a new manned space station in Earth orbit around 2020 is already under construction.
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