[ad_1]
BEIJING (AP) – A Chinese spacecraft landed on the moon to bring moon rocks back to Earth for the first time since the 1970s, the government said.
China’s National Space Administration said Chang’e 5 “landed successfully” at its designated site shortly after 11 p.m. (3 p.m. GMT) Tuesday after performing a motorized descent of its orbiter. He posted footage of the barren scene at the landing site, including where the shadow of the lander can be seen.
The lander was launched on November 24 from the southern tropical island of Hainan. It is the latest venture in a Chinese space program that sent its first astronaut into orbit in 2003, has a spacecraft en route to Mars, and ultimately aims to land a human on the moon.
Plans call for the lander to spend about two days drilling the lunar surface and collecting 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of rock and debris. The sample will be lifted into orbit and transferred to a return capsule for the trip to Earth, settling on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia around mid-month.
If this is successful, it will be the first time that scientists will obtain new moon rock samples from a Soviet probe in the 1970s. These samples should be made available to scientists in other countries, although it is not known. not how much access NASA will have, given the US government’s strict restrictions on space cooperation with China.
From the rocks and debris, scientists hope to learn more about the moon, including its precise age, as well as increased knowledge about other bodies in our solar system. Collecting samples, including from asteroids, is a growing priority for many space programs, and China’s mastery of technology once again places it among the major countries operating in space.
U.S. astronauts from NASA’s Apollo space program reported 842 pounds (382 kilograms) of lunar samples from 1969 to 1972, some of which are still being analyzed and tested.
Chang’e 5 flight is China’s third successful lunar landing. Its predecessor, Chang’e 4, was the first probe to land on the little explored far side of the moon. Chinese space program officials have said they are considering future crewed missions as well as robotic missions, possibly including building some sort of permanent space base to conduct research. No timeline or other details have been announced.
The latest flight includes collaboration with the European Space Agency, which helps monitor the mission.
China’s space program has proceeded more cautiously than the U.S.-Soviet space race of the 1960s, which was marked by deaths and launch failures.
In 2003, China became the third country to send an astronaut into orbit alone after the Soviet Union and the United States. He also launched a manned space station.
China, along with its neighbors Japan and India, has also joined the growing race to explore Mars. The Tianwen 1 probe launched in July is on its way to the Red Planet with a lander and a rover to search for water.
[ad_2]
Source link