[ad_1]
BEIJING: A Chinese lunar rover landed on the dark side of the moon Thursday, Jan. 3, in a world premiere that reinforces Beijing's ambitions to become a space superpower.
The Chang-e-4 probe landed at 10:26 am, Beijing time, and sent a photo from the other side of the moon to the Queqiao satellite, which will transmit the communications to the Earth's controllers, announced the CCTV state broadcaster.
Beijing is investing billions in its military space program, hoping to have a space station with a crew by 2022 and eventually send humans to the moon.
The lunar exploration mission Chang-e-4 – named after the goddess of the moon in Chinese mythology – was launched last December from the Southwest Xichang launching center .
This is the second Chinese probe to land on the moon, after the Yutu (Jade Rabbit) engine mission in 2013.
The lunar exploration mission Chang-e-4, named after the goddess of the moon in Chinese mythology, was launched on a Long March 3B rocket from the south-south launching center. west of Xichang. (Photo: AFP / STR)
Unlike the near side of the moon, which still faces the land and has many flat areas to land on, the far side is mountainous and rugged.
The moon is literally locked on the Earth and rotates at the same rate as it orbits our planet, so that the far side – or "dark side" – is never visible from Earth. The previous spaceships saw the other side of the moon but none landed on it.
The Chang & # 39; e-4 probe contains six experiments from China and four from abroad, and includes low frequency radio astronomy studies – aimed at taking advantage of the lack of interference from the radio. ;other side.
The rover will also carry out tests on minerals and radiation, the Chinese Space Agency announced, according to the Xinhua official news agency.
The director of the NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) of the United States, Jim Bridenstine, hailed this feat, calling it "first for humanity" .
EXTREME CHALLENGES
It was only in 1959 that the Soviet Union captured the first images of the mysterious and very crowded "dark side" of the moon.
No lander or mobile has yet touched the surface, and this is not a technological feat, China has been preparing for years already.
A major challenge for such a mission was to communicate with the robotic undercarriage: there was no direct "line of sight" for signals to the back of the moon.
In May, China projected the Queqiao satellite (Magpie Bridge) into the moon 's orbit, positioning it so that it can relay data and commands between the moon and the moon. lander and the Earth.
Another extreme obstacle, during the lunar night – which lasts 14 Earth days – temperatures drop to -173 degrees Celsius.
During the lunar day, which also lasts 14 terrestrial days, temperatures rise up to 127 degrees Celsius.
The rover's instruments must resist these fluctuations and generate enough energy to stick to the long night.
Adding to the difficulties, Chang-e-4 was sent to the Aitken Basin, in the lunar region of the South Pole, known for its steep and complex terrain, according to media reports.
Yutu also overcame these difficulties and, after the first failures, finally studied the surface of the moon for 31 months. Its success has given a major boost to China's space program.
Beijing plans to send another lunar lander, Chang-e-5, next year to collect samples and bring them back to Earth.
It is part of a multitude of ambitious Chinese targets, including a reusable launcher by 2021, a super powerful rocket capable of delivering heavier payloads than those of NASA and the private firm SpaceX, a lunar base, a permanent crew space station and Rover Mars.
[ad_2]
Source link
