HELSINKI – The Change-5 climbing vehicle that fills precious samples into lunar orbit was ordered to crash into the moon on Monday after completing its role in the mission.
Orders were sent to the spacecraft by Mission Control at 5:59 a.m. Monday, resulting in the ascending vehicle hitting the moon at 6:30 p.m., the China Lunar Exploration Program Announced On tuesday.
Its effect was 0 degrees longitude and 30 degrees south. The report coordinates indicate the effect between the ancient pit Regiomontanas And Walther in the South Highlands region.
The cruising vehicle was a crucial component in the 23-day Change-5 mission to collect lunar samples and deliver them to Earth.
This The spacecraft took off cean December, over the Chang’-land lander in the Oceanus Procelarum, with about two kilograms of lunar samples collected by the Chang’-land lander. The spacecraft landed simultaneously on December 1.
On December 5, the spacecraft successfully completed its first attempt at robotic rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit.
The unprecedented event allowed the transfer of specimens into a rantry capsule attached to a Change-5 orbiter. The Arohan vehicle was strapped six hours later with a D-King King dopter.
Chang 5 Rendezvous, first robotic lunar docking, capsule transfer of sample to return capsule.
CNSA / CLEP
. ps https: //t.co/xP7FULCtp4 pic.twitter.com/of5JCfjQrB– LaunchStuff (@ LaunchStuff) December 6, 2020
Doc King was the crucial moment in the sample return mission Start Venchang, South China, Nov. From 23. When hundreds of tests and simulations were performed on the ground, King King would travel 380,000 kilometers and would require an accuracy of less than five centimeters, according to mission officials.
The Chang-5 orbiter stays in lunar orbit, waiting for a window for trans-earth injection, which, as a result, after 112 hours (6. days a day), will result in the rendering and landing of the Siziwang banner, the rentry capsule of Inner Mongolia.
Chinese state media said the Das is scheduled for the next few days, but it will take place around 9:50 a.m. Saturday night, according to the planned 23-day mission.
Burn to head home, subsequent road improvement maneuvers, splitting of a rentry vehicle from an orbiter module at a distance of kilometers, thousands of kilometers from Earth, and a one-time abandonment – including a one-time atmospheric surge – are the remaining mission events required to obtain a sample.
Future apps but no extended missions
There are also applications for more grandiose plans in the success of the climbing vehicle. Litoff emanating from the lunar surface and subsequently found and Dr. Qing are the activities required to return around 2030 for a planned Chinese Mars sample, and a crew mission to the moon.
China declared a Potential crew lunar mission architecture At the China Space Conference in September 2020, which includes a lunar orbit rendezvous exercise.
Following the successful docking, Chinese media reports said the climbing vehicle has significant outstanding propellant and an extended mission is being considered.
However the CLEP announcement states that the spacecraft was responsibly distorted to prevent it from becoming space junk that could affect future missions.
More stunning scenes from Change-5. The mounting vehicle is separated from the orbiter. This was followed yesterday by automatic rendezvous in the first lunar orbit and docking and re-entry of lunar samples into the capsule. Source: https://t.co/eox8MILUnO pic.twitter.com/zywv1JpF4l
– Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) December 6, 2020
Its effects appear to have been felt in numerous parts of the moon, and NASA’s lunar reconnaissance orbiter – which envisioned the Chang’-5 lander and post-landing ascent hours – would not be in orbit to observe.
China currently has three operational landers on the moon, but it is unclear whether it will be able to carry out impact-related science.
The Change-3, which landed in Mer Imbrium seven years ago, is effectively retired but has sticky quartz crystal microbial lenses that were used to detect dust. The centener-5 lander remains active following the lift off funnel. The Change-4 lander is currently inactive at sunset over its location in the Von Crimman crater on the far side.
