Chang'e 1 Bites the (Moon) Dust

By Nancy Atkinson - March 01, 2009 12:08 PM UTC | Planetary Science

[/caption] Chang'e-1, China's first lunar probe successfully concluded its mission early March 1 by impacting the surface of the Moon at 8:13 GMT. The satellite conducted a 16-month mission, mapping and creating three-dimensional images of the lunar surface. The planned impact was designed to help China gather experience for landing a subsequent lunar probe. China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense said the spacecraft hit the lunar surface at 1.50 degrees south latitude and 52.36 degrees east longitude.

Several performance tests were carried out while Chang'e-1 was in orbit to give engineers experience in orbit adjustment, and to test the spacecraft's capability. It's also difficult for satellites to remain in lunar orbit for long periods of time because of the usual concentrations of mass or "mascons" within the Moon, which also distort satellite orbits, causing spacecraft to ultimately impact the surface.

"The second phase of the space program aims at soft landing, and the preparation is currently in progress", said Wu Weiren, chief designer of the country's lunar probe program. [caption id="attachment_26403" align="aligncenter" width="518" caption="A 3D image of lunar terrain. Credit: China's Chang'e-1 lunar orbiter. "]

[/caption] Chang'e 1 is the first phase of China's three-stage moon mission. In 2012, China hopes to land a rover vehicle on the Moon, and by around 2017 they hope to have a sample return mission from the Moon.

Chang'e-1 was launched on Oct. 24, 2007.

Congratulations to China and the Chang'e 1 team for a successful mission.

Source:

Xinhua.net

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com