Photos show Chang'e-2 is ready for launch

[qwerrty]

Major tasks of Chang'e 2

Chang'e-2 lunar probe is upgraded by Chang'e-1's backup satellite. The aim of launching the Chang'e-2 experimental mission is to test the key techniques of Chang'e-3 and Chang'e-4, as a preparation for a soft lunar landing in the future.

Compared to Chang'e-1, the technique of Chang'e 2 is more renewed, advanced and complicated. A rocket with a stronger impulse sends Chang'e 2 directly into the earth-moon transfer orbit. This cuts the total travel time to lunar orbit by half. The Chang'e-2 can reach lunar orbit within five days, compared to Chang'e-1, which required nearly 14 days.

The Chang'e-2 will experience many orbital changes and adjustments. It will orbit 100 kilometers closer than its predecessor, at around 15 kilometers from the moon, while carrying a higher resolution stereo camera.

When Chang'e-2 reaches its circling orbit around the moon, the CCD camera it carries will capture the 3D image of the lunar surface with a high resolution of 10 meters. When it lowers to 15 kilometers from the moon, the camera will be able to take clearer pictures of the selected soft-landing area with a higher resolution of 1 meter. Audiences can expect detailed images of the lunar landscapes from the Chang'e-2

brand-new landing camera, which has a much stronger data transmission capacity, will be tested....The data transmission speed will also be increased from 3 million bytes per second of the Chang’e-1’s to 6 million bytes per second on the Chang’e-2. An experiment to test the speed of 12 million bytes per second will also be carried out.

english.cntv.cn/english/special/change2_satellite/change/index.shtml

The equipment and payloads on the satellite are combination of the old, the renovated and the new. This has raised challenges for us to ensure all equipment reaches the same standard."
China will test its new X-band deep space control system, and adopt a low, one-kilometer altitude orbit for moon...

english.cntv.cn/program/newshour/20101001/101454.shtml

............

 

[jayron]

Way to go China! Congratulations!

 

[Martian2]

All Things Nuclear • China?s Lunar Exploration Program and the Chang E 2 Mission

"China’s Lunar Exploration Program and the Chang E 2 Mission
| by Gregory Kulacki | China |
October 1, 2010

Image: The Change E 2 Lunar Orbiter as it was being positioned for installation on the Long March 3C launch vehicle at the launch site in Xichang.

China launched its second unmanned mission to the moon this morning at 6:59am EST. The robotic probe being sent on this mission, called the Chang E 2, follows on the success of the Chang E 1 mission, which sent China’s first probe to the moon almost three years ago on October 24, 2007.

The Chang E Project is also called the China Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP). Chang E is the name China has given to its lunar orbiters, derived from a character in an ancient Chinese folk tale: Chang E is China’s “woman on the moon.”

In 2004, the Chinese government authorized a three-stage robotic lunar exploration mission:

Stage 1: Orbiters will circle the moon and collect data.

Stage 2: Robotic probes will land on the lunar surface to collect and analyze lunar samples and transmit the data back to Earth.

Stage 3: After landing on the moon, the robotic probe will return to Earth with a set of moon rocks and soil sample.

According to a CCTV announcement accompanying today’s Chang E 2 launch, all three stages of the program are now fully funded. There is no fixed timetable for the separate stages, although Chinese space officials have been quoted in the press estimating that the second stage should be well underway by the middle of the decade and the program should be completed by 2020. The second and third stages are believed to require the new Long March 5 launch vehicle, capable of carrying heavier payloads than China’s current fleet of rockets. The LM5 is currently under development and scheduled to enter service in 2012 from a new launch site being constructed near the city of Wenchang on Hainan Island.

The Chang E 1 orbiter circled the moon 200 km above the surface, taking pictures and mapping the lunar surface. It also conducted a survey of the elements and types of materials present on the lunar surface, examining in some detail the characteristics and thickness of the lunar regula: the dusty coating on the surface of the moon. According to a recent Chinese press report the data collected during the first Chang E mission is considered secret and is still being analyzed by the small team of Chinese specialists granted access to the data. Earlier reports indicated that the Chang E 1 data would be made public.

The Chang E 2 orbiter will circle the moon at an altitude of only 100 km, getting a closer look at the surface with the goal of choosing a site for the lander that is intended to touch down on the lunar surface in Stage 2. Chang E 2 will then maneuver into an elliptical orbit with an apogee of 100km and a perigee of 15km, at which time a high resolution three-dimensional CCD camera will take images of possible landing sites."

[Note: To my knowledge, this is the first known photograph of the real Chang'e-2.]

 

[Martian2]

China microwaves the Moon

"China microwaves the Moon
By Duncan Geere |23 September 2010 |Categories: Wired Science

China has just become the first country in the world to scan the entire surface of the Moon using microwave radiation and a lunar-orbiting satellite called Chang'E-1.
...
The survey was conducted using a device called the Lunar Microwave Radiometer, which scanned every inch of the surface at high resolution.

It measures microwave radiation in four channels, allowing it to measure the properties of different layers of rock just below the surface. One measures the rock a few centimetres down, whereas another can penetrate several metres. The idea is to try and work out how much helium-3 is buried in the crust.

Helium-3 is particularly interesting, because it's thought that it could be used as fuel in fusion reactors; potentially powering future moonbases. It's rare on Earth, but collects in greater quantities on the Moon due to its exposure to the solar wind over billions of years. On Earth, we're protected by the atmosphere and the planet's magnetic field, but the Moon has neither.

China plans to launch its next spacecraft, Chang'E-2, in October. It'll also orbit the Moon, scanning the surface with a camera with larger resolution in preparation for Chang'E-3, a lunar lander scheduled for launch in 2013, which will collect soil samples directly from the surface.

Photo Credit: Chang'E-1 | Online Editor: Olivia Solon"

Microwave map of entire moon revealed

"Microwave map of entire moon revealed
By Tannith Cattermole
23:41 September 20, 2010

The first complete microwave image of the Moon taken by Chinese lunar satellite Chang'E-1 has been revealed. Chang’E-1 is China’s first scientific mission to explore planetary bodies beyond Earth and the on-board Lunar Microwave Radiometer has made it possible for the first time to globally map the Moon in microwave frequencies. Radar observations of the Moon are unable to provide thermal information, and microwave observations taken from Earth cannot reach the far side of the moon. So Chang'E-1's (CE-1) orbit was conducted at an altitude of 200km (124 miles) and allowed it to observe every location of the moon with a nadir view and at high spatial resolution.

The Lunar Microwave Radiometer (MRM) was able to obtain brightness temperature data globally eight times from the surface and deeper layers of the Moon, revealing radiation and its variation during both lunar daytime and night-time periods. This allowed a valuable opportunity to study the lunar regolith – ‘dust’ and impact debris that covers almost the entire surface of the Moon.

The MRM measured microwaves in four frequency channels measuring layers a few centimeters below the surface to depths beyond a few meters. This allowed scientists to infer the thermo-physical properties of the lunar regolith as well as variation of its thickness. They hope this information will help them to estimate distribution and amount of helium 3 which has been suggested as a nuclear fuel for in-situ fusion energy production in possible future human settlements on the Moon. Furthermore a state-of the-art image with unprecedented image quality and positioning precision was produced by the stereo camera, and the Solar Wind Ion Detector (SWID) discovered acceleration of scattered solar wind protons close to the lunar polar terminator.

The results of the mission will be presented by Dr. Yong-Chun Zheng and Dr. Kwing L. Chan from the Hong Kong University of Science &Technology at the European Planetary Science Congress in Rome from Monday 20th to Wednesday 22nd September. “No future mission, from any country, has been planned with a comparable program in microwave measurement”, says Dr. Zheng of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. A sister orbital probe to CE-1, Chang'E-2, is scheduled to be launched in October 2010."

 

[Martian2]

Artistic rendition of Chang'e-1 above the Moon

Chang'e-1 launch to expand lunar exploration

"Chang'e-1 launch to expand lunar exploration
By Emily Clark
23:18 October 28, 2007

The Chang’e-1 spacecraft successfully blasted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre, Sichuan, atop a Long March 3A rocket last week bound for lunar orbit. The launch by the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA), is China’s first step in a program that aims to land robotic explorers on the Moon before 2020.

The purpose of the Chang’e-1 (named after the Chinese goddess of the Moon) mission is to complete four key goals: making three-dimensional images of lunar landforms and outline maps of major lunar geological structures; analyzing up to 14 chemical elements and their distribution across the lunar surface; measuring the depth of the lunar soil; and exploring the space weather between the Earth and the Moon. To perform its mission objectives, Chang’e-1 carries a variety of instruments: a CCD stereo camera, a laser altimeter, an imaging interferometer, a gamma-ray/X-ray spectrometer, a microwave radiometer, a high-energy particle detector, and a solar wind particle detector.

Weighing in at 2350 kg (more than 5000 pounds), Chang’e-1 will operate from a low, circular lunar orbit, just 200 km (124 miles) above the surface of the Moon. It will perform its science mission for a full year and represents the first phase in the Chinese Lunar Exploration Programme (CLEP). The next step next will involve a lunar lander and associated rover and plans are also being drawn up for a sample return mission to bring lunar rocks to Earth for analysis."

 

[Martian2]

Cai Lun - Lat: 80.3°N, Long: 113.5°E, Diam: 43 km, Depth: , Rükl: (farside)

Bi Sheng - Lat: 78.4°N, Long: 148.6°E, Diam: 55 km, Depth: , Rükl: (farside)

Zhang Yuzhe - Lat: 69.1°S, Long: 137.8°W, Diam: 35 km, Depth: , Rükl: (farside)

Three moon craters named after Chinese scientists

"Three moon craters named after Chinese scientists
English.news.cn 2010-09-20 18:19:52

BEIJING, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- The International Astronomic Union (IAU) has named three impact craters on the moon after Chinese scientists Cai Lun, Bi Sheng and Zhang Yuzhe, the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) announced Monday.

The announcement came more than one month after the IAU approved China's application for the naming on Aug. 2 this year.

Located at 80.3 degrees north latitude and 113.5 degrees east longitude with a diameter of 43 km, the Cai Lun crater is partially visible from the Earth when the librations are favorable. It was named after Cai Lun (57 BC-121 BC), a Chinese inventor credited with the invention of paper.

Located at 78.4 degrees north latitude and 148.6 degrees east longitude with a diameter of 55 km, the Bi Sheng crater was named after Bi Sheng (990 BC-1051 BC), a Chinese inventor credited with the invention of movable type.

Located at 69.1 degrees south latitude and 148.6 degrees west longitude on the moon with a diameter of 55 km, Zhang Yuzhe the impact crater was named after a Chinese astronomer who lived between 1902 and 1986.

With the IAU's recent namings, a total of 14 geological entities on the moon have been named after Chinese. The IAU has approved the namings of 1,993 geological entities on the moon since it was founded in 1935.

Liu Xiaoqun, an engineer of China's moon mission project, said the IAU naming is partly a reflection of a country's moon exploration capability and its scientific strength.

China is set to launch the Chang'e-2 lunar probe at the end of the year.

The country launched its first lunar probe, Chang'e-1, named after China's mythical Moon Goddess, on Oct. 24, 2007, from southwest China's Sichuan Province. The probe ended its 16-month mission on March 1, 2009, when it crashed into the moon's surface.

Editor: An"

 

[Martian2]

This undated photo shows a radio telescope at Kunming station of the National Astronomical Observatories; affiliated with Chinese Academy of Sciences in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province. China successfully launched Chang'e II, China's second unmanned lunar probe, on Oct. 1, 2010. The TT&C (telemetry, track & command) system for Chang'e II, mainly designed by Beijing Institute of Tracking and Telecom Technology (BITTT), was co-developed by Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC), Xi'an Satellite Control Center, China Satellite Maritime Tracking & Control Department, and Shanghai Observatory, etc.. The ground application system for Chang'e II was mainly developed by the National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences. (Xinhua Photo)

This undated photo shows staff members working at the China Science and Technology Network, which offers technology support for the Chang'e II lunar exploration program. (Xinhua Photo)

File photo taken on April 29, 2009 shows the Yuanwang 6 Space Tracking Ship. Yuanwang Space Tracking Ships numbered #3,5, and 6 undertake the telemetry, tracking, and command missions for Chang'e II. (Xinhua Photo)

File photo taken on Nov. 23, 2005 shows the Yuanwang 3 Space Tracking Ship. Yuanwang Space Tracking Ships numbered #3,5, and 6 undertake the telemetry, tracking, and command missions for Chang'e II. (Xinhua Photo)

Newslink: TT&C, ground application systems for Chang'e-2

 

[Brotherhood]

Change-2 begins scientific mission CCTV News - CNTV English 10-03-2010

The solar-powered probe carried by China's second lunar probe Chang'e-2 has begun working.

This marks the commencement of the lunar orbiter's scientific mission. And Chang'e-2 has sent its first batch of information from space. The first correction has also been made to its trajectory since the launch.

Scientists monitoring the journey of Chang'e-2 say data transmitted back indicate that the temperature, voltage and power readings are all within the normal range.

Chang'e-2 is carrying 7 solar-powered pieces of equipment. The equipment is responsible for surveying the environment between the earth and the moon.

The first batch of data was received on Saturday.

Su Yan, Designer, Ground Application System, said, "The main information we received included that of the monitoring pictures taken by the camera on Chang'e-2 of the solar panel, antenna and motors. "

Chang'e-2 went through its first correction to its trajectory 17 hours after its successful launch.

Here on the screen of Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Center, the green line is the principle trajectory and the red line is Change'e-2's actual trajectory.

It's the first time a Chinese lunar probe has directly entered an earth-moon transfer orbit without orbiting the earth first.

That requires a more accurate trajectory of the satellite. Timely correction would prevent it from deviating from its designed orbit.

Ma Yongping, Deputy Director, Beijing Aerospace Command & Control Center, said, "From the monitoring data we've got, we can say we have succeeded in the first correction of the satellite's trajectory."

Chang'e-2 is expected to travel for about 112 hours, or almost five days, to arrive in a lunar orbit.

The satellite will eventually be maneuvered into an orbit just 15 kilometers above the moon. At that point, Chang'e-2 will take high-resolution pictures of the moon's Bay of Rainbows area, the proposed landing ground for Chang'e-3.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Beautiful Chang'e.

The next one should be called the Jade Rabbit... although I wonder what a mission to Mars will be called?

 

[S.U.R.B.]

Great going China.

 

[Martian2]

"Zhai Zhigang waves the Chinese flag after emerging from the Shenzhou 7 spaceship."

China has a total of 6 Yuanwang space tracking ships. For manned spaceflights, China deploys at least four Yuanwang ships. For unmanned space programs like Chang'e II, China deploys only three Yuanwang ships.

Yuan Wang class tracking ship - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Another two Yuanwang-class vessels were launched in Shanghai in early 2007.[1]

Pictures of Yuanwang 6 were published as it has been revealed that both Yuanwang 5 and the newly commissioned ship would be on duty for the Shenzhou 7 mission.[2]

During the Shenzhou spacecraft flights, the four ships are positioned with:[3]

* Yuanwang 1 in the Yellow Sea
* Yuanwang 2 about 1500 km (about 900 statute miles) southwest of French Polynesia
* Yuanwang 3 off the Namibian coast
* Yuanwang 4 off the coast of Western Australia in the Indian Ocean"

-----

I watched the Mandarin interview with the director and another important program manager of Chang'e II. They both look like they are in their early to mid-30s.

 

[nika]

 

[Carnivore]

China's second lunar probe completes first braking

BEIJING, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's second unmanned lunar probe, Chang'e-2, completed its first braking Wednesday, which decelerated the satellite and successfully made it enter a 12-hour orbit, according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center.

 

[siegecrossbow]

China's second lunar probe completes first braking

BEIJING, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's second unmanned lunar probe, Chang'e-2, completed its first braking Wednesday, which decelerated the satellite and successfully made it enter a 12-hour orbit, according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center.

Here is more on this news:

China's 2nd unmanned lunar probe 'Chang'e-2' enters lunar orbit

China's 2nd unmanned lunar probe 'Chang'e-2' enters lunar orbit

2010-10-06 15:10:00

Online IT CertificateAds by GoogleOnline object oriented application development certificate at APU. American Public University


China's second unmanned lunar probe, Chang'e-2, entered the moon's orbit on Wednesday, according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center.

According to the Xinhua, the spacecraft entered the 100 kilometres lunar orbit roughly in its 112th hour in space compared to the country's first unmanned probe 'Chang'e-1', which took 13 days to reach the orbit three years back.

"Chang'e-2, which is part of China's three-phase space program that aims to land an astronaut on the moon around 2020, will be manoeuvred into an orbit just 15 kilometres above the moon by the end of this month," Xie Jianfeng, Director of the center's orbit room, said.

Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar orbiter project said that from that height, the satellite will be able to take high-quality photographs of the proposed landing sites for Chang'e-3 and future moon missions with a resolution of 1.5 meters.

Chang'e-2, which was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China's Sichuan province on Friday evening, has reportedly sent an initial batch of data, totalling 1.6 gigabytes (GB) till Tuesday morning.

A spokesman for the lunar exploration program however claimed, that the mission cannot be declared a successful one until the probe relays back clear images of the Bay of Rainbows, the planned landing site for Chang'e-3.

The Chang'e-2 mission has reportedly cost 900 million Yuan (134 million dollars), much less than that of Chang'e-1 that had cost 1.4 billion Yuan.

Chang'e-3 is expected to be launched from the country's fourth and latest satellite launch center in Wenchang, South China's Hainan province, before 2013. (ANI)

 

[Brotherhood]

Parts of Chang'e II - People's Daily OnlineOctober 08, 2010

This undated photo shows the 490N engine monitor camera carried with Chang'e II, China's second unmanned lunar probe. China launched Chang'e II on Oct. 1, 2010. (Xinhua)

This undated photo shows the laser altimeter carried with Chang'e II, China's second unmanned lunar probe. China launched Chang'e II on Oct. 1, 2010. (Xinhua)

This undated photo shows the CCD Stereo Camera carried with Chang'e II, China's second unmanned lunar probe. China launched Chang'e II on Oct. 1, 2010. (Xinhua)

This undated photo shows the equipments of X-ray spectrometer system, carried with Chang'e II, China's second unmanned lunar probe. China launched Chang'e II on Oct. 1, 2010. (Xinhua)

This undated photo shows the TT&C (telemetry, track & command) omnidirectional antenna, for Chang'e II, China's second unmanned lunar probe. China launched Chang'e II on Oct. 1, 2010. (Xinhua)

This undated photo shows some equipments, developed by Beijing Institute of Control Engineering, for Chang'e II, China's second unmanned lunar probe. China launched Chang'e II on Oct. 1, 2010. (Xinhua)