Chang'e 3 prelaunch through lunar orbit insertion, Lander instruments, capability, development, testing, launch |
Chang'e 3 prelaunch through lunar orbit insertion, Lander instruments, capability, development, testing, launch |
Mar 3 2009, 06:27 AM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 236 Joined: 5-June 08 From: Udon Thani Member No.: 4185 |
According to moondaily.com China plans a (unmanned) moonlanding for 2013.
The article contains an image of a sample-return probe taking off from the moon which indeed looks a lot like a (Soviet) Y8E derived vehicle. If this is true, my earlier remark here that this landingsite might be selected for its option to fly a direct ascent trajectory back to earth seems to make sense, they might indeed be planning to attempt a sample-return mission with a moonlanding in the vicinity of the present crash-site. Regards, Geert. |
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Jun 6 2013, 09:00 PM
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Solar System Cartographer Group: Members Posts: 10227 Joined: 5-April 05 From: Canada Member No.: 227 |
I've been preparing some graphics for Chang'E 3, and thinking about things a bit.
This is a map of the landing area: It's a composite of LROC-WAC images from Quickmap and the Clementine false-color map, showing the dramatic difference in lava flow types in Mare Imbrium first noted by Ewen Whitaker in the 1960s. 'Blue' lavas overlie 'yellow' lavas. (I have cosmetically removed some small but ugly data gaps.) The white box is the Chang'E 3 landing area, often said to be just Sinus Iridum, but actually extending well outside it. This area is approximately 80% covered by Chang'E 2 images with resolution of about 1.5 to 2.0 m/pixel. This is the only area of the Moon covered by Chang'E 2 at such high resolution. So it would seem to me that it is intended to serve as the landing area for future landers as well as Chang'E 3. Chang'E 4 is another rover scheduled for 2014 or 2015 (just a hunch - will it carry a GLXP secondary payload? - no official word yet, I am just surmising based on fragmentary public information). Chang'E 5 and 6 are sample return missions scheduled for approximately 2017 and 2018. If the sample return missions come here it would make lots of sense to have one in each lava flow type. The two preliminary rovers might be designed to do a bit of in situ analysis in each area in preparation for the later missions. Another thought - the ground-penetrating radar on CE3 might detect the contact between the blue and yellow lavas if it lands in the blue unit. Phil -------------------- ... because the Solar System ain't gonna map itself.
Also to be found posting similar content on https://mastodon.social/@PhilStooke Maps for download (free PDF: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...Cartography.pdf NOTE: everything created by me which I post on UMSF is considered to be in the public domain (NOT CC, public domain) |
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