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William Atkins
Sunday, 20 May 2007 21:33
This phase of operations, called Milestone 1: Orbiting (Chang’e 1), is the first part of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP). The China National Space Administration (CNSA), a civilian agency of the People ’s Republic of China, conducts the lunar exploration program. Chang’e is named after the mythological Chinese goddess of the Moon (or, Woman of the Moon).
The 2,350-kilogram (5,180-pound) orbiting spacecraft was completed as of December 2006. With about 130 kilograms (285 pounds) of payload, the spacecraft contains numerous instruments to investigate the Moon including a high-energy Sun particle detector, laser altimeter, microprobe instruments, three-dimensional charge-coupled device (CCD) cameras, gamma and x-ray spectrometer, and microwave radiometer.
A Chinese Long March 3A rocket will launch the lunar orbiting spacecraft from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province. It will orbit the Earth while increasing its apogee (furthest point of its orbit from the Earth) until it attains an orbit for the Moon. A later rocket firing will place it in polar orbit about the Moon, with later burns at perilune (closest point in its lunar orbit) to decrease its apolune (furthest point in its orbit) until a final near-circular orbit is attained.
Once in orbit about the Moon, the spacecraft will take pictures of the lunar surface with a stereo camera/spectrometer imager, including photographs of the northern and southern pole regions; investigate and analyze elements on the lunar surface, including locations of large deposits of elements, and take measurements of the lunar subsurface, including measurements of helium-3 (although rare on the Earth, it is thought to exist on the Moon).
A probe will also be sent out to perform analysis of the space between the Moon and the Earth, specifically in the region of 40,000 to 400,000 kilometers (25,000 to 250,000 miles) from the Earth in order to investigate the solar wind and other activities from the Sun.
The Chang’e spacecraft will remain in orbit about the Moon for about one year.
The home website of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP) is: http://210.82.31.82/.
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