Chang'e 1: Chinese moon probe mission

[astrowikizhang]

How about CNSA? <br /><br />=============<br /><br />China National Space Administration (CNSA) has no top-level control over the country's space program. It should cooperate with China Aerospace Corporation (CASC), CASC is focused on commercial launchs and more profit based. <br /><br />"China National Space Administration assumes the following main responsibilities: signing governmental agreements in the space area on behalf of organizations, inter-governmental scientific and technical exchanges; and also being in charge of the enforcement of national space policies and managing the national space science, technology and industry."<br /><br />I think CNSA and CASC is directed by the State Aerospace Bureau. And State Aerospace Bureau and the State Atomic Energy Agency is organized by the Commission on Science, Technology and National Defense Industry (COSTIND). There is also agency like China Academy of Space Technology (CAST). Quite a complex system that I am never familiar with

 

[hk8900]

see CCTV website for live coverage of the launch<br /><br />http://www.cctv.com/english/special/Change1/01/index.shtml

 

[astrowikizhang]

CCTV-1 and CCTV News channel is covering the launch preparations live.

 

[astrowikizhang]

Lift off

 

[astrowikizhang]

3rd stage sep. Think the launch is successful.

 

[hiro2002]

Congratulations!

 

[astrowikizhang]

If my memory is correct, current orbit is:<br /><br />Apogee: 51,000 km<br />Perigee: 202 km<br />Period: 14 hour 47 minute<br />Inclination: 31 degree

 

[ace5]

Go, China!<br />Go, Chang´e!!!!

 

[h2ouniverse]

Kudos to Chinese engineers!

 

[3488]

Its sure is.<br /><br />Lets hope this works. It will compliment the Japanes Kaguya & the upcoming NASA <br />Lunar Reconnaiance Orbiter, well.<br /><br />Whilst the abilities of Chinese rocketry is in no doubt, the abilities of 'deep space' equipment, is<br />yet to be determined. <br /><br />Lets hope this works out.<br /><br />Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[l3p3r]

Go China! May this be an extra little nudge in the ribs of the dormant global space program <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[hal9891]

Next year there gonna be a record of some sort:<br />China's, Japan's, India's and Unated States spacecrafts will be orbiting the Moon at the same time. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div style="text-align:center"><font style="color:#808080" color="#999999"><font size="1">"I predict that within 100 years computers will be twice as powerful, 10000 times larger, and so expensive that only the five richest kings of Europe will own them"</font></font><br /></div> </div>

 

[astrowikizhang]

First orbit maneuver burn performed about an hour ago, perigee is raised to 600 km.

 

[alokmohan]

Kudos to all .

 

[CalliArcale]

Agreed -- major kudos! Another nation has launched a deep space probe, joining the small fraternity that so far has been occupied by the US, Russia, Japan, and Europe. I wish them the very best of luck. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[star_sirius]

<font color="yellow">small fraternity that so far has been occupied by the US, Russia, Japan, and Europe</font><br />small fraternity? Will flood all US, Russia, Japan, and Europe! Oops! Population wise!!! <img src="/images/icons/tongue.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="0" color="#10bdee"><strong>A dazzling bluish luminosity from A distant south pacific.</strong></font><p><br /><img id="cb51e87e-8221-424c-8ff2-78c95122196c" src="http://sitelife.livescience.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/11/15/cb51e87e-8221-424c-8ff2-78c95122196c.Large.jpg" alt="blog post photo" /></p> </div>

 

[haywood]

Yes, a small fraternity...4 members, now 5.<br />Has nothing to do with population.<br />

 

[PistolPete]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Next year there gonna be a record of some sort:<br />China's, Japan's, India's and Unated States spacecrafts will be orbiting the Moon at the same time.<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br />Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that there has ever been this much activity around the Moon ever. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><em>So, again we are defeated. This victory belongs to the farmers, not us.</em></p><p><strong>-Kambei Shimada from the movie Seven Samurai</strong></p> </div>

 

[gunsandrockets]

Nah. <br /><br />There was a blizzard of unmanned missions to the moon during the 1960's -- flybys, crashers, soft landers, orbiters, rovers. Dozens of missions.

 

[astrowikizhang]

Second orbit maneuver is done. Apogee is raised to about 70,000 km, and period is about 24 hours. No accurate data is available from the media.

 

[l3p3r]

I trust they'll start making noises when they do the transfer ? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[alokmohan]

he Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) launched a bold new mission to the Moon today. Chang'e-1 blasted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre, Sichuan, atop a Long March 3A rocket.<br /><br />Chang'e-1 represents the first step in the Chinese ambition to land robotic explorers on the Moon before 2020. <br /><br />Chang'e-1 has four mission goals to accomplish. The first is to make three-dimensional images of many lunar landforms and outline maps of major lunar geological structures. This mapping will include the first detailed images taken of some regions near the lunar poles. <br /><br />Chang'e-1 is also designed to analyze the abundance of up to 14 chemical elements and their distribution across the lunar surface. Thirdly it will measure the depth of the lunar soil and lastly it will explore the space weather between the Earth and the Moon. <br /><br />The spacecraft is large, weighing in at 2350 kg and it will operate from a low, circular lunar orbit, just 200 km above the surface of the Moon. From here, it will perform its science mission for a full year. <br /><br />ESA is collaborating with the Chinese on this mission by providing spacecraft and ground operations support services to CNSA. The two agencies will also share data and encourage a visitors' programme so that researchers can learn from each other. <br /><br />During ESA's SMART-1 mission, the Agency provided the Chinese with details of the spacecraft's position and transmission frequencies, so http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=6153

 

[astrowikizhang]

Some background info:<br /><br />Chang'e-1 is developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC)。 In fact, CASC designed and manufactured most Chinese launch vehicles, spacecrafts, and several missile systems, including all Long March rockets and Shenzhou spacecraft. CASC has more than 100,000 people working for it. It is not a government agency like NASA, it controls several sub-companies selling shares on the stock market, but it controls several government agencies too. There are China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology(CALT), China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST), China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA). They don't just design things and award contracts to civilian contractors like NASA does, they just make things by themselves.<br /><br />CASC is just a part of the country's space industry, there is China Aerospace Science & Industry CORP (CASIC) also has about 100,000 workers.

 

[yoda9999]

Chang'e 1 will do 3rd orbital transfer in a few hours. It's Monday morning in China right now.<br /><br />http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-10/29/content_6211946.htm<br /><br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p> Chang'e I to turn on image sensors after 3rd transfer<br />(Xinhua)<br />2007-10-29 06:51<br /><br /><br />China's lunar probe Chang'e I is expected to arrive at the apogee of more than 120,000 kilometers from the earth on Monday afternoon after its third orbital transfer after launch, according to the moon probe team. [Full Coverage]<br /><br />Ultraviolet image sensors installed on the satellite will begin to work to collect information on the earth and the moon after it enters the 48-hour orbit, Wang Yejun, chief engineer with the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC) told Xinhua.<br /><br />The images it collects will be transmitted back to the earth when it enters the lunar orbit, Wang said.<br /><br />The satellite will start its propeller when it begins the transfer to raise its apogee from 70,000 kilometers to 120,000 kilometers, according to Wang.<br /><br />Wang said the working time of Chang'e-1 engine will be longer than that in the second transfer.<br /><br />Since Saturday, surveillance posts, on land and sea, and four astronomical observatories have kept watching over Chang'e-1. According to the data received so far, all systems of the satellite have been working normally.<br /><p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br />

 

[yoda9999]

Chang'e 1 has completed 3rd orbital transfer. Will enter Earth-Moon transfer orbit on Oct 31.<br /><br />http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-10/29/content_6971751.htm