Chang'e 1: Chinese moon probe mission

[astrowikizhang]

"The images Chang'e-1 collects will be transmitted back to the earth when it enters the lunar orbit, Wang said."<br /><br />Strange, can't it beam the images back on the current orbit?

 

[3488]

Hi astrowikizhang,<br /><br />Yes I agree completely with you. Why wait until after Lunar Orbit Insertion??<br /><br />Seems strange. <img src="/images/icons/crazy.gif" /> <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>

 

[CalliArcale]

Perhaps during maneuvers, it is oriented such that its antenna faces away from Earth? <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>

 

[astrowikizhang]

The probe must maintain specific attitude during the maneuvers, but that is just for a few minutes. In most of the orbit period, 24-48 hours, it should be able to change its orientation. Furthermore, the probe has a high-gain antenna can rotate to a wide range of directions.

 

[l3p3r]

Well citing that information it IS strange that they are not sending anything back yet! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[kelvinzero]

This is an uninformed opinion but..<br /><br />Could it just be that there are only risks in turning now and nothing particularly valuable compared to the year that will follow given nothing screws up during the insertion?<br /><br />I can guess at a few problems that would be a ****** during this critical time but not so bad later, eg software bugs that can be fixed given time and propulsion flaws exposed by stresses of changing side heated by sun, that wont matter once in final orbit.

 

[yoda9999]

It's off to the Moon now. On Monday, it will try to enter lunar orbit. Or it will crash or slingshot into space to be lost forever.<br /><br />http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-10/31/content_6983740.htm

 

[yoda9999]

No orbital corrections needed until Friday<br /><br />http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-11/01/content_6991077.htm

 

[JonClarke]

<i>Well citing that information it IS strange that they are not sending anything back yet! </i><br /><br />What makes you say they are not?<br /><br />In fact ESA has been in contacty with the sapcecraft. http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMQVVMHE8F_index_0.html<br /><br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[l3p3r]

I was working off this quote<br /><br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>"The images Chang'e-1 collects will be transmitted back to the earth when it enters the lunar orbit, Wang said."<br /><p><hr /></p></p></blockquote> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

That could said of any Lunar orbiter mission. The images that Kaguya collects will be transmitted from lunar orbit as well.<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[l3p3r]

Oh ok <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> Why do they do this, though? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

Because people want to see the images. Not much point collecting images if nobody sees them is there? No see the images they have to be transmitted back.<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[alokmohan]

Thats what men want.

 

[l3p3r]

But, aren't we talking about images that have already been taken of the Earth?<br /><br />Ok I'm going to clarify this very concisely: I understood that images were taken of the Earth while the spacecraft was performing its apsis adjustments, but they are not going to send those images back to Earth until the spacecraft is in its Lunar orbit. <br /><br />So what I want to know is; why are they waiting till the spacecraft is in it's lunar orbit before they transmit these images back?<br /><br />(Perhaps there were no such photos taken and I'm just imagining things!) <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

Ah, OK, I am with you now.<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 BACC told Xinhua."<br /><br />If these are the pictures being referred to, then they will be transmitted after they settle into lunar orbit.<br /><br />If so, I have no idea why. I'd guess it is somthing to do with the antenna. Maybe the main antenna is deployed after the spacecraft settles into lunar orbit. Maybe the spacecraft is not in the right orientation to transmit images until then. But I am just guessing.<br /><br />Jon<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[yoda9999]

Chang'e-1 will try braking in about 2 hours. Will either enter lunar orbit or fly away into space.<br /><br />http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-11/04/content_7011145.htm

 

[yoda9999]

Lunar orbit has been achieved.<br /><br />http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-11/05/content_6230978.htm

 

[yoda9999]

China´s 1st lunar probe to activate probing facilities on Monday<br /><br />http://www.cctv.com/video/worldwidewatch/2007/11/worldwidewatch_300_20071119_7.shtml

 

[astrowikizhang]

The probe has been orbiting the Moon for about 2 weeks, but no images sent back, no news update. A bit worry about the spacecraft's health. Some rumor spreading about the probe has encountered some technical problem. <br /><br />Hope everything is going on well, and they are just tired of updating the status for a while. Looking forward to see the images expected to beam back in days.

 

[astrowikizhang]

Today's news update:<br />====================================<br />Chang'e-1 has covered the entire surface of Moon since it started orbiting Moon on Nov.7. It is now pointing its nadir to Moon, solar array to Sun, and high-gain antenna to Earth. This altitude will be maintained for a year.<br /><br />At 3 p.m., the probe has turned on 16 on-board instruments, including power supply and data storage. The remaining 8 science instruments will be turned on in 3 to 5 days.<br /><br />==============================<br /><br />That's strange, the probe has been orbiting the target for 13 days without any of its science instruments even turned on. What was going on in those days?

 

[no_way]

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-11/20/content_7116315.htm<br /><br />"What was going on in those days?"<br />I guess maneuvering and checkouts.

 

[astrowikizhang]

Thanks no_way, I am just in search of English version of the news.

 

[anthmartian]

I was Googling, and checking on Chang'e 1. <br /><br />Roughly an hour ago ( from the time of this post )<br /><br />From China.Org.CN......<br /><br /><i>China's first lunar probe Chang'e 1 sent back its first moon picture on Tuesday as scheduled, the National Space Administration has said.<br /><br />Experts will later adjust cameras on the satellite according to the moon picture's quality to ensure following photos are clear and accurate, the Shaanxi-based West China City Daily reported today.<br /><br />The first moon photo will be made public next week, the report cited the administration as saying.<br /><br />Tests on the orbiter's equipment showed that it is working normally and in good condition, the administration said.<br /><br />The probe had orbited the moon 168 times by 2 pm yesterday, the administration said.<br /><br />More tests will be conducted in the next few days that will help ensure data transmissions continue. The satellite has gone through a number of tests since it entered the moon's orbit on November 7. Chang'e 1's position was adjusted on Monday so its probing equipment faced the moon.<br /><br />The satellite, named after a mythical Chinese goddess who flew to the moon, is supposed to stay 200 km above the moon's surface to carry out scientific explorations for one year.<br /><br />Cameras on the 2,350-kilogram satellite are expected to photograph every inch of the moon's surface by mid January.<br /><br />The orbiter is expected to analyze the chemical and mineral composition of the lunar surface and send data back to the Earth so that scientists can better understand the moon's environment, Li Guoping, the administration's spokesman, said in earlier reports.</i> <br /><br />My guess is they will take quite a few "first" moon pictures until they get a really great one to release next week! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em>"Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy! Without precise calculations we could fly right through a star, or bounce too close to a supernova and that'd end your trip real quick, wouldn't it?"</em></font></p><p><font color="#33cccc"><strong>Han Solo - 1977 - A long time ago in a galaxy far far away....</strong></font></p><p><br /><br />Click Here And jump over to my site.<br /></p> </div>

 

[3488]

I agree,<br /><br />The Chinese will not allow the first image to be released if it is crap, so there will<br />be a great many first images, before they declare the 'first image'.<br /><br />This mission, looks good on paper, but so far, post arrival operations seem very, very slow &<br />have the impression that this is more about prestige, than lunar science per se.<br /><br />The impression I have, is that this craft is no where near as capable as Clementine, Smart 1, <br />SELENE & the upcoming Lunar Reconaissance Orbiter.<br /><br />If this mission does produce a detailed lunar global imaging cycle, than my doubts will<br />be dispelled, but so far, am not impressed. <br /><br />I wonder if the Chinese are hiding the fact, that the craft is not fully operational??<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>