Chang'e 2 (LM-3C launched on Oct. 1st, 2010)

[JasonChapman]

Re: Oct., Long March 3C - Chang'e 2

China claims that the next lunar mission will be to land an actual rover. Finally some proper HD video of the moon. NASA is starting to look very old and worn out all of a sudden.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11453384

 

[MeteorWayne]

Re: Oct., Long March 3C - Chang'e 2

How many missions does China have to Mercury, Mars, Ceres, Vesta, Saturn, and Pluto?

Not very worn out to me

China is still taking the baby steps the US and Russia did 45 years ago...with newer technology and 4 decades of knowledge to stand on. That's not to denigrate their efforts; everyone has to start with the small steps, that's how you become procifient.

 

[JasonChapman]

It doesn't matter Wayne, China maybe new to space exploration and may not have been to those planets, but if they do launch a lunar rover then there will be a lot of red faces at NASA.

 

[EarthlingX]

I don't understand why would that be ? How embarrassing will then be when someone from the Google Lunar X Prize lands there, for any of space agencies ?
That's just flaming.

 

[MeteorWayne]

It doesn't matter Wayne, China maybe new to space exploration and may not have been to those planets, but if they do launch a lunar rover then there will be a lot of red faces at NASA.

I notice you didn't respond to any of this part of my post...

"How many missions does China have to Mercury, Mars, Ceres, Vesta, Saturn, and Pluto?"

The answer is ZERO.

And in case you hadn''t noticed, LRO is doing some fine work on our moon

 

[JasonChapman]

You're right China haven't been to to the places that NASA have. What I'm trying to get at Wayne is that NASA hasn't the drive it had in the sixties.
China seems to have the drive, they don't moan and groan about how much everything costs. I personally think that NASA should be given a blank cheque book not a budget that restricts it from doing half the stuff it should be doing.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Since it wouldn't be your taxes that paid for it, easy for you to say!

(PS, I agree NASA's budget should be bigger, not NOBODY gets a blank check)

 

[EarthlingX]

spacecoalition.com : China Probe Nears Lunar Orbit

October 04, 2010

By LD/CSE

China’s Chang’e-2 is Moon-bound and on course to enter lunar orbit after five days of flight.

Launched on October 1, Chang’e-2 is to start orbiting the Moon early this week.

The Chinese spacecraft is to enter lunar orbit, initially about 100 kilometers above the surface. It will eventually be maneuvered into an orbit just 15 kilometers above the Moon. In doing so, China’s space officials hope to gather high-resolution images of the lunar surface, particularly of the Bay of Rainbows area.

That site is being considered as the landing site for a follow-on probe, the Chang’e-3 robotic lander – and a next step in China’s lunar exploration plans.

According to Chinese news outlets China Daily and Xinhua, a trajectory change by the Chang’e-2 has placed it on target, with additional maneuvers being readied for the probe to enter lunar orbit.

Chang’e-2 blasted off on a Long-March-3C carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, in Southwest China’s Sichuan province.

China’s spacecraft will join the already orbiting NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) that has been actively surveying the Moon with an array of scientific gear, producing exciting findings since July 2009.

 

[EarthlingX]

www.dailymail.co.uk : Villagers stunned after pieces of Chinese rocket from lunar probe rain down from the sky

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 1:57 AM on 5th October 2010

At first these Chinese villagers thought the two large explosions in the middle of the night were an earthquake.

But they awoke the next morning to see their village in Suichuan County in Jiangxi dotted with huge pieces of metal.

These images show the scene in their rural village after the rocket from China's second lunar mission crashed to Earth, narrowly missing crushing their homes.

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Villagers in the remote rural village inspect the debris that landed in their village overnight

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No one was hurt when huge pieces of metal rained down on the small community after the rocket was jettisoned

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Local soldiers help to move one of the huge pieces of rocket

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The rocket's casing showed signs of blistering from the intense heat created during take off

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[3DBME]

There is one thing NASA could be embarrassed about and that is the cost of the mission. According to Xinhua, total cost of the Chang'e 2 mission is $133 million. That's damned cheap by NASA standards. And the article below states that the probe has the option to return to Earth orbit.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/c ... 539847.htm

 

[MeteorWayne]

Caption from the last EarthlingX image:

"The rocket's casing showed signs of blistering from the intense heat created during take off"

It's FAR more likely the heating was created during reentry, especially if you look at the flow patterns.

 

[brandbll]

It doesn't matter Wayne, China maybe new to space exploration and may not have been to those planets, but if they do launch a lunar rover then there will be a lot of red faces at NASA.

I don't condone this whole space race BS in anyway. We should all be working together to gather information about our solar system and the rest of the universe and sharing it with everyone and anyone. That being said...

Yeah, their will be alot of red faces at NASA alright, from the Mars data they are still gathering from the Oppurtunity rover and soon to be Curiosity Rover.

 

[mopy]

Chang'e 2 is expected to enter moon orbit at 11:00pm tonight, Tuesday, EST, if all goes well...

BEIJING - Chang'e-2, China's second unmanned lunar probe which was launched on Oct 1, is expected to arrive in the moon's orbit at about 11 am on Wednesday, the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC) said.

The spacecraft will enter the 100-km lunar orbit in roughly its 112th hour in space compared to the 13 days its predecessor Chang'e-1 took to reach the orbit three years ago, the control center said.

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 maneuvered into an orbit just 15 km above the moon by the end of this month, Xie Jianfeng, director of the center's orbit room, said.

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, a dramatic improvement from that of the camera onboard Chang'e-1, said Wu Weiren, chief designer of the country's lunar orbiter project.

Since blasting off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Southwest China's Sichuan province on Friday evening, Chang'e-2 has been doing well in space, with the cancellation of two planned orbital adjustments following a "highly accurate" trajectory correction on Saturday, BACC director Zhu Mincai said.

 

[mopy]

Chang'e 2 enters Moon orbit

10-06-2010 12:13 BJT Special Report:Chang’e 2- Journey to the Moon |
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It's a big day for China's Lunar probe, Chang'e 2. The satellite has completed its speed reduction and entered the moon's orbit.

After 112 hours of flight, Chang'e 2 applied its brakes about 100 kilometers away from the moon at 11.06 am Beijing time. The whole process lasted about 33 minutes. The speed reduction allowed the satellite to enter the moon's gravitational field and begin an elliptic orbit at a speed of 12 hours per cycle. This has been a crucial moment for the lunar probe, as it had only one chance to enter the lunar orbit.

If the speed reduction had not succeeded, the satellite might have missed the moon completely. After three more speed reductions, Chang'e Two will enter a circular orbit at 100 kilometers from the moon at a speed of 117 minutes per orbit.

[

 

[EarthlingX]

http://www.planetary.org : Chang'E 2 update: in orbit and returning data

Oct. 8, 2010 | 09:34 PDT | 16:34 UTC

By Emily Lakdawalla

From Yong-Chun Zheng at National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences have come several updates on the status of China's second lunar orbiter, Chang'E 2. Chang'E 2 launched successfully on October 1 at 10:59:57 UTC. It launched on a direct transfer trajectory to the Moon, and successfully entered orbit on October 6 at 03:40. That orbit insertion maneuver put Chang'E 2 into an 12-hour orbit with a perilune of 100 kilometers and an apolune of 8,000 kilometers.
Another maneuver on October 8 at 02:45 put Chang'E 2 into its 3.5-hour nominal science orbit 100 kilometers above the lunar surface. By October 5, Chang'E 2 was returning science data to Earth.

 

[EarthlingX]

news.xinhuanet.com : China's second lunar probe completes final braking, enters working orbit

2010-10-09 13:35:24

BEIJING, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- China's second unmanned lunar probe, Chang'e-2, has successfully completed its third, also the final, braking Saturday, which allowed the satellite to enter a 100 km-high lunar orbit, according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC).

Chang'e-2, following instructions from the center, started the third braking at 11:17 a.m. and entered the 118-minute, round working orbit 15 minutes later, changing the satellite's apolune from 1,825 km to about 100 km, the BACC said. The satellite will begin scientific exploration activities soon.

Chang'e-2 lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, in southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Oct. 1. The moon probe completed its first braking on Wednesday and the second on Friday.

 

[EarthlingX]

news.oneindia.in : China's 'Chang'e-2' expected to have enough fuel to return to earth

Beijing, Oct 14(ANI):

China's second unmanned lunar probe, Chang'e-2, is expected to have enough fuel to fly back to earth, Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC) Vice Chief-Designer has said.

Zhou Jianliang said that Chang'e-2 was carried into lunar orbit by a rocket, and only corrected once during the transfer from earth orbit to lunar orbit, so a large amount of fuel will be left after its mission.e said that there are three possible "fates" for Chang'e-2 after it finishes its six-month mission -landing on the moon, flying to outer space or returning to earth, Xinhua news agency reports.

Chang'e 2 was launched on October 1, and is part of the first phase of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program.

The spacecraft will test key technology related to the "soft-landing" of its successor Chang'e-3 lunar landing mission planned for 2013.

It will take high quality images of the Moon's 'Bay of Rainbows' area where Chang'e-3 is scheduled to land.

The total expenditure for the Chang'e 2 mission is approximately 134 million dollars.

 

[EarthlingX]

english.people.com.cn : China's lunar probe to image landing area

15:04, October 25, 2010

By Liang Jun, People's Daily Online

The Chang'e II, China's second lunar probe, conducted an imaging tests of its CCD camera yesterday and it will track down and enter into an orbit around the moon of 100 kilometers by 15 kilometers on Tuesday by an enhanced thrust from the launch vehicle.

After the third image tests, the Chnag'e II will enter into and image the Rainbow Bay, the landing area for the satellite.

The imaging tests of the CCD camera aboard the satellite started yesterday in the early morning. It ceaselessly conducted the work of interruption and restoration of power supply and flew around the moon every two hours, according to Zhang Bo, chief designer of the Beijing Institute of Tracking and Communication Technology.

The three imaging tests are just preparations for the imaging of the Rainbow Bay, said Zhang.

Yesterday's imaging tests show the camera works well and Chang'e II is still running around an orbit of 100 kilometers by 100 kilometers.

 

[EarthlingX]

news.xinhuanet.com : China announces success of Chang'e-2 lunar probe mission

English.news.cn

2010-11-08 11:20:11

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao unveils pictures of the moon's Sinus Iridum, or Bay of Rainbows, taken and sent back by the Chang'e-2, China's second lunar probe, in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 8, 2010. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BEIJING, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Monday unveiled an image of the moon's Sinus Iridum, or Bay of Rainbows, photographed by Chang'e-2, marking the success of China's second lunar probe mission.

Premier Wen attended the unveiling ceremony at the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) and was briefed on the country's lunar mission.

Before unveiling the picture, Wen visited representatives of scientists and personnel who participated in the lunar probe mission.

"The success of Chang'e-2 in accomplishing its mission marks another great achievement after the country successfully launched its first lunar probe," Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang read out a message of congratulations to scientists and participating crews at the ceremony.

Zhang delivered the message on behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the State Council and the Central Military Commission.

"The Chinese people will unswervingly develop technologies for the exploration of deep space and the peaceful use of outer space," said the message.

The image was photographed by a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera on the Chang'e-2 lunar probe from a height of 18.7 km over the moon on Oct. 28.

The frame of the picture covered an area of 8 km wide from east to west and 15.9 km long from south to north, with the center at 31.05 degrees west longitude and 43.07 degrees north latitude.

The area was proposed as the landing ground for China's future moon missions.

...

This photo released on Nov. 8, 2010 shows a part of the moon's Sinus Iridum, sent back by Chang'e-2, China's second unmanned lunar probe. Chinese State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence published Monday pictures of moon's Sinus Iridum sent back by Chang'e-2. (Xinhua)

...

This photo released on Nov. 8, 2010 shows the three-dimensional map of a part of the moon's Sinus Iridum, sent back by Chang'e-2, China's second unmanned lunar probe. Chinese State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence published Monday pictures of moon's Sinus Iridum sent back by Chang'e-2. (Xinhua)

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This photo released on Nov. 8, 2010 shows the three-dimensional map of a part of the moon's Sinus Iridum, sent back by Chang'e-2, China's second unmanned lunar probe. Chinese State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence published Monday pictures of moon's Sinus Iridum sent back by Chang'e-2. (Xinhua)

...

 

[EarthlingX]

http://www.planetary.org : Five amazing engineering camera videos from Chang'E 2

Nov. 14, 2010 | 14:26 PST | 22:26 UTC

By Emily Lakdawalla

I couldn't believe these videos when I first saw them: five views from engineering cameras of important events in the Chang'E 2 spacecraft's journey to the Moon. It's a thrill to see actual human-built artifacts out there in space, and I don't believe I have ever seen actual video of such key mission events on robotic missions except from rocket-mounted cameras before. You can see the solar panels bouncing back and forth after they deploy; you can see the throat of the main engine glowing with every firing; you can see the Moon and Earth swinging behind the view. I think my favorite moment in all these videos is the beginning of the "Second Orbit Trim maneuver" video, when the Moon rolls and rotates behind view of the main engine with the spacecraft's series of rolls. I get the sense of a human-built machine working like utter clockwork as the rugged, ancient scarps of lunar craters lurk in the background, just waiting for us to explore them.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMPzh79diG8[/youtube]

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vipgo5CZZY[/youtube]
Second Orbit Trim Maneuver
October 9, 2010
Credit: CNSA / tv.people.com.cn
On October 9, 2010, Chang'E 2 performs its second lunar orbit trim maneuver, an event witnessed by an engineering camera. Before the maneuver starts, the spacecraft executes a sequence of controlled turns, causing the Moon to swing through the field of view. The firing of the engine begins just after the terminator passes out of view (from the camera's point of view). As the spacecraft drops completely into the lunar shadow, the camera's automatic exposure setting adjusts brighter, making part of the spacecraft visible in light emitted from the glowing thruster.
Original video source

...

 

[3488]

Grat stuff EarthlingX.

On board video of Chang'e2 braking into lunar orbit.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rTzqkYzJto[/youtube]

First orbit trim maneuver.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiZDu7aU4qI[/youtube]

Chang'e 2 passing 15 KM above the Sinus Iridum (not very much higher than the cruising altitude of a 747).
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcxPiZfJ0e4[/youtube]

Andrew Brown.