Chang’e-5 now in lunar orbit
The new colonial movement: China’s lunar sample return probe Chang’e-5 has now entered in lunar orbit, with its landing to occur in three days.
Over the next week, the probe, composed of four parts – the orbiter, lander, ascender and Earth re-entry module – will perform multiple complicated tasks on a tight schedule.
The four parts will separate into two pairs. The lander and ascender will head to the moon and collect samples, while the orbiter and Earth re-entry module will continue to fly around the moon and adjust to a designated orbit, getting ready for the docking with the ascender.
The landing operation is expected in three days. Once touched down on the lunar surface, the lander will collect two kilograms of lunar sample.
The plan once on the surface is to gather a sample from the surface as well as from a six-foot deep core sample.
Readers!
Please consider donating to Behind the Black, by giving either a one-time contribution or a regular subscription, as outlined in the tip jar below. Your support will allow me to continue covering science and culture as I have for the past twenty years, independent and free from any outside influence.
Regular readers can support Behind The Black with a contribution via Patreon or PayPal. To use Patreon, go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation. For PayPal click one of the following buttons:
If Patreon or Paypal don't work for you, you can support Behind The Black directly by sending your donation by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman, to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
The new colonial movement: China’s lunar sample return probe Chang’e-5 has now entered in lunar orbit, with its landing to occur in three days.
Over the next week, the probe, composed of four parts – the orbiter, lander, ascender and Earth re-entry module – will perform multiple complicated tasks on a tight schedule.
The four parts will separate into two pairs. The lander and ascender will head to the moon and collect samples, while the orbiter and Earth re-entry module will continue to fly around the moon and adjust to a designated orbit, getting ready for the docking with the ascender.
The landing operation is expected in three days. Once touched down on the lunar surface, the lander will collect two kilograms of lunar sample.
The plan once on the surface is to gather a sample from the surface as well as from a six-foot deep core sample.
Please consider donating to Behind the Black, by giving either a one-time contribution or a regular subscription, as outlined in the tip jar below. Your support will allow me to continue covering science and culture as I have for the past twenty years, independent and free from any outside influence.
Regular readers can support Behind The Black with a contribution via Patreon or PayPal. To use Patreon, go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation. For PayPal click one of the following buttons:
If Patreon or Paypal don't work for you, you can support Behind The Black directly by sending your donation by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman, to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
I’m betting the sample grab is the least important part of this mission.
Look at the flight profile. They’ve already demonstrated autonomous landing, but in this single flight they will attempt a whole pile of (Chinese) firsts: everything else necessary for either robotic or crewed Lunar missions:
-ascent back into Lunar orbit
-Lunar orbit rendezvous (that legendary phrase) and docking
-transfer of materials between spacecraft
-transfer orbit back to Earth
-entry at Lunar return velocity
-recovery of an interplanetary spacecraft
So the sample grab could fail completely, and the Chinese technorati could still view it as an overwhelming success.
It is certainly not designed as a one-off, but as a test of a complex Earth-Moon infrastructure architecture. Especially if they actually turn around the antenna and use their L2 radio relay satellites while orbiting at the far side of the Moon (during about 45 minutes out of a 2 hour orbital period, that was the case for Apollo’s command module).
Soviet returned samples three times by landing everything and launching a small sample capsule directly back to Earth. The obvious way to do it if some Moon dirt is all one wants.