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All systems go, but the rover lacks a name ...
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Chinese scientists are seeking the public’s help in naming the country’s first moon rover.
Zhao Xiaojin, director of the aerospace department of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, yesterday described the rover as a highly efficient and integrated robot, and a high altitude “patrolman” carrying the dreams of Asia.
People from all over the world are invited to submit names via the Internet and the winner will be announced in November after an online poll.
Li Benzheng, deputy chief designer of China’s lunar probe program, said the name of the rover should express the wishes of Chinese at home and abroad and feature “modern and national traits” to inspire people.
The Chang’e-3 mission to land the rover on the moon is due to take place in December.
The rover has two wings, six wheels, weighs 140 kilograms and will be powered by solar energy.
“When it arrives in lunar orbit onboard a lander, the rover will choose the best landing site and gently touch down on the moon’s surface, using optical and microwave sensors to avoid rocks and craters,” Zhao said.
The rover will “select the best route, use minimal fuel and make the smallest possible error” during landing and is capable of hovering to steer clear of obstacles, he said.
It can endure a vacuum, intense radiation and extremes of temperature which, on the moon’s surface, can range from minus 180 to plus 150 degrees Celsius, said Wu Weiren, the program’s chief designer.
The rover is equipped with numerous detectors and information gathering systems such as a panoramic camera and radar measurement devices. It will patrol the moon for about three months.
Data collected will include 3D images, infrared spectrums and lunar soil analysis.
China launched Chang’e-1 in 2007 and Chang’e-2 in 2010.
The first probe collected a large body of data and made a complete map of the moon.
The second mission greatly enhanced the resolution of the map and generated a high-definition image of Sinus Iridum, a plain of basaltic lava which has been earmarked as the ideal landing site.
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