Moon vessel sets toward 12-hour orbit
Source: Xinhua |
October 7, 2010, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINA'S second unmanned lunar probe, Chang'e-2, completed its first braking yesterday, a maneuver that slowed down the satellite and successfully allowed it to enter a 12-hour orbit, Beijing Aerospace Control Center said.
Chang'e-2, following instructions from the center, started to brake at 11:06am and entered the elliptical moon orbit 32 minutes later.
The satellite needs to brake another two times before it can enter the planned 118-minute working orbit.
The braking "laid a solid foundation" for Chang'e-2 to carry out scientific explorations in its final orbit, the center said in a press release.
Compared with Chang'e-1, it is more challenging for Chang'e-2 to brake. It has to do so at a closer distance to the moon and at a higher speed.
The Long March 3C carrier rocket carried Chang'e-2 into space, blasting off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, in southwest China's Sichuan Province, about 7pm last Friday.
Chang'e-2 will enter a lunar orbit about 100 kilometers from the moon's surface, twice as close as Chang'e-1 did, to acquire more detailed moon data than the earlier probe, the control center said.
Before its first braking, the lunar probe had traveled nearly 350,000 kilometers.
Chang'e-2, following instructions from the center, started to brake at 11:06am and entered the elliptical moon orbit 32 minutes later.
The satellite needs to brake another two times before it can enter the planned 118-minute working orbit.
The braking "laid a solid foundation" for Chang'e-2 to carry out scientific explorations in its final orbit, the center said in a press release.
Compared with Chang'e-1, it is more challenging for Chang'e-2 to brake. It has to do so at a closer distance to the moon and at a higher speed.
The Long March 3C carrier rocket carried Chang'e-2 into space, blasting off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, in southwest China's Sichuan Province, about 7pm last Friday.
Chang'e-2 will enter a lunar orbit about 100 kilometers from the moon's surface, twice as close as Chang'e-1 did, to acquire more detailed moon data than the earlier probe, the control center said.
Before its first braking, the lunar probe had traveled nearly 350,000 kilometers.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
