China’s Chang’e-5 Probe Completes Lunar Sample Collection | Spanish.xinhuanet.com

(Xinhua)

BEIJING, December 3 (Xinhua) – China’s Chang’e-5 probe has completed the collection of lunar samples, which were sealed on the spacecraft, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced Thursday.

The probe was launched on November 24 and landed on December 1 in the north of the Mons Rumker region of the Procellarum basin, also known as the Ocean of Storms, on the near side of the Moon, with the mission of obtaining the first Chinese samples. of an extraterrestrial body.

After the spacecraft worked for approximately 19 hours on the Moon, sampling ended at 10:00 PM on Wednesday (Beijing time) and the samples were stored in a container inside the probe’s ascent module, as it had been. planned, the administration reported.

Using the data sent by the probe, the researchers simulated the sampling procedure in a laboratory, which provided an important basis for the operation on the Moon.

The lunar regolith penetrating radar (as the outer layer of fine earth and loose rocks is called) and other payloads installed on the lander carried out the scientific exploration as planned and provided supporting information for the procedure.

The probe withstood temperatures of over 100 degrees Celsius on the lunar surface.

The mission adopted two methods of lunar sampling, including using drills to collect objects from the underground and taking samples from the surface with a robotic arm. Various samples were collected at different sites.

The lunar samples were sealed inside the spacecraft to ensure that they are kept in a vacuum and free from the influence of the external environment during their return to Earth.

The Chang’e-5 spacecraft is equipped with multiple payloads including a landing camera, panoramic camera, lunar regolith penetrating radar, and lunar mineralogical spectrometer, which detects the satellite’s surface topography and mineral composition. , as well as the surface structure of the subsoil.

Prior to the drilling process for sampling, the lunar regolith penetration radar analyzed the subsurface structure in the area, providing background data for the procedure.