[ad_1]
BEIJING, December 3 (Xinhua) – China’s Chang’e-5 probe has completed sampling on the moon and the samples have been sealed inside the spacecraft, China’s National Space Administration (CNSA) announced Thursday morning.
Launched on November 24, the probe landed north of Mons Rumker in the Oceanus Procellarum, also known as the Ocean of Storms, on the near side of the moon on December 1, with the task of recovering the first Chinese samples from an extraterrestrial body.
After the spacecraft worked for about 19 hours on the moon, sampling ended at 10 p.m. Wednesday (Beijing time) and the samples were placed in a container inside the probe’s elevator as planned, the said. CNSA.
Photo provided by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) shows the Chang’e-5 probe collecting samples on the moon on December 2, 2020. (CNSA / Handout via Xinhua)
Using the data sent by the probe, the researchers simulated the sampling procedure in a laboratory, providing an important basis for the operation on the moon.
The lunar regolith penetrating radar and other payloads installed on the lander carried out the scientific exploration as planned and provided informative support for sampling.
The probe withstood temperatures of over 100 degrees Celsius on the lunar surface.
The probe adopted two methods of lunar sampling, including using drills to collect samples below the surface and grabbing samples on the surface with a robotic arm. Several 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 its return to Earth.
The Chang’e-5 probe is equipped with multiple payloads including a landing camera, panoramic camera, lunar regolith penetrating radar, and lunar mineralogical spectrometer, which detects the lunar surface topography and mineral composition, as well as the structure of the surface subsurface of the moon.
Prior to the sample drilling process, lunar regolith penetrating radar analyzed the structure of the subsurface in the sampling area, offering reference data for sampling. ■
.
[ad_2]
Source link
