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China's Lunar Probe Chang'e-1 Impacts Moon
Beijing (XNA) Mar 02, 2009 Chang'e-1, China's first lunar probe, impacted the moon at 4:13 p.m. Beijing Time (0813 GMT) Sunday, said sources with the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense. The satellite ended its 16-month mission Sunday when it hit the lunar surface at 1.50 degrees south latitude and 52.36 degrees east longitude. Chang'e-1 began to reduce its speed at 3:36 p.m. Beijing Time (0736 GMT) under remote control by two observation and control stations in east China's Qingdao and northwest China's Kashi. This was the first phase of China's three-stage moon mission, which will lead to a landing and launch of a rover vehicle around 2012. Chang'e-1 was launched into space on Oct. 24, 2007, and sent the first full map of the moon's surface back to China one month later. A dozen performance tests were carried out while Chang'e-1 was in orbit to find out its orbit adjustment capability. The planned impact was designed to accumulate experience for landing of China's second lunar probe. "The second phase of the space program aims at soft landing, and the preparation is currently in progress", said Wu Weiren, chief designer of the country's lunar probe program. In the third phase, another rover will land on the moon and bring back mineral samples for scientific research in 2017. "Chang'e" is named after a legendary Chinese moon goddess. Wu noted the success in the mission of Chang'e-1 had realized the dream of the whole nation and pushed forward the development of science and technology. It also proved China was capable of exploring the outer space, he added. China is the third nation, after the U.S. and Russia, to launch people into space after Yang Liwei was put into orbit aboard the spaceship Shenzhou-5 on October 15, 2003. Another three astronauts were sent into space in Shenzhou-7 and carried out the country's first space walk in September of last year.
Source: Xinhua News Agency Related Links - Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com Lunar Dreams and more
NASA Goddard Brings The Moon To Earth
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Feb 25, 2009This winter the television production team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. shrank the moon down to a six-foot globe and put it on display in their Visitor Center. They've made a new, fully spherical short film called "Return to the Moon". Designed expressly for the Science On a Sphere platform, it opens in science museums and elsewhere around the country on February 27. |
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