Category Archives: Chang’e-3

Tuesday / 25 February 2014

Posted on by

Chang’e-3 Enters 3rd Lunar Night

Hainan&Chang'e-3

China Moon Lander Enters Hibernation With All Systems Functioning Nominally On Morning Of 23 Feb; Lunar Ultraviolet Telescope & Extreme Ultraviolet Camera Continued To Gather Valuable Data During 3rd Lunar Day; Yutu Rover Sends Back New Photo Of Lander (R) Proving It Is Still Alive; New China Launch Site In Hainan Advancing With Completion Of Long March 7 & 5 Launch Platforms; Site Will Be Used For Launch Of Chang’e-5 Lunar Sample Return Mission (NET 2017)

Image Credit: CNSA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 21-24 February 2014

Posted on by

LRO Going Strong, Potential To Observe
LADEE Impact In April LRO Update

LRO In 30 x 200km Orbit With Periapsis Over Moon South Pole, Traveling At 1.6km/s; Captures Precise Images Of Icarus & Hayn Craters (TL & BL), Chang’e-3 Landing Site (TR), LADEE (BR); Operating Nominally 4 Years 8 Months Into Mission With 16 Data Sets Released; Mission Data Intended To Enable A Human Return To Moon; May Observe LADEE Lunar Impact Scheduled 21 April; LRO 2014 Lunar Workshop For Educators Will Be Held 14-18 July In Greenbelt MD

Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

Thursday / 13 February 2014

Posted on by

China Chang’e-4, -5, -6 Missions
Likely To Be Reconfigured

Chang'e-3-6_0214

Chang’e-3 Lander Now Into Lunar Day 3 After Apparent Yutu Rover Loss; In Completing ~50% Expected Mission Duration Rover Successfully Used Its Panoramic & Navigational Cameras, Alpha-Proton X-Ray Spectrometer & Underbelly Radar System, Providing Valuable Data; Paul Spudis Says China Accomplished All Of Its Major Mission Objectives; Chang’e-4, -5, -6 Will Be Upgraded & Possibly Delayed, As Mission Engineers Evaluate / Integrate Experience Gained From Yutu

Image Credit: CNSA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 31 Jan – 3 Feb 2014

Posted on by

Moon Astronomy Revolution

Chang'eLUT_ILOA0114_3

Chang’e-3 LUT Operating Nominally, According To Jianyan Wei Of NAOC/CAS, After 2 Productive Lunar Days In Which It Observed 23 Stars Of Draco Constellation, Conducted Long-Duration Observation Of Variable Stars & Produced Mosaic Sky Survey; This Historic Precedent Of Viability Of & Opportunity For Astronomy From Lunar Surface Should Give Encouragement & Confidence To Global Astronomy, Space Exploration & NewSpace Communities Seeking To Advance Humanity As Multi World Species

Image Credit: NAOC/CAS, ILOA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 24-27 January 2014

Posted on by

Chang’e-3 Producing Valuable Data On Moon

Chang'e-3Data0114

China Moon-Based Telescope Carrying Out Continuous Observation In Near-Ultraviolet Spectrum, Already Captured Images Of 23 Astronomical Phenomena; Lunar Radar Acquiring Data In 2 Channels Exploring Structures 10m & 140m Below Lunar Surface, Identified 11 Chemical Elements In Regolith Including Magnesium, Aluminum, Titanium & Iron; Chang’e-3 Youth Team Receives Elite Youth Of China 2013 People Of Year Award

Image Credit: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Friday / 17 January 2014

Posted on by

China First Astronomy Image From Moon

China Chang'e-3 Draco Imaging

Draco, The Dragon: Astronomical First Light On Moon Received Successfully By China Chang’e-3 Lunar Ultraviolet Telescope (LUT) From Sinus Iridum / Mare Imbrium 44.12°N 19.51°W; First Long-Term Observatory Deployed On Moon, LUT Has Aperture Of 150mm, Covers Wavelength Range Of 245-340 Nanometers, Detects Objects Down To 13 Magnitude Brightness; Management Team Prepared For At Least 1 Year Of Observations / Operations

Image Credit: Chinese Academy of Sciences, CC Multimedia

Tuesday / 14 January 2014

Posted on by

Chang’e-3 Lander & Yutu Rover Operational After Long, Cold Lunar Night

Chang'e-3Awake0114

China Moon Crafts Resuming Scientific Work After  Awakening From 2 Weeks Of Hibernation; Ground Penetrating Radar On Rover Expected To Gather New Information Related To Chemical Composition & Depth Of Lunar Soil, Aid Lunar Mining Preparations; Lunar Ultraviolet Telescopes Will Prove Value Of Moon-Based Observatories, Monitor Earth Plasmasphere, Observe Galaxies / Stars; Pictured (Inset): 1st Image Of Earth From Moon In 4 Decades

Image Credit: Chinese Academy Of Sciences

Tuesday / 7 January 2014

Posted on by

Chang’e-3 & Yutu Rover Set To Resume Operations

RHU-Yutu0113

China Moon Lander & Rover To Awaken From 2-Week Lunar Night Hibernation ~8 Jan For 1st Full Lunar Day Of Operations; Solar Panels & Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator Using 238-Plutonium Dioxide Power Lander Instruments During Day, RTG Provides Heat During Night; Yutu Rover Powered By Solar Panels, Uses Radioisotope Heater Units & ‘Fold-Up’ Technique To Survive Cold Nights, Expected Operational Life Is Minimum 3 Months

Image Credit: China Space, NASA

Thursday / 19 December 2013

Posted on by

USA Moon Orbiters Gather Data
From Chang’e-3 Landing

USAOrbiterStudyChinaLanding

LADEE Measuring Changes In Lunar Atmosphere Caused By Chang’e-3-Released Dust & Exhaust, Comparing To Baseline Data Collected During Full 29.5-Day Lunar Cycle Prior To China Arrival; LRO Scans Landing Site With LAMP Instrument Looking For Exhaust Plume Signature, LROC Able To Image Lander / Rover At ~2m / Pixel, Will Attempt Image On 24 Dec; ARTEMIS Spacecraft Look For Plume Signatures In Plasma & Magnetic Field 

Image Credit: NASA, CCTV

Wednesday / 18 December 2013

Posted on by

China Territorial Claim On Moon Might Speed Lunar Exploration / Development

ChinaLandClaimMoon1213

As Chang’e-3 & Yutu Activate Science Instruments, Space Law Experts Glenn Reynolds (Top) – In USA Today Opinion Piece – & Homer Hickam Posit That Mining / Territorial Claims May Follow; Reynolds Suggests Such An Act Could Stimulate Commercial / Government Lunar Development, Says 1967 Outer Space Treaty Is Main Culprit For 4 Decades Of Lunar Vacancy

Image Credit: ImagineChina, Twitter, NASA