Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




DRAGON SPACE
More Moon Missions For China
by Morris Jones for SpaceDaily.com
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Nov 15, 2013


File image.

China's upcoming Chang'e-3 Moon mission is a major step in their rapidly advancing space program. A four-legged lander will touch down and release a six-wheeled rover onto the Moon in December. That's a fairly advanced mission for a first landing, but it's also a test for greater things to come.

There's a lot of interest in the robot rover that will be carried on the mission, and that's understandable. The rover will return plenty of images and data. The rover deserves all the attention it receives, but we shouldn't forget the spacecraft that will deliver it to its destination.

The Chinese robot lunar lander doesn't look as interesting as the rover, but it's probably the most important part of the mission. Without a successful lander, there can be no rover tracks on the Moon and no mission at all. The lander must fly through deep space and orbit the Moon. It must descend from this orbit to a targeted landing.

It must hover above the Moon and take photographs. It must then land safely on the surface. Once it's down, the lander must safely deploy ramps and release the rover from its stowed position.

But its mission isn't over then. The rover carries a telescope and radio instruments that will turn it from a transporter into a lunar observatory. Some of these observations will be performed in concert with instruments on the rover itself.

So let's not forget that there are really two spacecraft at work on this flight.

China will probably launch a second rover later in this decade, and the landing stage used on the Chang'e-3 mission will get its second trip to the Moon. That will probably mark the last use of this rover design, but the Chinese lunar lander will still be on active duty.

The lander has been designed to serve as a multipurpose spacecraft. It's like a small flatbed truck that can carry whatever is placed on it to the surface of the Moon. China already has plans to use this lander to carry other items.

The next big item to fly atop the lander will be a small rocket stage, which will be used to return samples of lunar rock to Earth. This mission will also involve the use of a small tugboat spacecraft in lunar orbit, which will dock with the sample return carrier after it blasts off.

Planning for this mission still seems to be ongoing, but China will probably still use its "Moon truck" to land on the surface. Two sample-return missions are expected to fly.

We can expect this stubby but practical lander to fly at least four times, with two rovers and two sample-return missions. This analyst suspects that this will not be the end of the story. If the landing stage works well, China will probably want to use it for even more missions.

There could easily be more robot rovers, probably larger and more advanced that the current first-generation design. These will carry more instruments and last longer. Another mission could involve a static payload that does not leave the landing stage.

One obvious choice would be a large astronomical telescope. This could be an optical telescope that could evolve from the small ultraviolet telescope carried by the first lander. Alternatively, a radio or microwave dish could be unfolded on top of the lander, just as some satellites unfurl large antennas in orbit.

Ultimately, this lander could serve as the father of a new landing stage with a greater capacity and more sophistication. The payload it carries to the moon will be much heavier and complex. It will be a pressurized cabin containing Chinese astronauts.

Dr Morris Jones is an Australian space analyst who has written for spacedaily.com since 1999. Email morrisjonesNOSPAMhotmail.com. Replace NOSPAM with @ to send email. Dr Jones will answer media inquiries.

.


Related Links
China National Space Administration
The Chinese Space Program - News, Policy and Technology
China News from SinoDaily.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








DRAGON SPACE
China shows off moon rover model before space launch
Shanghai (AFP) Nov 05, 2013
China offered a rare glimpse into its secretive space programme on Tuesday, displaying a model of a lunar rover that will explore the moon's surface in an upcoming mission. Beijing has ambitious space goals, including plans to send its first probe to land on the moon by the end of this year, state media reported in August. The gold-coloured rover model, with six wheels and wing-like sola ... read more


DRAGON SPACE
Ancient crater could hold clues about moon's mantle

Minerals in giant impact crater may be clues to moon's makeup, origin

Silent Orbit for China's Moon Lander

China's most moon-like place

DRAGON SPACE
NASA poised to launch Mars atmosphere probe

The Tough Task of Finding Fossils While Wearing a Spacesuit

Mars One Selects Lockheed Martin to Study First Private Unmanned Mission to Mars

SSTL selected for first private Mars mission

DRAGON SPACE
Planning group calls for National Space Policy in Britain

Quails in orbit: French cuisine aims for the stars

Heat Shield for NASA's Orion Spacecraft Arrives at Kennedy Space Center

Space exploration can drive the next agricultural revolution

DRAGON SPACE
More Moon Missions For China

Chang'e-3 probe moves closer to the moon

China's first lunar rover lands on moon: State TV

China moon rover enters lunar orbit: Xinhua

DRAGON SPACE
NASA reports coolant loop problem at ISS

Space station cooling breakdown may delay Orbital launch

New crew to run space station in March

Russian android may take on outer space operations at ISS

DRAGON SPACE
Arianespace to launch GSAT-15 and GSAT-16 satellites for India

Russian Official Plays Down Concerns on Future of Proton

The ABS-2 and Athena-Fidus satellites for launch by Ariane 5 are welcomed in French Guiana

Arianespace to launch Brazilian government satellite SGDC

DRAGON SPACE
Feature of Earth's atmosphere may help in search for habitable planets

Astronomers discover planet that shouldn't be there

Hot Jupiters Highlight Challenges in the Search for Life Beyond Earth

Astronomers find strange planet orbiting where there shouldn't be one

DRAGON SPACE
Facebook seeks to get smarter with big data

E-trash to leap by a third by 2017: data

China trims rare earth quota for H1 2014

3D printing 'will change the world'




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement