. 24/7 Space News .
Chang'e-1 Photographs Dark Side Of The Moon

This undated photo shows a ray crater on the moon issued by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Dec. 11, 2007. The charge-coupled device (CCD) camera on Chang'e-1, China's first lunar orbiter, has started imaging probes on the dark side of the moon and captured photos of parts of this region, CNSA announced Tuesday. (Xinhua Photo)
by Staff Writers
Beijing (XNA) Dec 12, 2007
The charge-coupled device (CCD) camera on Chang'e-1, China's first lunar orbiter, has started imaging probes on the dark side of the moon and captured photos of parts of this region, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced Tuesday. The CNSA said that the orbiter is operating normally in terms of flying, probing, land control and communication, as well as data transmitting and processing.

The CNSA released the first picture of the moon captured by Chang'e-1 on Nov. 26, marking the full success of the lunar probe project.

Chang'e-1, named after a mythical Chinese goddess who, according to legend, flew to the moon, blasted off on a Long March 3A carrier rocket at 6:05 p.m. on Oct. 24 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern Sichuan Province.

The 2,350-kg satellite carries eight probing facilities with a range of instruments. These include a three-dimensional camera and an interferometer (a set of two or more telescopes that combine their signals to improve resolution), an imager and gamma/x-ray spectrometer, a laser altimeter, a microwave detector, a high-energy solar particle detector and a low-energy ion detector.

The mission has four objectives: a three-dimensional survey of the lunar surface; an analysis of the abundance and distribution of elements on the lunar surface; an investigation of the characteristics of lunar regolith (loose, fragmented surface material) and the powdery soil layer on the surface, and an exploration of the conditions between Earth and the moon.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

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



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


China-Made Satellite Navigation System To Support Olympic Games
Beijing (XNA) Dec 07, 2007
A leading engineer for China's indigenous satellite navigation system said the new system would be used in guiding traffic and monitoring sports venues during the Beijing Olympics in summer 2008. Ran Chengqi, deputy director of China Satellite Navigation Engineering Center, said the Compass Navigation Satellite System, which consists of five positioning satellites orbiting the Earth, will help alleviate traffic problems during the Olympics by providing detailed positioning information to individual drivers.







  • Kennedy's Desert RATS
  • Voyager 2 Proves Solar System Is Squashed
  • Quails for lunch aboard Atlantis
  • Richard Branson Trains For Virgin Galactic Spaceflight At The NASTAR Center

  • Building Blocks Of Life Formed On Mars
  • Software Helps Mars Rovers Find Winter Havens
  • Mars Express Watches A Dust Storm Engulf Mars
  • Clues From Antarctica Help With Search For Water On Mars

  • United Launch Alliance Launches 2nd COSMO Satellite
  • Russia Tests Engine For Angara Carrier Rocket
  • ATK Receives Contract And Delivers 100th Orion Solid Rocket Motor
  • Arianespace warns US over Chinese space 'dumping'

  • Outside View: Russia's new sats -- Part 2
  • Use Space Technology And IT For Rural Development
  • Ministerial Summit On Global Earth Observation System Of Systems
  • China, Brazil give Africa free satellite land images

  • The PI's Perspective: Autumn 2007: Onward to the Kuiper Belt
  • Data For The Next Generations
  • Goddard Instrument Makes Cover Of Science
  • Checking Out New Horizons

  • International Team Of Astronomers Releases Detailed Digital Survey Of Milkyway
  • Supercomputer Simulation Of Universe Will Search For Missing Matter
  • NASA Mega-Telescope Gears Up To Study Cosmos
  • Astronomers Find Puzzling Dwarf Star With Complex Magnetic Fields

  • New NASA Mission To Reveal Moon's Internal Structure And Evolution
  • Earth's Magnetic Field Could Help Protect Astronauts Working On The Moon
  • NASA on target for return to the moon by 2020: officials
  • CNSA Publishes 4 Series Of Moon Photos Taken By Chang'e-1

  • Boeing Selected To Help Develop New USAF GPS Ground System
  • Swedish Space Takes Major Role In Galileo Satellite Navigation Project
  • EU rallies Spain to clinch unanimous Galileo deal
  • EU nations 'close' to political agreement on satnav project

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. 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 SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement