A picuture of the dark side
of the moon, taken by China's lunar orbiter Chang'e-1, is released
by the China National Space Administration on December 11, 2007.
(Photo: cnsa.gov.cn)
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.
(Xinhua News Agency, December 11, 2007)
