Chinanews.com Wenchang, November 24th, title: "Long Five" send "Chang Wu", this Chang'e "Five Girl" is extraordinary

  Author Pang Dan Guo Chaokai

  On November 24, China successfully sent the Chang'e-5 probe into the Earth-Moon transfer orbit using the Long March 5 carrier rocket at the Wenchang Space Launch Site.

With the successful launch of Chang'e-5, people's attention is once again focused on China's spaceflight.

The moment of launch.

Photo by Li Dick

  While rejoicing for this grand event, the people are full of curiosity about Chang'e-5.

Compared with several "sisters" in the Chang'e family, what is the difference between Chang'e's "five girls"?

What role does it play in the big family and what role does it play?

Different missions

  Unlike the four "sisters" from Chang'e-1 to Chang'e-4, Chang'e-5 will complete the last step of the three major technological projects of China's lunar exploration project, namely, "circumnavigation, landing, and return".

The successful implementation of Chang'e 5 will realize China's first unmanned sampling return of extraterrestrial objects.

  As the core of the sampling and return mission of the third phase of China's lunar exploration project, the Chang'e-5 probe is the most complicated spacecraft system developed by China so far.

After the successful launch, Chang'e 5 will go through 11 stages and more than 20 days of on-orbit flight, collecting about 2 kilograms of lunar samples and returning to Earth.

Aerospace experts said that the successful completion of the three-step overall planning goal of the lunar exploration project is of great significance to promoting scientific and technological progress in China's deep space exploration field and promoting the leapfrog development of China's space science and space technology.

Different appearance

  Compared with Chang'e No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4, the Chang'e No. 5 probe has a large technical span and a more complex structure. It is composed of an orbiter, a lander, an ascender, and a returner.

Each of these four devices is a separate individual, but they can also be combined together. For example, when the lander and the ascender are "huddled together," they are combined into a "combined body", while the orbiter and the returner are combined. Into a "track-back combination."

  In addition, the "strings" of 4 devices together constitute a complete detector.

The Chang'e-1 and Chang'e-2 are separate satellites, while the Chang'e-3 and Chang'e-4 are composed of a lander and a lunar rover.

The Chang'e-5 is composed of four devices, so Chang'e "Five Girls" is the most complicated detector in the family.

Chang'e-5 probe.

Photo courtesy of China Academy of Space Technology

Different mission goals

  The purpose of the Chang'e-5 mission is to realize automatic sampling and return of the lunar surface and carry out ground analysis and research on lunar samples.

During the mission, the Chang'e-5 probe will focus on achieving three major engineering goals: one is to break through a series of key technologies to improve China's aerospace technology level; the other is to realize the first automatic sampling and return of extraterrestrial celestial bodies and promote a major scientific and technological leap in China; The third is to improve the lunar exploration engineering system to lay a certain talent, technology, and material foundation for manned moon landing and deep space exploration.

  In addition, the Chang'e-5 probe will also carry out a series of scientific surveys, such as on-site investigation and analysis of the landing area, morphological detection of the landing site area and geological background survey, obtaining on-site analysis data related to lunar samples, and establishing on-site detection data and The relationship between laboratory analysis data; the analysis and research of lunar samples, the systematic and long-term laboratory research on lunar samples, the analysis of the structure, physical properties, and material composition of lunar soil, and the deepening of studies on the origin and evolution of the moon.

Chang'e-5 probe.

Photo courtesy of China Academy of Space Technology

Different fate

  From the very beginning of the project, China's lunar exploration project has designed a three-step strategy of "circumnavigation, landing, and return", which means that the sisters of the Chang'e family will have different destinies and destinations.

  On October 24, 2007, China successfully launched the Chang'e-1 satellite.

On March 1, 2009, Chang'e "Big Girl" controlled the collision with the moon according to the scheduled plan, drawing a successful conclusion to the first phase of the lunar exploration project, the "Moon Exploration" mission.

  On October 1, 2010, the Chang'e-2 satellite was successfully launched.

On December 13, 2012, the Chang'e-2 satellite and the Tutatis asteroid passed by from far to near, realizing China's leap detection of asteroids for the first time, and Chang'e's "Two Girls" became China's first mission. Interstellar probe.

  On December 14, 2013, the Chang'e-3 probe landed on the lunar surface.

The next day, the lander and the patrol were photographed with each other. The Chang'e-3 mission was a complete success, achieving China's first soft landing and patrol detection of extraterrestrial objects.

Chang'e "Three Girls" also stayed on the moon permanently, looking at the earth's homeland in the distance.

  On January 3, 2019, the Chang'e-4 probe successfully landed on the back of the moon and became the first spacecraft in human history to softly land and patrol the back of the moon. It is in good condition so far. In the future, the Chang'e Four Girls will continue on the moon. Discovery journey on the back.

  The older "sisters" in the Moon family have one thing in common, that is, no one can return to the "natal family" again.

And Chang'e-5 is much happier than several "elder sisters", because after she walked away from the "Moon Palace", she can also pick up some "special product"-Yueyang, and return to the embrace of Mother Earth again.

  Now that the Chang'e-5 probe has been successfully launched, it has sprinted all the way to the moon, and its lunar exploration journey is worth looking forward to.

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