China News Service, Wenchang, November 24th, title: Going to Guanghan for about nine days to pick jade plates
Author Guo Chaokai
"I don't know the moon when I am young, and I call it a white jade plate. I suspect that the Yaotai mirror is flying in the blue cloud." The poet Li Bai's "Gu Lang Moon Walk" shows the strong curiosity of human beings about the mysterious moon.
The moment of launch.
Photo by Li Dick
In the early morning of November 24, China once again launched a journey of exploration to the "Guanghan Palace".
The Chang'e-5 probe was launched at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China. This mission will realize China's first extraterrestrial celestial body sampling return.
This is the final battle of the three-step plan of China's lunar exploration project of "circumnavigation, landing, and return". It is also China's currently most technically difficult space mission with the most complex system composition.
From Chang'e's flight to the moon to sampling on the "Five", the moon has always attracted the attention of mankind for thousands of years.
This extraterrestrial body, which is 380,000 kilometers away from the earth, has inspired human exploration consciousness since ancient times.
From the ancient Chinese myths and legends Chang'e flying to the moon, to the moon goddess Artemis in ancient Greek mythology; the moon embodies people's strong emotional factors and cultural complexes, and becomes an image symbol of romantic and beautiful intentions in Chinese traditional culture.
While the poetic fantasy about the moon flying, the ancients also obtained many hardcore results.
China is the first country in the world to record a lunar eclipse.
From the 14th to the 12th century BC, the oracle bone inscriptions of the Shang Dynasty recorded the lunar eclipse.
According to the unearthed cultural relics, the ancients had been able to count twelve months as a year according to the changing laws of natural phenomena.
In the Eastern Han Dynasty, astronomer Zhang Heng wrote in his book "Ling Xian": "Moonlight is born in the light of the sun; the soul is born in the shadow of the sun. The day is shining, and the sun is full", clearly pointing out the moonlight It is produced by the sun, and the moon itself does not shine.
Chang'e-5 probe.
Photo courtesy of China Academy of Space Technology
The development and progress of modern civilization has continuously refreshed mankind's understanding of the moon.
The appearance of the telescope further unveiled the mystery of the moon.
The details of the moon are more presented to the world: the moon called the "white jade plate" was originally not a flat river, but full of uneven craters, peaks and valleys.
On January 2, 1959, the Soviet Union launched the world's first lunar probe "Lunar One", and "Lunar One" successfully passed the moon two days later.
While the Soviet Union's unmanned probes are conducting lunar patrols, detection and sampling returns, the United States is also launching the vigorous Apollo lunar exploration program.
On July 20, 1969, American astronaut Armstrong took the lead on the moon, leaving the first human footprint on the moon.
Subsequently, a total of 6 spacecraft and 12 astronauts landed on the surface of the moon and brought back the moon's rock and lunar soil specimens.
So far, mankind's exploration of the moon has reached a climax, and scientific research results have a profound impact.
The connection between China and Lunar Soil dates back to the 1970s.
In order to promote the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States as soon as possible, on May 20, 1978, Brzezinski, then the National Security Affairs Assistant to the US President, visited China.
To show his sincerity, he carried a special gift with him: a specimen of moon rock weighing 1 gram.
This 1 gram of moon rock was divided into two, 0.5 gram was given to many research institutes across the country for analysis and research, and the remaining 0.5 gram was sent to the Beijing Planetarium for public exhibition.
Ouyang Ziyuan, a 43-year-old astrochemist, was urgently transferred to Beijing to preside over moon rock research.
Many years later, Ouyang Ziyuan recalled that “we spent 4 months fully dissecting it to figure out its chemical composition, mineral composition, evolution history, etc., and published 14 papers for this.” “Americans say that Chinese scientists are amazing! "
Chang'e-5 probe.
Photo courtesy of China Academy of Space Technology
In the face of many scientific research needs, the 1 gram of lunar soil is only "a drop in the bucket" after all, and the Chinese's own lunar sampling and return plan is put on the agenda.
In 2004, China's lunar exploration project was established and implemented, and a three-step strategic plan of "circumnavigation, fall, and return" was determined.
From a macro perspective, human lunar exploration generally follows the three major steps of "exploration", "landing" and "stationing", namely, unmanned exploration, manned landing on the moon, and short-term stationing.
On this basis, China has further subdivided the first big step "Moon exploration" into three small steps: "around", "falling" and "back".
The successful implementation of the mission from Chang'e 1 to Chang'e 4 has successfully completed the first two steps of the three-step strategy; and Chang'e 5 is responsible for completing the third step of the lunar exploration project.
On November 24, the Chang'e-5 probe launched in Wenchang and rushed to "Guanghan".
It will go through 11 phases and fly in orbit for more than 20 days, collecting about 2,000 grams of lunar samples and returning to Earth.
This mission is also expected to achieve five "firsts" in the history of Chinese spaceflight: the first automatic lunar surface sampling and packaging, the first lunar take-off and ascent, the first lunar orbital rendezvous and docking, the first high-speed reentry and return to the earth with the lunar soil, and the first self-picking of the moon Sample storage, analysis and research.
From 1 gram to about 2000 grams, from the first contact with the lunar soil to the autonomous sampling return, 42 years have passed like a white horse.
This time, China's independent collection of lunar soil is expected.
In the future, China's exploration of the moon will remain steady: Chang'e-6, Chang'e-7, Chang'e-8 and other probes will also implement a second sampling return, detailed investigation of resources in the lunar polar regions, and lunar surface tests and technical utilization of some key technologies. .
In nine days, the moon and stars are wide, and the sixteenth spring and autumn fall back.
From Chang'e 1 fulfilled the Chinese dream of flying to the moon for thousands of years, to Chang'e 2's first realization of China's overflight detection of asteroids, Chang'e 3's successful landing of the moon, Chang'e 4's first soft landing on the back of the moon, and now Chang'e On the 5th, China's first trip to return from sampling of extraterrestrial celestial bodies will be launched... In the past 16 years, China's lunar exploration project has been successful in succession and has achieved fruitful results.
In the future, China's steps towards the sea of stars will surely go more stable and farther.
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