Landing site for Chang'e 5 samples return probe disclosed

in #space7 years ago (edited)

Chinese Moon mission Chang'e-5 will be launched in November of this year. Its main task is to collect samples and leliver them back to Earth. In general, Chinese Moon program repeats Soviet Lun-XX series from 1970th, but with present day technologies, and with longstanding vision. Last automatic samples delivery mission was Lun-24, launched in August, 1976. It delivered back 160 cetntimeters column ofdrilled regolith with total weight of 170 gramm.

Chinese spacecraft consists of four parts: orbital stage, lander, takeoff module and samples-return capsule. This configuration combines Soviet unmanned and parts of Apollo crewed programs design, probably, having in mind future crewed expeditions.

Image: Xinhua - Mock-up of Chang'e-5 lunar lander

Image: qq.com 

Liu Jizhong, director of China Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center of China National Space Administration (CNSA), for the first time disclosed the probe landing site, an isolated volcanic formation located in the northwest part of the Moon's near side, called Rümker Mons.

Image: NASA NASA image archive, picture number as15-97-13252HR - Rümker Mons region as seen from Apollo-15

This is isolated volcanic formation, located   in the northwest part of the Moon's near side, on the edge of  Oceanus Procellarum (Ocean of Storms)

Image: Vaz Tolentino

Image: Vaz Tolentino

The most prominent feature of Rümker Mons are the cupola- round bulges, with some craters on tops. These are evidences of ancient eruptions. The volume of lava, from which Rümker Mons are formed is about 1800 km3

Image:  Lunar and Planetary Institute, Lunar Orbiter Photo Gallery Lunar Orbiter 4 (taken from Wikipedia site)

Liu also mentioned China's Chang'e 4 lunar probe. Delivering a report at the Global Space Exploration Conference, which opened in Beijing Tuesday, he said China's Chang'e 4 lunar probe, which is expected to be the first human carrying probe landing on the far side of the moon, would be launched in 2018, carrying 11 scientific payloads, including four developed by other countries. The launch of Chang'e-4 was delayed for unknown reasons more than for a year, so Chang'e-5 will go first.

Liu said: 

China is planning and designing its future lunar exploration program. We will focus on the south pole region of the moon. The research on water and the permanent shadow area of the lunar south pole region will bring greater scientific discoveries

Source: http://chinaplus.cri.cn/news/china/9/20170607/5921.html

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