China to Launch Spacecraft to Collect Material from the Moon

 

China's space agency is making final preparations to launch a spacecraft to the moon to collect material from the lunar surface.

If the effort is successful, it will be the first time in more than 40 years that any nation has brought back samples from the moon.

The unmanned spacecraft is named Chang'e 5 after the ancient Chinese female god of the moon. It is set to launch early Tuesday aboard a Long March-5Y rocket. It will blast off from China's Wenchang launch center on the southern island of Hainan. The spacecraft is expected to take three days to reach the moon.

The mission will make China only the third nation to collect lunar samples, following the United States and the Soviet¹ Union. The last such mission happened in 1976, when an unmanned Soviet spacecraft collected 170 grams of moon material.

America's Apollo program - which first put humans on the moon - landed 12 astronauts over six flights from 1969 to 1972. The astronauts collected and brought back 382 kilograms of rocks and soil.

The Chinese mission aims to drill down 2 meters into the moon's surface and collect at least 2 kilograms of rocks and other material, the U.S. space agency NASA says.

The Chang'e-5 spacecraft includes four different modules³ that will work together to complete the mission.

After the materials are collected by the lander, they will be placed in the spacecraft's ascender. The ascender is designed to lift off from the moon and link up with a "service module²." The materials will then be moved to a return vehicle for the trip back to Earth.

Scientists say the Chang'e-5 mission may help answer questions about the moon's past volcanic⁴ history. It could also provide data about when the moon might have lost its magnetic field.

The spacecraft's time on the moon will be limited to about 14 Earth days. This is because it lacks heating equipment to operate for long periods in the moon's freezing environment.

Joan Johnson-Freese is a space expert at the U.S. Naval⁵ War College. She told The Associated Press the technical complexity⁶ of Chang'e 5 is "remarkable⁷ in many ways." The effort demonstrates China's ability to develop and successfully carry out "sustained high-tech⁸ programs," she said.

The ability to collect samples from space is increasingly valuable, astronomer⁹ Jonathan McDowell told the AP. He is with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. McDowell said other countries may look to China's experience to help with their plans to collect material from asteroids¹¹, or possibly even Mars.

While he described China's new mission as "challenging," McDowell said the country had already successfully landed twice on the moon with its Chang'e 3 and Chang'e 4 missions.

In July, China became one of three countries – after the United States and the Soviet Union - to launch a mission to Mars. China's unmanned Tianwen 1 spacecraft is expected to arrive at Mars around February 2021. Once it begins orbiting the Red Planet, an explorer will attempt to land on Mars to collect data on the planet's surface and search for signs of water.

Words in This Story

sample – n. a small amount of something that represents what it is like

mission – n. a flight by an aircraft or spacecraft to perform a specific task

drill – v. to make holes in hard materials with a machine

module – n. a part of an object that can operate alone, especially a part of a spacecraft

remarkable – adj. very unusual or noticeable in a way that you admire

sustain – v. to cause or permit something to continue for a period of time

asteroid¹⁰ – n. objects made of rock and metal which orbit the sun, but are smaller than planets

challenging – adj. difficult in a way that is usually interesting or enjoyable

1 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

2 module   

n.组件，模块，模件；(航天器的)舱

参考例句：

• The centre module displays traffic guidance information.中央模块显示交通引导信息。
• Two large tanks in the service module held liquid oxygen.服务舱的两个大气瓶中装有液态氧。

3 modules   

n.模块( module的名词复数 )；单元；（宇宙飞船上各个独立的）舱；组件

参考例句：

• The course consists of ten core modules and five optional modules. 这门课程包括十个必修单元和五个选修单元。
• Our English course is divided into modules on poetry, drama, and novels. 我们的英语课分为诗歌、戏剧和小说等单元。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

5 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

6 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

7 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

8 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

9 astronomer   

n.天文学家

参考例句：

• A new star attracted the notice of the astronomer.新发现的一颗星引起了那位天文学家的注意。
• He is reputed to have been a good astronomer.他以一个优秀的天文学者闻名于世。

10 asteroid   

n.小行星；海盘车(动物)

参考例句：

• Astronomers have yet to witness an asteroid impact with another planet.天文学家还没有目击过小行星撞击其它行星。
• It's very unlikely that an asteroid will crash into Earth but the danger exists.小行星撞地球的可能性很小，但这样的危险还是存在的。

11 asteroids   

n.小行星( asteroid的名词复数 )；海盘车，海星

参考例句：

• Asteroids,also known as "minor planets",are numerous in the outer space. 小行星，亦称为“小型行星”，在外太空中不计其数。
• Most stars probably have their quota of planets, meteorids, comets, and asteroids. 多数恒星也许还拥有若干行星、流星、彗星和小行星。