Chinese spaceclaft rands on moon
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WATCH: China's biosphere on the moon
Postmedia News
More from Postmedia News
Published:
June 8, 2018
Updated:
June 8, 2018 10:46 AM EDT
Can you live on the moon?
China has dreams of making that a reality one day. The Asian country hopes to create a biosphere on the dark side of the moon that will grow flowers and silkworms.
The task is difficult but might prove that life can sustain on the moon should the experiment be successful.
Watch this video to find out more.
[youtube]WRiotbD5c7Q[/youtube]
WATCH: China’s biosphere on the moon | Toronto Sun
Postmedia News
More from Postmedia News
Published:
June 8, 2018
Updated:
June 8, 2018 10:46 AM EDT
Can you live on the moon?
China has dreams of making that a reality one day. The Asian country hopes to create a biosphere on the dark side of the moon that will grow flowers and silkworms.
The task is difficult but might prove that life can sustain on the moon should the experiment be successful.
Watch this video to find out more.
[youtube]WRiotbD5c7Q[/youtube]
WATCH: China’s biosphere on the moon | Toronto Sun
China lands spacecraft on 'dark' side of moon in world first
Associated Press
Published:
January 3, 2019
Updated:
January 3, 2019 9:35 PM EST
BEIJING — China’s burgeoning space program achieved a lunar milestone on Thursday: landing a probe on the mysterious and misnamed “dark” side of the moon.
Exploring the cosmos from that far side of the moon, which people can’t see from Earth, could eventually help scientists learn more about the early days of the solar system and maybe even the birth of the universe’s first stars.
Three nations — the United States, the former Soviet Union and more recently China — all have sent spacecraft to the side of the moon that faces Earth, but this landing is the first on the far side. That side has been observed many times from lunar orbit, but never up close.
The China National Space Administration said the 10:26 a.m. touchdown of the Chang’e 4 craft has “opened up a new chapter in human lunar exploration.”
A photo taken at 11:40 a.m. and sent back by Chang’e 4 shows a small crater and a barren surface that appears to be illuminated by a light from the lunar explorer. Its name comes from that of a Chinese goddess who, according to legend, has lived on the moon for millennia.
One challenge of sending a probe to the moon’s far side is communicating with it from Earth, so China launched a relay satellite in May to enable Chang’e 4 to send back information.
The mission highlights China’s growing ambitions to rival the U.S., Russia and Europe in space, and more broadly, to cement its position as a regional and global power.
“The space dream is part of the dream to make China stronger,” President Xi Jinping said after becoming the country’s leader in 2013.
Chinese media and officials hailed the Dec. 8 launch of Chang’e 4 as one of the nation’s major achievements in 2018.
The public was kept in suspense about the landing itself for more than an hour after it occurred, with state broadcaster CCTV announcing it at the top of the noon news. By that time, speculation already had begun spreading on social media in China and overseas.
“On the whole, China’s space technology still lags behind the West, but with the landing on the far side of the moon, we have raced to the front,” said Hou Xiyun, a professor at Nanjing University’s school of astronomy and space science.
He added that China has Mars, Jupiter and asteroids in its sights: “There’s no doubt that our nation will go farther and farther.”
The landing was “a big deal” because it used an engineering technique of the spacecraft itself choosing a safe place to touch down in treacherous terrain, something called autonomous hazard avoidance, said Purdue University lunar and planetary scientist Jay Melosh.
He recalled mentioning the idea of such a technique for an unfunded NASA lunar mission about eight years ago, only to be told it wasn’t doable at the time.
“The moon is more challenging to land on than Mars,” Melosh said. “On Mars, you can pick out smooth areas.”
In 2013, the predecessor spacecraft Chang’e 3 made the first moon landing since the former Soviet Union’s Luna 24 in 1976. The United States is the only country to successfully send astronauts to the moon — 2019 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing — although China is considering a crewed mission too.
For now, it plans to send a Chang’e 5 probe to the moon next year and have it return to Earth with samples — also not done since the Soviet mission in 1976.
The moon’s far side is sometimes called the “dark side” in popular culture because it is always unseen from Earth and is relatively unknown, not because it lacks sunlight.
Chang’e 4, a combined lander and rover, will make astronomical observations and probe the composition of the soil.
The spacecraft landed in the South Pole-Aitken basin, the oldest known impact zone. Scientists want to know how old — somewhere between 3.9 billion and 4.4 billion years old — to better understand a period in the solar system’s history called the late heavy bombardment. That’s when space rocks were careening off each other and crashing into moons and planets, including Earth. Knowing the age and chemical composition of this crash zone would help understand Earth’s ancient history better, said Purdue’s Melosh.
Chang’e 4 could also contribute to radio astronomy.
“The far side of the moon is a rare, quiet place that is free from interference from radio signals from Earth,” mission spokesman Yu Guobin said, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. “This probe can fill the gap of low-frequency observation in radio astronomy and will provide important information for studying the origin of stars and nebula evolution.”
Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb said that in the future, it may be possible to see much farther — and thus earlier — into the universe from the far side because the moon itself will block interfering radio signals from Earth.
From the far side, scientists may eventually be able to peer back to 50 million to 100 million years after the Big Bang, when the first stars were born — or even earlier, he said.
China conducted its first crewed space mission in 2003, following Russia and the U.S. It has put two space stations into orbit and plans to launch a Mars rover in the mid-2020s. Its space program suffered a rare setback last year with the failed launch of its Long March 5 rocket.
“Building a space power is a dream that we persistently pursue,” said Wu Weiren, the chief designer of the China Lunar Exploration Project, speaking with CCTV at the Beijing Aerospace Flight and Control Center. “And we’re gradually realizing it.”
http://torontosun.com/news/world/china-lands-spacecraft-on-dark-side-of-moon-in-world-first
Associated Press
Published:
January 3, 2019
Updated:
January 3, 2019 9:35 PM EST
BEIJING — China’s burgeoning space program achieved a lunar milestone on Thursday: landing a probe on the mysterious and misnamed “dark” side of the moon.
Exploring the cosmos from that far side of the moon, which people can’t see from Earth, could eventually help scientists learn more about the early days of the solar system and maybe even the birth of the universe’s first stars.
Three nations — the United States, the former Soviet Union and more recently China — all have sent spacecraft to the side of the moon that faces Earth, but this landing is the first on the far side. That side has been observed many times from lunar orbit, but never up close.
The China National Space Administration said the 10:26 a.m. touchdown of the Chang’e 4 craft has “opened up a new chapter in human lunar exploration.”
A photo taken at 11:40 a.m. and sent back by Chang’e 4 shows a small crater and a barren surface that appears to be illuminated by a light from the lunar explorer. Its name comes from that of a Chinese goddess who, according to legend, has lived on the moon for millennia.
One challenge of sending a probe to the moon’s far side is communicating with it from Earth, so China launched a relay satellite in May to enable Chang’e 4 to send back information.
The mission highlights China’s growing ambitions to rival the U.S., Russia and Europe in space, and more broadly, to cement its position as a regional and global power.
“The space dream is part of the dream to make China stronger,” President Xi Jinping said after becoming the country’s leader in 2013.
Chinese media and officials hailed the Dec. 8 launch of Chang’e 4 as one of the nation’s major achievements in 2018.
The public was kept in suspense about the landing itself for more than an hour after it occurred, with state broadcaster CCTV announcing it at the top of the noon news. By that time, speculation already had begun spreading on social media in China and overseas.
“On the whole, China’s space technology still lags behind the West, but with the landing on the far side of the moon, we have raced to the front,” said Hou Xiyun, a professor at Nanjing University’s school of astronomy and space science.
He added that China has Mars, Jupiter and asteroids in its sights: “There’s no doubt that our nation will go farther and farther.”
The landing was “a big deal” because it used an engineering technique of the spacecraft itself choosing a safe place to touch down in treacherous terrain, something called autonomous hazard avoidance, said Purdue University lunar and planetary scientist Jay Melosh.
He recalled mentioning the idea of such a technique for an unfunded NASA lunar mission about eight years ago, only to be told it wasn’t doable at the time.
“The moon is more challenging to land on than Mars,” Melosh said. “On Mars, you can pick out smooth areas.”
In 2013, the predecessor spacecraft Chang’e 3 made the first moon landing since the former Soviet Union’s Luna 24 in 1976. The United States is the only country to successfully send astronauts to the moon — 2019 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing — although China is considering a crewed mission too.
For now, it plans to send a Chang’e 5 probe to the moon next year and have it return to Earth with samples — also not done since the Soviet mission in 1976.
The moon’s far side is sometimes called the “dark side” in popular culture because it is always unseen from Earth and is relatively unknown, not because it lacks sunlight.
Chang’e 4, a combined lander and rover, will make astronomical observations and probe the composition of the soil.
The spacecraft landed in the South Pole-Aitken basin, the oldest known impact zone. Scientists want to know how old — somewhere between 3.9 billion and 4.4 billion years old — to better understand a period in the solar system’s history called the late heavy bombardment. That’s when space rocks were careening off each other and crashing into moons and planets, including Earth. Knowing the age and chemical composition of this crash zone would help understand Earth’s ancient history better, said Purdue’s Melosh.
Chang’e 4 could also contribute to radio astronomy.
“The far side of the moon is a rare, quiet place that is free from interference from radio signals from Earth,” mission spokesman Yu Guobin said, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. “This probe can fill the gap of low-frequency observation in radio astronomy and will provide important information for studying the origin of stars and nebula evolution.”
Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb said that in the future, it may be possible to see much farther — and thus earlier — into the universe from the far side because the moon itself will block interfering radio signals from Earth.
From the far side, scientists may eventually be able to peer back to 50 million to 100 million years after the Big Bang, when the first stars were born — or even earlier, he said.
China conducted its first crewed space mission in 2003, following Russia and the U.S. It has put two space stations into orbit and plans to launch a Mars rover in the mid-2020s. Its space program suffered a rare setback last year with the failed launch of its Long March 5 rocket.
“Building a space power is a dream that we persistently pursue,” said Wu Weiren, the chief designer of the China Lunar Exploration Project, speaking with CCTV at the Beijing Aerospace Flight and Control Center. “And we’re gradually realizing it.”
It doesn't matter where it was made. I remember one astronaut being asked what he thinks about as they get ready for lift-off. I can't remember which one it was but he said, " Well, I look at all the wiring, electronics and fancy technology and equipment and think to myself, 'Gee, the contract to build this went to the lowest builder.'" ROTFL
China successfully lands spacecraft on moon to retrieve lunar rocks
Reuters
Dec 01, 2020 • Last Updated 15 hours ago • 1 minute read
A Long March 5 rocket carrying China's Chang'e-5 lunar probe launches from the Wenchang Space Center on China's southern Hainan Island on Nov. 24, 2020, on a mission to bring back lunar rocks, the first attempt by any nation to retrieve samples from the moon in four decades. PHOTO BY STR /AFP via Getty Images
BEIJING — China successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon’s surface on Tuesday in a historic mission to retrieve lunar surface samples, Chinese state media reported.
China launched its Chang’e-5 probe on Nov. 24. The uncrewed mission, named after the mythical Chinese goddess of the moon, aims to collect lunar material to help scientists learn more about the moon’s origins.
The mission will attempt to collect 2 kg (4-1/2 lbs) of samples in a previously unvisited area in a massive lava plain known as Oceanus Procellarum, or “Ocean of Storms.”
If the mission is completed as planned, it would make China the third nation to have retrieved lunar samples after the United States and the Soviet Union.
The lander vehicle that touched down on the moon’s surface was one of several spacecraft deployed by the Chang’e-5 probe.
Upon landing, the lander vehicle is supposed to drill into the ground with a robotic arm, then transfer its soil and rock samples to an ascender vehicle that would lift off and dock with an orbiting module.
State broadcaster CCTV said it would start collecting samples on the lunar surface in the next two days. The samples would be transferred to a return capsule for the trip back to Earth, landing in China’s Inner Mongolia region.
China made its first lunar landing in 2013. In January last year, the Chang’e-4 probe touched down on the far side of the moon, the first space probe from any nation to do so.
torontosun.com
Reuters
Dec 01, 2020 • Last Updated 15 hours ago • 1 minute read
A Long March 5 rocket carrying China's Chang'e-5 lunar probe launches from the Wenchang Space Center on China's southern Hainan Island on Nov. 24, 2020, on a mission to bring back lunar rocks, the first attempt by any nation to retrieve samples from the moon in four decades. PHOTO BY STR /AFP via Getty Images
BEIJING — China successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon’s surface on Tuesday in a historic mission to retrieve lunar surface samples, Chinese state media reported.
China launched its Chang’e-5 probe on Nov. 24. The uncrewed mission, named after the mythical Chinese goddess of the moon, aims to collect lunar material to help scientists learn more about the moon’s origins.
The mission will attempt to collect 2 kg (4-1/2 lbs) of samples in a previously unvisited area in a massive lava plain known as Oceanus Procellarum, or “Ocean of Storms.”
If the mission is completed as planned, it would make China the third nation to have retrieved lunar samples after the United States and the Soviet Union.
The lander vehicle that touched down on the moon’s surface was one of several spacecraft deployed by the Chang’e-5 probe.
Upon landing, the lander vehicle is supposed to drill into the ground with a robotic arm, then transfer its soil and rock samples to an ascender vehicle that would lift off and dock with an orbiting module.
State broadcaster CCTV said it would start collecting samples on the lunar surface in the next two days. The samples would be transferred to a return capsule for the trip back to Earth, landing in China’s Inner Mongolia region.
China made its first lunar landing in 2013. In January last year, the Chang’e-4 probe touched down on the far side of the moon, the first space probe from any nation to do so.
China successfully lands spacecraft on moon to retrieve lunar rocks
BEIJING — China successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon’s surface on Tuesday in a historic mission to retrieve lunar surface samples, Chinese state media repor…
China completes lunar sample collection ahead of schedule
Reuters
Publishing date:
Dec 03, 2020 • Last Updated 18 hours ago • 1 minute read
This picture taken on Dec. 2, 2020 and released on Dec. 3, 2020 by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) via CNS shows the Chang'e-5 lunar probe gathering samples on the moon. Photo by China National Space Administrat /AFP via Getty BEIJING — China’s Chang’e-5 lunar vehicle has finished collecting samples of lunar rocks and soil more than a day ahead of schedule in the first lunar sample retrieval mission since the 1970s, the country’s space agency said on Thursday.
The robotic vehicle has stored the samples and will now dock with the orbiting Chang’e-5 for the return journey to Earth.
China launched a robotic spacecraft on Nov. 24 to bring back rocks from the moon in the first bid by any country to retrieve samples since 1976.
Late on Tuesday, the Chang’e-5 spacecraft successfully deployed a pair of landing and ascending vehicles onto the moon’s surface. The plan was to collect 2 kg (4.4 pounds) of samples.
The sample collection was completed after 19 hours, the space agency said in its statement, without disclosing the total weight of the samples collected.
China had planned to collect the samples over a period of about two days, with the entire mission taking around 23 days.
The ascending vehicle would lift off from the lunar surface with the samples, and dock with a module currently orbiting around the moon.
The samples would then be transferred to a return capsule onboard the orbiting module for delivery back to Earth.
If successful, the mission will make China only the third country to have retrieved lunar samples after the United States and the Soviet Union.
China made its first lunar landing in 2013.
In January 2019, the Chang’e-4 probe landed on the far side of the moon, the first space probe from any nation to do so.
torontosun.com
Reuters
Publishing date:
Dec 03, 2020 • Last Updated 18 hours ago • 1 minute read
This picture taken on Dec. 2, 2020 and released on Dec. 3, 2020 by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) via CNS shows the Chang'e-5 lunar probe gathering samples on the moon. Photo by China National Space Administrat /AFP via Getty BEIJING — China’s Chang’e-5 lunar vehicle has finished collecting samples of lunar rocks and soil more than a day ahead of schedule in the first lunar sample retrieval mission since the 1970s, the country’s space agency said on Thursday.
The robotic vehicle has stored the samples and will now dock with the orbiting Chang’e-5 for the return journey to Earth.
China launched a robotic spacecraft on Nov. 24 to bring back rocks from the moon in the first bid by any country to retrieve samples since 1976.
Late on Tuesday, the Chang’e-5 spacecraft successfully deployed a pair of landing and ascending vehicles onto the moon’s surface. The plan was to collect 2 kg (4.4 pounds) of samples.
The sample collection was completed after 19 hours, the space agency said in its statement, without disclosing the total weight of the samples collected.
China had planned to collect the samples over a period of about two days, with the entire mission taking around 23 days.
The ascending vehicle would lift off from the lunar surface with the samples, and dock with a module currently orbiting around the moon.
The samples would then be transferred to a return capsule onboard the orbiting module for delivery back to Earth.
If successful, the mission will make China only the third country to have retrieved lunar samples after the United States and the Soviet Union.
China made its first lunar landing in 2013.
In January 2019, the Chang’e-4 probe landed on the far side of the moon, the first space probe from any nation to do so.
China completes lunar sample collection ahead of schedule
BEIJING — China’s Chang’e-5 lunar vehicle has finished collecting samples of lunar rocks and soil more than a day ahead of schedule in the first lunar sample retrie…
Japan space probe carrying asteroid rocks lands in Australian outback
Reuters
Publishing date:
Dec 06, 2020 • Last Updated 47 minutes ago • 1 minute read
This handout photograph taken and released by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on December 6, 2020 shows a scine of JAXA's Hayabusa-2 probe's sample dropping to earth after landing on and gathering material from an asteroid some 300 million kilometres from Earth, seen from Coober Pedy in South Australia. Photo by HANDOUT /JAXA/AFP via Getty Images
MELBOURNE — A Japanese space probe carrying the first extensive samples of an asteroid has completed its six-year mission, landing safely in the remote Australian outback, Japan’s space agency said on Sunday.
The mission by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Hayabusa2 seeks to answer some fundamental questions about the origins of the solar system and where molecules like water came from.
The spacecraft, launched from Japan’s Tanegashima space center in 2014, took four years to reach the asteroid Ryugu before taking a sample and heading back to Earth in November 2019.
Asteroids are believed to have formed at the dawn of the solar system, and scientists say this one may contain organic matter that may have contributed to life on Earth.
Early on Sunday, the capsule lit up as it reentered the earth’s atmosphere and landed in the Woomera restricted area, around 460 kilometres north of Adelaide, where it was found by scientists and brought to a local research station, JAXA said.
“The helicopter carrying the capsule arrived at local headquarters and the capsule was brought inside the building,” the agency said on Twitter.
torontosun.com
Reuters
Publishing date:
Dec 06, 2020 • Last Updated 47 minutes ago • 1 minute read
This handout photograph taken and released by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on December 6, 2020 shows a scine of JAXA's Hayabusa-2 probe's sample dropping to earth after landing on and gathering material from an asteroid some 300 million kilometres from Earth, seen from Coober Pedy in South Australia. Photo by HANDOUT /JAXA/AFP via Getty Images
MELBOURNE — A Japanese space probe carrying the first extensive samples of an asteroid has completed its six-year mission, landing safely in the remote Australian outback, Japan’s space agency said on Sunday.
The mission by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Hayabusa2 seeks to answer some fundamental questions about the origins of the solar system and where molecules like water came from.
The spacecraft, launched from Japan’s Tanegashima space center in 2014, took four years to reach the asteroid Ryugu before taking a sample and heading back to Earth in November 2019.
Asteroids are believed to have formed at the dawn of the solar system, and scientists say this one may contain organic matter that may have contributed to life on Earth.
Early on Sunday, the capsule lit up as it reentered the earth’s atmosphere and landed in the Woomera restricted area, around 460 kilometres north of Adelaide, where it was found by scientists and brought to a local research station, JAXA said.
“The helicopter carrying the capsule arrived at local headquarters and the capsule was brought inside the building,” the agency said on Twitter.
Japan retrieves space probe that may hold clues to origin of planets
TOKYO/MELBOURNE — Japan has retrieved a space probe from Australia’s remote outback after a six-year mission that may help reveal more about the origins of the plan…
China moon probe begins journey back to Earth
Reuters
Dec 13, 2020 • Last Updated 10 hours ago • 1 minute read
This picture taken and released on Dec. 6, 2020 by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) via CNS shows the orbiter of China's Chang'e-5 lunar probe approaching the ascender. Photo by STR/China National Space Administrat /AFP via Getty Images
A Chinese spacecraft carrying rocks and soil from the moon has begun its journey back to Earth, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday, putting China on course to become the first country to successfully retrieve lunar samples since the 1970s.
Engines on the Chang’e-5 probe were ignited 230 km (143 miles) from the lunar surface early on Sunday, Beijing time, before being shut down after 22 minutes with the craft on a trajectory towards Earth, Xinhua said, citing a China National Space Administration statement.
A successful landing in Inner Mongolia would make China only the third country to have retrieved lunar samples after the United States and the Soviet Union. The plan was to collect 2 kg (4.4 lbs) of samples, although it has not been disclosed how much was actually gathered.
The Chang’e-5 was launched on Nov. 24 and a lander vehicle touched down on the moon on Dec. 1. The mission was expected to take around 23 days in total.
torontosun.com
Reuters
Dec 13, 2020 • Last Updated 10 hours ago • 1 minute read
This picture taken and released on Dec. 6, 2020 by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) via CNS shows the orbiter of China's Chang'e-5 lunar probe approaching the ascender. Photo by STR/China National Space Administrat /AFP via Getty Images
A Chinese spacecraft carrying rocks and soil from the moon has begun its journey back to Earth, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday, putting China on course to become the first country to successfully retrieve lunar samples since the 1970s.
Engines on the Chang’e-5 probe were ignited 230 km (143 miles) from the lunar surface early on Sunday, Beijing time, before being shut down after 22 minutes with the craft on a trajectory towards Earth, Xinhua said, citing a China National Space Administration statement.
A successful landing in Inner Mongolia would make China only the third country to have retrieved lunar samples after the United States and the Soviet Union. The plan was to collect 2 kg (4.4 lbs) of samples, although it has not been disclosed how much was actually gathered.
The Chang’e-5 was launched on Nov. 24 and a lander vehicle touched down on the moon on Dec. 1. The mission was expected to take around 23 days in total.
China moon probe begins journey back to Earth
A Chinese spacecraft carrying rocks and soil from the moon has begun its journey back to Earth, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday, putting China on…
China releases space probe's first image of Mars
Reuters
Feb 05, 2021 • 19 hours ago • 1 minute read
This handout photograph released on February 5, 2021 by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) shows an image of Mars captured by China's Mars probe Tianwen-1. Photo by China National Space Administration /AFP
BEIJING — China’s maiden space exploration mission to Mars has captured its first image of the red planet, the space agency said on Friday, some six months after the probe left Earth.
The uncrewed Tianwen-1 took the picture at a distance of around 2.2 million km (1.4 million miles) from Mars, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), which supplied a black-and-white image.
The probe is now only half that distance away from Mars and around 184 million km from Earth after 197 days of the mission, the CNSA said in a statement, adding that its systems were in good condition.
The Tianwen-1 was launched in July from China’s southern Hainan island and expected to reach the orbit of Mars this month. In May, it will try to land in Utopia Planitia, a plain in the northern hemisphere, and deploy a rover to explore for 90 days.
This handout photograph released on February 5, 2021 by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) shows an image of Mars captured by China’s Mars probe Tianwen-1. Photo by China National Space Administration /AFP
If successful, the Tianwen-1 will make China the first country to orbit, land and deploy a rover in its inaugural mission to Mars, further boosting China’s space credentials after it last year became the first nation to bring back samples from the moon since the 1970s.
China previously made a Mars bid in 2011 with Russia, but the Russian spacecraft carrying the probe failed to exit Earth’s orbit and disintegrated over the Pacific Ocean.
torontosun.com
Reuters
Feb 05, 2021 • 19 hours ago • 1 minute read
This handout photograph released on February 5, 2021 by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) shows an image of Mars captured by China's Mars probe Tianwen-1. Photo by China National Space Administration /AFP
BEIJING — China’s maiden space exploration mission to Mars has captured its first image of the red planet, the space agency said on Friday, some six months after the probe left Earth.
The uncrewed Tianwen-1 took the picture at a distance of around 2.2 million km (1.4 million miles) from Mars, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), which supplied a black-and-white image.
The probe is now only half that distance away from Mars and around 184 million km from Earth after 197 days of the mission, the CNSA said in a statement, adding that its systems were in good condition.
The Tianwen-1 was launched in July from China’s southern Hainan island and expected to reach the orbit of Mars this month. In May, it will try to land in Utopia Planitia, a plain in the northern hemisphere, and deploy a rover to explore for 90 days.
This handout photograph released on February 5, 2021 by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) shows an image of Mars captured by China’s Mars probe Tianwen-1. Photo by China National Space Administration /AFP
If successful, the Tianwen-1 will make China the first country to orbit, land and deploy a rover in its inaugural mission to Mars, further boosting China’s space credentials after it last year became the first nation to bring back samples from the moon since the 1970s.
China previously made a Mars bid in 2011 with Russia, but the Russian spacecraft carrying the probe failed to exit Earth’s orbit and disintegrated over the Pacific Ocean.
China releases space probe's first image of Mars
China's maiden space exploration mission to Mars has captured its first image of the red planet.
UAE's Hope Probe enters Mars orbit in first Arab mission
Reuters
Lisa Barrington
Feb 09, 2021 • 18 hours ago • 2 minute read
A man gestures as people watch a screen displaying information of the Hope Probe entering the orbit of Mars, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 9, 2021. Photo by Christopher Pike /REUTERS
DUBAI — The United Arab Emirates’ first mission to Mars reached the red planet and entered orbit on Tuesday after a seven-month, 494 million km journey, allowing it to start sending data about the Martian atmosphere and climate.
This makes the UAE the fifth space agency to reach the planet. The Mars program is part of the UAE’s efforts to develop its scientific and technological capabilities and reduce its reliance on oil. The UAE Space Agency even has a plan for a Mars settlement by 2117.
“Contact with #HopeProbe has been established again. The Mars Orbit Insertion is now complete,” the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) said.
The attempt to lock into orbit around Mars had a 50% chance of failing, Dubai’s ruler and UAE Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said on Tuesday.
“This is the farthest point in the universe to be reached by Arabs throughout their history … Our goal is to give hope to all Arabs that we are capable of competing with the rest of the world,” he said.
To enter Mars’ orbit, the probe needed to burn around half its 800 kg of onboard fuel to slow down enough not to overshoot.
This year marks 50 years since independence from Britain and the founding of the UAE. Mars probes launched by China and NASA just after the UAE’s lift-off in July are also set to reach the planet this month.
The Emirates Mars Mission, which has cost around $200 million, launched the Hope Probe from a Japanese space center. It aims to provide a complete picture of the Martian atmosphere for the first time, studying daily and seasonal changes.
The UAE first announced plans for the mission in 2014 and launched a National Space Programme in 2017 to develop local expertise. Its population of 9.4 million, most of whom are foreign workers, lacks the scientific and industrial base of the big spacefaring nations.
Hazza al-Mansouri became the first Emirati in space in 2019 when he flew to the International Space Station.
To develop and build the Hope Probe, Emiratis and Dubai’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) worked with U.S. educational institutions.
torontosun.com
Reuters
Lisa Barrington
Feb 09, 2021 • 18 hours ago • 2 minute read
A man gestures as people watch a screen displaying information of the Hope Probe entering the orbit of Mars, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 9, 2021. Photo by Christopher Pike /REUTERS
DUBAI — The United Arab Emirates’ first mission to Mars reached the red planet and entered orbit on Tuesday after a seven-month, 494 million km journey, allowing it to start sending data about the Martian atmosphere and climate.
This makes the UAE the fifth space agency to reach the planet. The Mars program is part of the UAE’s efforts to develop its scientific and technological capabilities and reduce its reliance on oil. The UAE Space Agency even has a plan for a Mars settlement by 2117.
“Contact with #HopeProbe has been established again. The Mars Orbit Insertion is now complete,” the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) said.
The attempt to lock into orbit around Mars had a 50% chance of failing, Dubai’s ruler and UAE Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said on Tuesday.
“This is the farthest point in the universe to be reached by Arabs throughout their history … Our goal is to give hope to all Arabs that we are capable of competing with the rest of the world,” he said.
To enter Mars’ orbit, the probe needed to burn around half its 800 kg of onboard fuel to slow down enough not to overshoot.
This year marks 50 years since independence from Britain and the founding of the UAE. Mars probes launched by China and NASA just after the UAE’s lift-off in July are also set to reach the planet this month.
The Emirates Mars Mission, which has cost around $200 million, launched the Hope Probe from a Japanese space center. It aims to provide a complete picture of the Martian atmosphere for the first time, studying daily and seasonal changes.
The UAE first announced plans for the mission in 2014 and launched a National Space Programme in 2017 to develop local expertise. Its population of 9.4 million, most of whom are foreign workers, lacks the scientific and industrial base of the big spacefaring nations.
Hazza al-Mansouri became the first Emirati in space in 2019 when he flew to the International Space Station.
To develop and build the Hope Probe, Emiratis and Dubai’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) worked with U.S. educational institutions.
UAE's Hope Probe enters Mars orbit in first Arab mission
DUBAI — The United Arab Emirates’ first mission to Mars reached the red planet and entered orbit on Tuesday after a seven-month, 494 million km journey, allowing it…
Uncrewed Chinese spacecraft successfully enters Mars orbit
Reuters
Ryan Woo and Liangping Gao
Feb 10, 2021 • 22 hours ago • 2 minute read
The Long March 5 Y-4 rocket, carrying an unmanned Mars probe of the Tianwen-1 mission, takes off from Wenchang Space Launch Center in Wenchang, Hainan Province, China, July 23, 2020. Photo by Carlos Garcia Rawlins /REUTERS
BEIJING — An uncrewed Chinese spacecraft on Wednesday successfully entered orbit around Mars after a 6-1/2-month journey from Earth, China’s space agency said, in the country’s first independent mission to the red planet.
The robotic probe carried out a 15-minute burn of its thrusters at 7:52 p.m. Beijing time (1152 GMT), the China National Space Administration said in a statement, slowing the spacecraft to a speed at which it could be captured by the pull of Mars’ gravity.
In May or June, the Tianwen-1 will attempt to land a capsule carrying a 240-kg rover in a rapid seven-minute descent onto a massive plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars known as Utopia Planitia.
If the landing is successful, the solar-powered rover will explore the Martian surface for 90 days, studying its soil and seeking signs of ancient life, including any sub-surface water and ice using a ground-penetrating radar.
Tianwen-1, or “Questions to Heaven,” the name of a Chinese poem written two millennia ago, is China’s first independent mission to the planet after a probe co-launched with Russia failed to leave the Earth’s orbit in 2011.
The probe is one of three reaching Mars this month. The Hope spacecraft launched by the United Arab Emirats successfully entered the planet’s orbit on Tuesday. Hope will not make a landing but will orbit Mars gathering data on its weather and atmosphere.
Tianwen-1 will also have an orbiter component surveying the Martian atmosphere with a range of instruments including a high-resolution image camera.
The two probes join six other orbiting spacecraft above Mars launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and India.
In the United States’ most ambitious Mars mission, the 1-tonne Perseverance probe is expected to arrive on Feb. 18. It will immediately attempt a landing in a rocky depression with precipitous cliffs called Jezero Crater.
On the surface, Perseverance will gather rock samples for retrieval by a future mission. Two other NASA rovers – Curiosity and InSight – are currently operating on the planet’s surface.
Perseverance will also attempt to deploy a small helicopter named Ingenuity in the thin Martian atmosphere.
torontosun.com
Reuters
Ryan Woo and Liangping Gao
Feb 10, 2021 • 22 hours ago • 2 minute read
The Long March 5 Y-4 rocket, carrying an unmanned Mars probe of the Tianwen-1 mission, takes off from Wenchang Space Launch Center in Wenchang, Hainan Province, China, July 23, 2020. Photo by Carlos Garcia Rawlins /REUTERS
BEIJING — An uncrewed Chinese spacecraft on Wednesday successfully entered orbit around Mars after a 6-1/2-month journey from Earth, China’s space agency said, in the country’s first independent mission to the red planet.
The robotic probe carried out a 15-minute burn of its thrusters at 7:52 p.m. Beijing time (1152 GMT), the China National Space Administration said in a statement, slowing the spacecraft to a speed at which it could be captured by the pull of Mars’ gravity.
In May or June, the Tianwen-1 will attempt to land a capsule carrying a 240-kg rover in a rapid seven-minute descent onto a massive plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars known as Utopia Planitia.
If the landing is successful, the solar-powered rover will explore the Martian surface for 90 days, studying its soil and seeking signs of ancient life, including any sub-surface water and ice using a ground-penetrating radar.
Tianwen-1, or “Questions to Heaven,” the name of a Chinese poem written two millennia ago, is China’s first independent mission to the planet after a probe co-launched with Russia failed to leave the Earth’s orbit in 2011.
The probe is one of three reaching Mars this month. The Hope spacecraft launched by the United Arab Emirats successfully entered the planet’s orbit on Tuesday. Hope will not make a landing but will orbit Mars gathering data on its weather and atmosphere.
Tianwen-1 will also have an orbiter component surveying the Martian atmosphere with a range of instruments including a high-resolution image camera.
The two probes join six other orbiting spacecraft above Mars launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and India.
In the United States’ most ambitious Mars mission, the 1-tonne Perseverance probe is expected to arrive on Feb. 18. It will immediately attempt a landing in a rocky depression with precipitous cliffs called Jezero Crater.
On the surface, Perseverance will gather rock samples for retrieval by a future mission. Two other NASA rovers – Curiosity and InSight – are currently operating on the planet’s surface.
Perseverance will also attempt to deploy a small helicopter named Ingenuity in the thin Martian atmosphere.
Uncrewed Chinese spacecraft successfully enters Mars orbit
BEIJING — An uncrewed Chinese spacecraft on Wednesday successfully entered orbit around Mars after a 6-1/2-month journey from Earth, China’s space agency said, in t…