Successful landing! Chang'e-6 will begin the world's first "treasure digging" on the back of the moon
This is a historic moment for mankind to explore the Moon! In the early morning of June 2, Chang'e-6 successfully landed in the pre-selected landing area of the South Pole and Aitken Basin on the far side of the Moon, opening the first sample collection mission carried out by a human probe on the far side of the Moon.
This is a simulated animation of the Chang'e-6 lander and ascender landing on the far side of the moon on the screen of the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center on June 2. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jin Liwang
The Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center burst into warm applause, and the Chang'e-6 lander and ascent, with the support of the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, successfully landed in the pre-selected landing area of the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the Moon.
Since its launch into orbit on May 3, the Chang'e-6 probe has experienced about 30 days of journey to the moon, and has completed a series of key actions such as Earth-Moon transfer, near-moon braking, and circumlunar flight.
Compared with landing on the front side of the moon, landing on the far side of the moon can be described as interlocking and crucial. In particular, the pre-selected landing area of this mission, the South Pole of the Moon, the Aitken Basin, has a drop of more than 10 kilometers, which is like successfully landing a small truck in the lofty mountains, and every step cannot be taken lightly, which is full of the wisdom and creativity of Chinese astronauts.
On June 2, the staff of the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center monitored the dynamics of the Chang'e-6 landing on the back of the moon. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jin Liwang
The "gradual braking" deceleration is close to the lunar surface - the lander and ascender combination implements a power reduction, and the 7500 Nm variable thrust main engine is turned on, gradually reducing the relative velocity of the probe to zero. In the meantime, the assemblage makes rapid attitude adjustments and gradually approaches the lunar surface.
The lander and the ascent vehicle combination automatically detect obstacles through the visual autonomous obstacle avoidance system, use the visible light camera to select the approximate safety point according to the light and darkness of the lunar surface, hover 100 meters above the safety point, use laser 3D scanning to take accurate photos to detect obstacles on the lunar surface, and finally select the landing point and start a slow vertical descent.
The "critical buffer" ensures a safe landing on the moon - when it is about to reach the lunar surface, the engine is turned off, and the buffer system is used to ensure that the assembly reaches the lunar surface in free fall, and finally lands smoothly on the far side of the moon, the South Pole-Aitken Basin.
This is a simulated animation of the Chang'e-6 lander and ascender landing on the far side of the moon on the screen of the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center on June 2. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jin Liwang
The landing on the far side of the Moon is short, difficult and risky, and only the Chang'e-4 probe on the mainland has successfully achieved a soft landing on the far side of the Moon in early 2019. This time, Chang'e-6 will not only achieve a soft landing on the far side of the moon, but also collect lunar soil on the far side of the moon as planned, taking a path that no one else has taken.
In 2004, China's lunar exploration program was officially approved. From Chang'e-1 taking images of the whole moon to Chang'e-4 achieving the first soft landing on the far side of the moon; From the triumphant return of Chang'e-5 with lunar soil, to the fact that Chang'e-6 is about to "dig treasure" on the back of the moon...... Over the past 20 years, China's lunar exploration program has continuously set new records for human lunar exploration.
A successful landing on the back of the moon is just the beginning. The follow-up lander will carry out state inspection and setting work such as solar wing and directional antenna deployment, and then officially start sampling on the back of the moon for about 2 days, and collect lunar samples through drilling and surface extraction to achieve multi-point and diversified automatic sampling.
On June 2, staff at the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center reviewed data from the Chang'e-6 lander and ascent assembly. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jin Liwang
At the same time, the mission will also carry out on-site investigation and analysis of the landing area on the far side of the moon, analysis of lunar soil structure and other scientific explorations. Let's continue to look forward to Chang'e-6 "making persistent efforts" and more good news!
Source: Xinhua News Agency