China's recoverable moon rover expected in 2017
+ - 21:22, March 11, 2008
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/6371088.html
China will have a recoverable moon rover, which will carry back lunar
soil samples, by 2017 if technical research "progresses smoothly,"
said the chief designer of Chang'e-1, the country's first moon probe,
Tuesday.
China plans to land a probe on the moon in 2013, said Ye Peijian,
chief commander and designer of probe's satellite system, and an
academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The milestone Chang'e-1 blasted off last October, marking the first
step in China's ambitious three-stage moon mission.
"A recoverable moon rover is a must, though it is a much tougher task
than a moon lander," said Ye, also a member of the 11th National
Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
(CPPCC), on the sidelines of the annual full session of the top
political advisory body.
So far all data the experts have obtained about the moon is collected
and processed by remote devices. Having that data examined hands-on by
scientists will be an improvement, Ye said.
"A recoverable moon rover is also vital for a manned moon landing," Ye
said but added that China so far has no plan to land men on the moon.
Scientists have been working on a recoverable moon rover scheme, he
said. "If the government approves it and we start technical
preparation now, it will be finished in 2017."
Ye also admitted that technical challenges remain concerning the
landing mission.
The soft landing vehicle and moon rover should meet high technical
standards as they will have to stay on the moon for three months to a
year, he said.
"A night on the moon is equal to 14 days on the earth, during which
the solar batteries cannot be recharged. It remains a question how the
equipment will be kept warm and working," he said.
The mission also needs a stable and powerful data transmission system
as the information will be sent a distance of 380,000 km back to the
earth, he said.
The government has approved the scheme to develop a non-recoverable
landing moon rover and experts have started working on it, Ye said.
The country will launch another moon orbiter Chang'e-2 around 2009,
which is expected to follow an orbit of 100 km above the moon's
surface, 100 km lower the Chang'e-1, Ye said.
"We also hope to prolong the service of Change'-1 by three to six
months," he said.
Source: Xinhua
