"This will pave the way for a future large radio facility on the moon to study the very early universe in the period before the first stars where formed." "This will allow us for the first time to do radio observation at low frequencies that are not possible from Earth, from close to the moon and on the moon," wrote Radboud University astronomer Marc Klein Wolt, the project lead for Queqiao's radio instrument, in an email. The moon's far side is ideal for radio astronomy, since the moon blocks noise from Earth's ionosphere and human radio transmissions. This instrument has an extra trick: By pairing it with an instrument on board Queqiao, Chinese researchers can use the two as a radio telescope. Unlike Chang'e-3, Chang'e-4 is carrying a "lunar biosphere" experiment containing plant seeds and silkworm eggs, as well as a low-frequency radio spectrometer that will let researchers study the sun's high-energy atmosphere from afar. Chang'e-4 also comes equipped with radar that can penetrate the moon's surface.īy Kurt Klaus Lunar Exploration Analysis Group These hand-me-downs include several cameras, including the one that Chang'e-3 used to take awe-inspiring panoramas of the lunar surface. Many of the instruments aboard Chang'e-4 are replicas of ones that flew on Chang'e-3, the mission's predecessor. How many objects rained down on Earth in our planet's youth? What did these objects bring, and when did they arrive? What does this history mean for the origins of life? Chang'e-4 could help us find out. These craters record the various rates of impacts that the moon, and thus Earth, endured over their history. Scientists on the Chang'e-4 team are interested in ancient craters within the basin, such as Von Kármán, so they can study the craters' compositions and ages. “It's basically the biggest hole in the solar system,” Neal says. The basin is thought to have formed from a huge impact, so studying it should reveal details on the moon's crust and interior. Where is Chang'e-4 landing, exactly?ĬNSA targeted the Von Kármán crater within the moon's South Pole-Aitken basin, a low-lying feature more than 1,500 miles across that covers nearly a quarter of the moon's surface. This means that any far-side lander or rover, including Chang'e-4, must be able to select its landing site and avoid hazards on its own. That said, adding a relay means radio signals must cross a greater distance, which in turn lengthens the round-trip communications delay. Since Queqiao always has good sight lines to both Earth and the lunar far side, it will bridge the gap between mission control and the Chang'e-4 lander. In May 2018, CNSA launched a satellite called Queqiao into orbit around L2, a neutral point beyond the moon where the gravity of Earth and the moon cancel out the centripetal force of an object stationed there, effectively allowing it to park in place. The Chang'e-4 mission has gotten around this problem with a relay satellite. Want to know more about the mission, its scientific goals, and its global significance? We've got you covered. "I personally feel very excited and proud of the successful landing of Chang'e-4, as this is not only a really impressive accomplishment, but also has many scientific potentials," added Le Qiao, a lunar geologist at Shandong University, Weihai. "With the successful landing and taking pictures by both the lander and rover soon, I am looking forward to see the real face of the far side!" "It's really a historic time, and I am very very excited!" Long Xiao, a planetary geoscientist at the China University of Geosciences, wrote in an email to National Geographic just after he received word of the landing. Once confirmation came that Chang'e-4 touched down, though, uncertainty gave way to joy. Around the world, scientists and enthusiasts huddled in online forums and on Twitter before the landing, trading whispers as they read the latest from well-sourced journalists, Weibo accounts, and amateur astronomers tracking Chang'e-4's orbit. CNSA is notoriously secretive the last update offered was on December 30, when officials stated that the spacecraft had entered its final pre-landing orbit. Leading up to the historic touchdown, details on Chang'e-4's landing were few and far between. Now, the spacecraft has alighted onto the lunar surface. China's Chang'e-4 mission launched toward the moon on December 7 and entered orbit around our cosmic companion on December 12. On the evening of January 2, a Chinese lander named for an ancient moon goddess touched down on the lunar far side, where no human or robot has ever ventured before.
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