from the And-if-the-band-you're-in-starts-playing-different-tunes dept.
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China is about to make humankind's first visit to the farside of the moon
China is about to make space history. In December, the country will launch the first spacecraft ever to land on the farside of the moon. Another craft, slated for takeoff in 2019, will be the first to bring lunar rocks back to Earth since 1976.
These two missions — the latest in China’s lunar exploration series named after the Chinese moon goddess, Chang’e — are at the forefront of renewed interest in exploring our nearest celestial body. India’s space agency as well as private companies based in Israel and Germany are also hoping for robotic lunar missions in 2019. And the United States aims to have astronauts orbiting the moon starting in 2023 and to land astronauts on the lunar surface in the late 2020s.
The time is ripe for new lunar exploration. Despite decades of study, Earth’s only natural satellite still contains mysteries about its formation as well as clues to the history of the solar system (SN: 4/15/17, p. 18). “There are too many things we don’t know,” says planetary scientist Long Xiao of China University of Geosciences in Wuhan. He is a coauthor of two studies published in June and July in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets describing the landing sites of the new Chinese missions, Chang’e-4 and -5.
To figure out what secrets the moon may still be hiding, scientists are excited to get their hands on new rock samples. The Chang’e-5 sample return mission “no doubt will have additional rock types that we haven’t sampled yet,” says planetary scientist David Blewett of Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. “If you came to the Earth and landed in Great Britain and made all your conclusions about the Earth from what you saw … you really wouldn’t have the whole picture.”
Because the moon always shows the same face to Earth, astronomers on the ground won’t be able to communicate directly with Chang’e-4. So in May, the Chinese space agency launched a transmission relay satellite to a point beyond the moon to bounce data and communication signals back and forth between the lunar surface and Earth (SN Online: 5/20/18). That satellite, called Queqiao, is named after the mythical bridge of magpies that spans the Milky Way once a year to enable a tryst between two lovers.
Sometime in 2019, the Chang’e-5 craft will visit a region on the near side of the moon that no spacecraft or astronaut has been to before. And that mission will give scientists something they haven’t had in more than four decades — new lunar rock samples.
[...] Chang’e-5’s lander will scoop surface rocks and dig two meters deep in a 58,000-square-kilometer area called the Rümker region that’s strewn with minerals dating to a variety of periods of volcanic activity. The craft will then bundle up to two kilograms of material into a rocket, which will launch to meet Chang’e-5’s orbiter and return to Earth.
[...] Understanding the moon’s volcanic history could shed light on competing ideas about how the moon came to be. For instance, scientists still don’t agree on whether our neighbor formed from one giant impact with Earth in the early days of the solar system, around 4.5 billion years ago, or from about 20 small ones, or something else. Finding evidence for more recent geologic activity could be a ding for the single impact hypothesis.
What’s more, the returned samples would also be stored and preserved “so that future scientists who aren’t born yet can answer future questions we haven’t asked yet, with tools we haven’t invented yet,” says astrochemist Jamie Elsila of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. She would know: Born nearly two years after the last Apollo mission, Elsila published a study in 2016 that used modern techniques to show that Apollo soil samples contain amino acids mostly derived from Earth.
Related Stories
A panorama from the dark side of the moon is now available from China's Chang'e 4 Lander.
China made history earlier this month with the first successful soft landing on the far side of the moon — and now, the mission has sent back an incredible panorama view of its work site.
The image is available in hi-res here.
The mission consists of two robots: the Chang'e 4 lander and the Yutu 2 rover. Since their arrival on Jan. 2, both have been exploring the lunar surface inside Von Kármán Crater, a 115-mile-wide (186 kilometers) feature
Putting this into units Soylentils are comfortable with, this is approximately 1049 Ice Hockey rinks across.
The Yutu 2 rover is visible not far away in the panorama, but is currently not active as it hibernates through the long Lunar day, during which temperatures can reach an electronics damaging 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius).
High temperature electronics can be done, but presumably making them also function at low temperatures (-173 degrees Celsius at night) presents challenges that were not worth overcoming and the decision was made to survive one extreme and operate in the other.
Previously: China is About to Make Humankind's First Visit to the Far Side of the Moon
China's Chang'e 4 Spacecraft Lands on the Far Side of the Moon
(Score: 4, Funny) by Thexalon on Monday November 12 2018, @06:01PM (4 children)
They get to the dark side of the moon, and promptly have to wonder how Roger Waters got there before they did!
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 3, Touché) by PartTimeZombie on Monday November 12 2018, @08:04PM (2 children)
They're worried that "nobody knows where you are, how near or how far".
They will be looking for a Crazy Diamond.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday November 12 2018, @11:05PM
At least they won't need to keep the lunatics on the path and out of grass, 'cause there isn't any.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 3, Funny) by Gaaark on Monday November 12 2018, @11:24PM
Hey hey we're the Monkees!
...wait...what were we doing again?
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by snufu on Monday November 12 2018, @10:39PM
Is it more lyrical? Perhaps...
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday November 12 2018, @06:01PM (4 children)
Isn't it far better to entomb them in clear resin to make "national treasures" so that presidents can decide that those become their personal property upon leaving office?
An illicitly abscounded one can probably fetch a very high price from some private collectors who would never even put them on public display, let alone do anything resembling science with them.
What is wrong with the Chinese?
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Runaway1956 on Monday November 12 2018, @07:04PM (1 child)
That quote is kinda funny.
Maybe they think that we'll bring the last rocks back to earth, and there won't be any left for future generations? Good grief!
(Score: 4, Touché) by DannyB on Monday November 12 2018, @08:02PM
Maybe untouched lunar rocks will become scarce after the first few McDonalds, Hilton's and Starbucks spring up.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 12 2018, @07:37PM (1 child)
What? You seem to think the gov is capable of taking care of this stuff. When by you own remarks you show they can not be trusted.
The people that actually take care of this stuff seem to be private collectors. Most of the rockets from that are in the care of NASA have laid in the elements since the mid 70s. Only recently have they decided to maybe preserve them. They have at different points in time lost massive swaths of data and video. Because no one really cared about it.
https://hackaday.com/2018/11/12/an-apollo-guidance-computer-laid-bare/ [hackaday.com]
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Monday November 12 2018, @07:46PM
The rockets are tools, and are designed to fly -once-, not to last.
Their preservation is a very expensive endeavor, better left to outside museums without the limited NASA budget.
Losing videos and data ? Yup, that's pretty stupid. But the moon rocks have some serious protections and a big vault.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday November 12 2018, @06:03PM (5 children)
Wouldn't the far side of the moon be a nice place to erect a telescope? Other than the data transfer challenges.
If you dig up something on the moon, don't say you 'unearthed' it. Use the term 'unmooned'. Being 'unmooned' is the opposite of being 'mooned'.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 4, Informative) by Weasley on Monday November 12 2018, @06:48PM (3 children)
A radio telescope, yes. An optical telescope, no. I mean an optical scope on the moon would enjoy the same benefits of a space optical scope in that there's no atmosphere interfering with the light. But the moon only rotates once every 27 days. And a not insignificant number of those days will have the sun or the Earth obstructing parts of the sky.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday November 12 2018, @07:46PM (1 child)
It depends on what you want to observe. Unlike a space telescope, a lunar telescope cannot point in any arbitrary direction. Throughout the monthly cycle of the moon, the far side would be exposed to a 360 degree view.
While the sun will block part of the sky during that cycle, the earth would never block any of the sky. The far side never faces the earth. It does get day / night cycles, but never faces the earth.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 13 2018, @07:59AM
wtf? the earth will never obstruct any telescope built on the far side of the moon. that's why it's called the far side.
and the only thing that the sun will do will indeed be to obstruct a tiny surface of the sky, shifting in time, whereas on earth the sun makes the entire fucking atmosphere radiate bluish white light so you can't see anything else, for half the time.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 13 2018, @03:11PM
It will have the sun obstructing about half the time, but will never have the earth obstructing, that is why they call it the far side of the moon.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 13 2018, @06:44AM
It's a good place for yet another massive Chinese
concentration campre-education center.(Score: 2) by legont on Monday November 12 2018, @06:10PM (1 child)
Do you think Chinese would be able to get some to compare?
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 3, Funny) by c0lo on Monday November 12 2018, @11:08PM
US no longer rocks, it only pops.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 12 2018, @06:48PM (6 children)
It's okay to say "mankind".
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 12 2018, @07:29PM
What, and offend someone on the internet?
OK... sure I'm in.
Mankind.
(Score: 5, Funny) by DannyB on Monday November 12 2018, @07:54PM (2 children)
Police: Did someone here call the politically correct police?
Victim: Yes, I did!
Police: Now what did the burgular look like?
Victim: A black male...
Police: (interrupting) I cannot write that in my report it is both sexist and racist.
Victim: ...who was tall...
Police: (interrupting) That is discriminating against suspects by height
Victim: ...and heavy build...
Police: (interrupting) I cannot write any fat shaming in my report
Victim: ...and was wearing a dark ski mask...
Police: (interrupting) we cannot discriminate against suspects based on their fashion choices
Victim: ...and he stole my walet right out of my hand after punching me!
Police: Now you are judging and accusing him/her of stealing, possibly because you are are racist. You could simply have been misinterpreting his hand gesture as punching.
Victim: I am the victim! You are supposed to help me!
Police: He or she could have simply been offended that you are racist and sexist, or by some comment you made about how he or she dressed or their height or choice of gender.
Victim: what if the burglar had been of uncertain color with no other obvious characteristics including height, weight or gender?
Police: I can write that in my report, and we will be on the lookout for the suspect. Once we locate them, they will be able to sue you for hate crimes.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Monday November 12 2018, @11:31PM (1 child)
You have seen the FUTURE, and it is tomorrow.
That is eerily imaginable.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 13 2018, @02:28AM
> You have seen the FUTURE, and it is tomorrow.
No. He has seen the PRESENT and it is Sweden [sputniknews.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 12 2018, @08:42PM
wymynkind
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 12 2018, @10:20PM
Sheesh, some people get so used to the way things are done that they become uncomfortable when people try to make changes. This tendency is so strong that blatant racism and sexism gain support from clueless twats who just "don't see a problem". Ironically these twats are almost never on the receiving end of the isms.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 12 2018, @07:03PM (2 children)
can they even see the moon in china or is the pollution the real reason they need to send a camera to the moon?
(Score: 3, Funny) by bob_super on Monday November 12 2018, @07:48PM (1 child)
The moon was banned from public viewing, after someone pointed out it looks a bit like Chairman Xi's face.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 12 2018, @07:53PM
Isn't that the other way around, that Chairman Xi's face looks a bit like NO CARRIER
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 12 2018, @07:53PM
Expect an unexplained crash as soon as they get within visual distance of the base.
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 12 2018, @08:30PM (2 children)
China, to boldly go where no man has gone before (the far side of the moon, in a spacesuit)
USA, to proudly go where no man has gone before (the girls room, in heels and a bra)
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Monday November 12 2018, @11:35PM (1 child)
Pics or...errrrr...never mind. Just threw up into my mouth a bit.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 13 2018, @12:46AM
Gark is a transphobe and vomit fetish shamer.
(Score: 2) by Joe Desertrat on Monday November 12 2018, @10:55PM (1 child)
Pick up Syd Barrett on the way back..
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday November 12 2018, @11:46PM
(that seems to be a thing with the puritan-extraction cultures, have unmovable ideas about how the things should be.)
How many times do you want to:
... raise the blade, you make the change
You re-arrange me 'til I'm sane
just to keep Syd out of the grass?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Monday November 12 2018, @11:33PM
They're going to build rockets on the far side and send it plummeting into the U.S.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---