Source: China Daily

11-21-2007 08:19

Special Report:   Chang'e I -Journey to the Moon

China's first lunar probe, Chang'e-1, started braking at perilune, which will help it slow down to enter the moon's orbit. Instructions for the braking was issued by the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC) at around 11:15 a.m., Nov. 5, 2007, when the probe reached a position 200 km away from the moon.

BEIJING, Nov. 20 -- Chang'e I, China's first lunar orbiter, officially began exploring the moon Monday evening, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said.

Its sensing equipment was due to become operational after the orbiter oriented its solar panel toward the sun so it can generate its own power and swung its directional antenna toward the Earth to transmit data.

The satellite is equipped with a stereo camera and interferometer, an imager and gamma/X-ray spectrometer, a laser altimeter, a microwave detector, a high-energy solar particle detector and a low-energy ion detector.

The satellite is expected to relay back its first pictures of the moon before the end of this month.

Chang'e I will not be able to relay back pictures immediately because scientists will have to take some time tweaking the equipment, Pang Zhihao, a researcher with the China Academy of Space Technology, was quoted by the Shanghai-based Oriental Morning News as saying.

By way of example, he said the aperture of the orbiter's camera will have to be adjusted to light available in space.

Factors such as the distance between the orbiter and the lunar surface will also have to be factored into the process, he said.