China set for 2018 mission to the far side of the moon

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

The new Chang'e 4 space mission will launch in June, when a Long March 4C rocket will carry a 425kg relay satellite and place it 60,000km behind the moon.

A second launch later in the year will send a lander and rover to the far side of the moon, which will be guided to a safe landing by the satellite.
It will be the first ever landing on the lunar far side, an unexplored region of the Moon called South Pole-Aitken Basin, a vast basin in the southern hemisphere of the far side which extends from the South Pole to Aitken crater.
The rover will also contain a 'gardening kit' to pave the way for a human outpost by examining how plants grow on the lunar surface.

China also announced plans to launch a space probe to bring back samples from the moon, in what state media cast as competition to U.S. President Donald Trump's ambitions to revitalise U.S. space exploration.
The Chang'e-5 lunar probe is undergoing a final round of tests and is expected to be on standby for launch from August, the official People's Daily said last year, citing the China National Space Administration.

 

[witkazy]

 

[rtwjunkie]

The far side of the moon receives an almost incomprehensible number of meteor strikes. I wonder how long the rover, etc will last before being smashed into bits of metal and silicone?

 

[64K]

The new Chang'e 4 space mission will launch in June, when a Long March 4C rocket will carry a 425kg relay satellite and place it 60,000km behind the moon.

A second launch later in the year will send a lander and rover to the far side of the moon, which will be guided to a safe landing by the satellite.
It will be the first ever landing on the lunar far side, an unexplored region of the Moon called South Pole-Aitken Basin, a vast basin in the southern hemisphere of the far side which extends from the South Pole to Aitken crater.
The rover will also contain a 'gardening kit' to pave the way for a human outpost by examining how plants grow on the lunar surface.

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China also announced plans to launch a space probe to bring back samples from the moon, in what state media cast as competition to U.S. President Donald Trump's ambitions to revitalise U.S. space exploration.
The Chang'e-5 lunar probe is undergoing a final round of tests and is expected to be on standby for launch from August, the official People's Daily said last year, citing the China National Space Administration.

I wonder how they plan to grow anything unless it's enclosed and heated but if it's on the dark side of the moon then solar power is out.

As far as a future outpost it seems like it would cost more to send materials there to enclose an area big enough to grow food to feed a few people than it would just to send the food there to begin with.

 

[qubit]

Caps said, "China set for 2018 mission to the dark side of the moon"

ftfy

That mission to the dark side of the moon is gonna upset the zombie hord of flat earthers out there who think the moon is a projection and shines with its own light. No, seriously!

 

[Beertintedgoggles]

I wonder how they plan to grow anything unless it's enclosed and heated but if it's on the dark side of the moon then solar power is out.

As far as a future outpost it seems like it would cost more to send materials there to enclose an area big enough to grow food to feed a few people than it would just to send the food there to begin with.

The "dark side" is a misconception started by Pink Floyd. They should have called their album "The Far Side of the Moon". The Moon is tidally locked with the Earth so we will only ever see one side of it from here but rest assured, both sides of the Moon receive sunlight.

 

[dorsetknob]

but if it's on the dark side of the moon then solar power is out.

Lessons in celestial mechanics and physics needed

 

[64K]

The "dark side" is a misconception started by Pink Floyd. They should have called their album "The Far Side of the Moon". The Moon is tidally locked with the Earth so we will only ever see one side of it from here but rest assured, both sides of the Moon receive sunlight.

Well, I guess I'm ignernt about the moon but at least I do have good taste in music so there's that I guess.

 

[Sasqui]

The "dark side" is a misconception started by Pink Floyd. They should have called their album "The Far Side of the Moon". The Moon is tidally locked with the Earth so we will only ever see one side of it from here but rest assured, both sides of the Moon receive sunlight.

I think Pink Floyd got it right and China is just confusing the issue.

There will always be a dark side of the moon, it's just always changing

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

The lander and rover which China aims to soft-land on the far side of the Moon have entered mechanical environmental testing as preparations for launch in late 2018 continue.

The process will typically involve verifying system performance while experiencing vibrations similar to those during launch and flight as well as thermal vacuum and anechoic chamber tests.

Chang'e-4 was originally manufactured at the same time as Chang'e-3 spacecraft in order to provide a backup. Testing for Chang'e-4 will also likely involve lunar landing and lunar surface simulation for the six-wheeled rover, as with the previous mission.

CASC states that new technologies have added additional challenges to the development of China's fourth lunar mission, and includes the integration of payloads provided by international cooperation.

A soft-landing on the far side of the Moon has never been attempted, though a US Decadal Survey has highlighted the significance of such as mission.

The far side of the Moon and the distant Earth, imaged by the Chang'e-5T1 mission in 2014. Chinese Academy of Sciences




If all goes smoothly the mission will earn China international prestige but also likely significant scientific returns.

The candidate landing sites are within the South Pole–Aitken basin, a huge crater that may include lunar mantle excavated by the impact that formed it and thus offer unique insights into the interior of the Moon, what is made of, and how it formed.

The mission includes a mini ecosystem including potatoes, arabidopsis seeds and silkworm eggs, and further payloads including radio telescopes to take advantage of radio silence provided by the shielding from the Earth provided by the Moon.