China's first lunar probing satellite, Chang'e-1, will be put to test Thursday morning
when the Earth eclipses the Sun and blocks the supply of solar
energy.
From about 10 a.m., the satellite will be hidden from the solar
rays and lost the contact from the Earth for two and a half hours,
said Ye Peijian, chief commander and designer in charge of the
satellite system.
Scientists have redirected the orbit of the satellite and
shortened the time it is out of direct sunlight by almost one hour
and a half, Ye said.
Ye said the European Space Agency would also help to monitor the
satellite and the final results would not be clear until this
evening.
The satellite would also perform a second orbital adjustment
during another eclipse in August, he said.
The 2,350-kilogram satellite carrying eight surveying facilities
aims to make a three-dimensional survey of the moon's surface. It
will also analyze the abundance and distribution of elements on the
lunar surface, investigate the characteristics of the powdery soil
layer on the surface, and explore the environment between the Earth
and the moon.
This is the first step in China's three-stage moon mission,
which will lead to a landing and launch of a rover vehicle around
2012. In the third phase, another rover will land and return to the
Earth with lunar soil and stone samples for scientific research
around 2017.
(Xinhua News Agency February 21, 2008)