Chinese launch spacecraft to explore the moon

BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: October 24, 2007

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0710/24chinamoon/

处在萌芽状态的中国太空计划取得又一个了历史性的里程碑，周三成功发射的这颗卫星将在月球轨道上工作一年。China's burgeoning space program achieved another historic milestone during Wednesday's successful launch of the nation's first deep space probe on a one-year mission to study the moon from lunar orbit.

中国是在当地时间18：05在西部的西昌发射基地成功发射了这探月卫星嫦娥一号。使用的是三级火箭长征三号甲火箭，这颗5070磅重的太空器在18：29在高轨道展开。The Chang'e 1 spacecraft launched at 1005 GMT (6:05 a.m. EDT) from the Xichang launch base in southwest China. A three-stage Long March 3A rocket was used to boost the probe into space, and the 5,070-pound craft was deployed from the launcher's upper stage at about 1029 GMT (6:29 a.m. EDT).

据新华社报道，嫦娥一号当时处在卵形轨道上，近地点127英里，远地点32000英里。Chang'e 1 was placed in an egg-shaped orbit stretching from a perigee of 127 miles to an apogee of nearly 32,000 miles, according to the state-owned Xinhua news agency.

在难得的透明度下，中国空间计划官员们打开了平时紧闭的空间中心大门，让购买了门票的游客可以观看发射。这次发射也在国有电视及互联网上进行了现场直播。In a brief flash of transparency in the Chinese space program, officials opened the normally off-limits space center to guests who purchased tickets to view the launch. The blastoff was also broadcasted live on state-owned television and through the Internet.

嫦娥一号计划在下周经过至少三次变轨逐步上升到轨道最高点，在10月31日出发前往月球，并于11月5日入轨。Chang'e 1 is scheduled to complete at least three maneuvers within the next week to gradually raise the high point of its orbit. The probe will set off on a trajectory toward the moon Oct. 31 and settle into lunar orbit Nov. 5, Xinhua reported.

在五天的航行中将进行几次调整以便准确入轨。Several midcourse correction burns will fine-tune the craft's approach to the moon during the five-day voyage.

到达月球后，后续的推进器将点火进入约124英里的轨道。After arriving at the moon, subsequent thruster firings will circularize the probe's orbit at an altitude of approximately 124 miles.

首批月球图片将在11月底返回地球。The first images of the moon should arrive back on Earth by the end of November, Xinhua reported.

中国太空计划正在经历快速的增长和拓展，涵盖了从军事技术到科学任务，嫦娥一号的发射是一个巨大的飞跃，The launch of Chang'e 1 is a giant leap forward for China's space program, which is undergoing rapid growth and expansion in fields ranging from military technology to scientific missions.

中国宇航员在2003，2005年乘坐神舟号完成了两次载人飞行，下一次神舟号飞行安排在明年某个时间。Chinese astronauts completed two piloted missions of the nation's Shenzhou capsule in 2003 and 2005. Another Shenzhou mission is slated for sometime next year.

中国的火箭今年已经完成了包括嫦娥一号、政府和军用载荷、国际卫星在内的九次发射任务Chinese rockets have also launched spacecraft nine times this year on missions including the Chang'e 1 probe, government and military payloads, and international satellites.

绕月卫星是中国探月三步计划的第一步。2012年将会有一个无人月球车登陆月球，接下来5年后的任务是能够携带样本返回地球。The lunar orbiter is the first of three phases in a broad program focusing on exploration of the moon. An unmanned rover could land on the moon in 2012, followed by a sample return mission five years later.

嫦娥一号计划于2004年1月份被批准，去年完成建设。工程花费为一亿七千万美元。The Chang'e 1 mission was approved in January 2004, and workers finished construction of the spacecraft last year. The project has a budget of about $170 million, according to Chinese news reports.

嫦娥一号将使用立体照相机和激光高度计生成三维月面图。Chang'e 1 will create a three-dimensional map of the lunar surface during its mission using a stereo imaging camera and a laser altimeter.

通过卫星上的一组红外、伽玛射线和X射线分光计的成像，科学家们也能够研究矿物和化学组分的分布Scientists will also be able to study the distribution of minerals and chemical compounds from imagery taken by the probe's suite of spectrometers in the infrared, gamma ray and X-ray wavelengths.

卫星上的其它仪器将研究月球表面下的情况，收集月球周围太空环境数据。Other instruments on the spacecraft will study the lunar subsurface and gather data on the space environment around the moon.

中国的探月卫星发射前20多天，日本的探月卫星进入了月球轨道，这颗名为Kaguya月球女神已经开始了为期一年的工作。China's moon mission comes about 20 days after a sophisticated Japanese probe entered lunar orbit. That spacecraft - called Kaguya - is in the opening weeks of a one-year stint circling the moon.（stint circling?）

印度计划于明年4月发射”月球初航1号“前往月球，美国宇航局的复兴号月卫星也将于明年10月加入月球探测的行列。India plans to launch Chandrayaan 1 in April on a similar mission to the moon. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will join the international fleet of lunar probes next October.

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