Chinese Spacecraft Collects Samples from Far Side of Moon
2024-06-06
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Chinese space officials say a spacecraft has successfully collected samples from the moon and is headed back toward Earth.
2The unmanned spacecraft, called Chang'e-6, touched down on the lunar surface on Sunday.
3It launched May 3 from a Chinese space center in southern China and was carried to space aboard a Long March 5 rocket.
4Space officials and Chinese media said the spacecraft landed in an area of the moon's South Pole, called the Aitken Basin.
5This area is known as the far side of the moon because it permanently faces away from Earth.
6NASA describes the Aitken Basin as the largest impact basin on the lunar surface.
7The distance from the basin's lower depths to its highest points is estimated to be over 15 kilometers.
8That is nearly twice the height of Earth's tallest mountain, Mount Everest.
9Controllers back on Earth then directed the space vehicle to use its drilling equipment and other tools to capture soil and rock samples.
10Space officials said earlier that Chang'e-6 was expected to collect up to two kilograms of soil and rock samples.
11The collection operation was completed by Monday.
12Then on Tuesday, the spacecraft lifted off from the lunar surface carrying the samples on the trip back to Earth.
13The Beijing Daily newspaper reported the spacecraft displayed China's national flag at the spot where the samples were collected.
14China's National Space Administration said in a statement that Chang'e-6's success showed it was able to survive "the test of high temperature on the far side of the moon."
15After launching from the lunar surface, the spacecraft was to link up with another spacecraft currently orbiting the moon.
16The samples would then be passed to another spacecraft designed to transport the material to Earth for study.
17Space officials said the planned landing is expected to take place around June 25.
18It is not the first time a Chinese spacecraft has collected material from the lunar surface.
19The country's Chang'e 5 spacecraft traveled to the moon in late 2020.
20It successfully brought back about two kilograms of moon rocks and dust.
21That mission was carried out in an area known as Oceanus Procellarum.
22It sits on the western edge of the near side of the moon.
23That area is believed to have had intense volcanic activity in ancient times.
24But if the second Chinese collection attempt is successful, it will be the first time lunar samples from the far side of the moon have made it to Earth.
25China is the third nation to successfully collect lunar samples, following the United States and the Soviet Union.
26The last such mission happened in 1976, when an unmanned Soviet spacecraft collected 170 grams of moon material.
27America's Apollo program - which first put humans on the moon - landed 12 astronauts over six flights from 1969 to 1972.
28Those missions resulted in astronauts collecting about 382 kilograms of rocks and soil.
29Missions to the moon's far side are more difficult because the area faces away from Earth.
30This requires the use of a special satellite to establish and keep communications.
31The terrain is also more difficult to explore, with fewer flat areas to land.
32China has additional unmanned lunar missions planned as well.
33In 2026, the country's Chang'e-7 spacecraft will aim to further explore the south polar area, including searching for water ice.
34Then in 2028, Chang'e-8 will carry out a series of experiments in preparation for building a long-term science base on the moon.
35China has said it aims to put its astronauts on the moon by 2030.
36I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Chinese space officials say a spacecraft has successfully collected samples from the moon and is headed back toward Earth. 2The unmanned spacecraft, called Chang'e-6, touched down on the lunar surface on Sunday. It launched May 3 from a Chinese space center in southern China and was carried to space aboard a Long March 5 rocket. 3Space officials and Chinese media said the spacecraft landed in an area of the moon's South Pole, called the Aitken Basin. This area is known as the far side of the moon because it permanently faces away from Earth. 4NASA describes the Aitken Basin as the largest impact basin on the lunar surface. The distance from the basin's lower depths to its highest points is estimated to be over 15 kilometers. That is nearly twice the height of Earth's tallest mountain, Mount Everest. 5Controllers back on Earth then directed the space vehicle to use its drilling equipment and other tools to capture soil and rock samples. Space officials said earlier that Chang'e-6 was expected to collect up to two kilograms of soil and rock samples. 6The collection operation was completed by Monday. Then on Tuesday, the spacecraft lifted off from the lunar surface carrying the samples on the trip back to Earth. The Beijing Daily newspaper reported the spacecraft displayed China's national flag at the spot where the samples were collected. 7China's National Space Administration said in a statement that Chang'e-6's success showed it was able to survive "the test of high temperature on the far side of the moon." 8After launching from the lunar surface, the spacecraft was to link up with another spacecraft currently orbiting the moon. The samples would then be passed to another spacecraft designed to transport the material to Earth for study. Space officials said the planned landing is expected to take place around June 25. 9It is not the first time a Chinese spacecraft has collected material from the lunar surface. The country's Chang'e 5 spacecraft traveled to the moon in late 2020. It successfully brought back about two kilograms of moon rocks and dust. 10That mission was carried out in an area known as Oceanus Procellarum. It sits on the western edge of the near side of the moon. That area is believed to have had intense volcanic activity in ancient times. 11But if the second Chinese collection attempt is successful, it will be the first time lunar samples from the far side of the moon have made it to Earth. 12China is the third nation to successfully collect lunar samples, following the United States and the Soviet Union. The last such mission happened in 1976, when an unmanned Soviet spacecraft collected 170 grams of moon material. 13America's Apollo program - which first put humans on the moon - landed 12 astronauts over six flights from 1969 to 1972. Those missions resulted in astronauts collecting about 382 kilograms of rocks and soil. 14Missions to the moon's far side are more difficult because the area faces away from Earth. This requires the use of a special satellite to establish and keep communications. The terrain is also more difficult to explore, with fewer flat areas to land. 15China has additional unmanned lunar missions planned as well. In 2026, the country's Chang'e-7 spacecraft will aim to further explore the south polar area, including searching for water ice. 16Then in 2028, Chang'e-8 will carry out a series of experiments in preparation for building a long-term science base on the moon. China has said it aims to put its astronauts on the moon by 2030. 17I'm Bryan Lynn. 18Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from The Associated Press and Reuters. 19_________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21sample - n. a small amount of something that gives you information about the thing it was taken from 22basin - n. a wide area of land that is more or less round in shape and lower than its surroundings 23impact - n. the force or action of one object hitting another 24drill - v. to use a tool or machine to make holes in a hard substance 25terrain - n. a particular kind of land