Lunar space flights get set to become reality as China launches first phase of moon probe projects

　　When Neil Armstrong landed on the moon in 1969 and said the now immortal words, “That’s one small step for man, and one giant leap for mankind,” he was right in a very prophetic way. While space exploration has undoubtedly accelerated the development of technology, we need to ask the question: What practical benefits have there been since the “giant leap for mankind?”

　　The answer it would seem, is very little.

　　China’s entry into the elite space club has raised some fears from other members, but is generally welcomed by those who genuinely favor the advancement of a society that is making its own giant leaps in several areas of development.

　　The Chang’e lunar project has been officially launched. Through its three phases it will be closely observed and in 2012 when the first Chinese craft touches down on the lunar surface an ancient nation will begin a new history. The lunar probe project, in the process of its development, will enable many other Chinese projects to make breakthroughs in key technologies.

　　But perhaps the most important part of China’s lunar exploration is the aim of studying the helium-3 found in the lunar soil. This potentially cheap and clean energy source could solve the world’s energy problems and China plans to be intrinsically involved in that process. That would be a far more practical leap for mankind, a giant one at that.

　　By LU PI

　　She was a goddess who flew to the moon in an ancient Chinese fairy tale. Today her name, Chang’e, has fittingly been given to the country’s first lunar probe project, the Chang’e Project and its first lunar probe satellite, to be known as Chang’e 1, is expected to take off in 2007. The Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense recently announced the news, also confirming that Luan Enjie, former Director of the China National Space Administration, would serve as the general director of the project. The state is spending 1.4 billion yuan ($170 million) on the first phase of the project.

　　Chang’e Project

　　COMPARABLE TO APOLLO: ‘The Chang’e Project can be compared with the U.S. Apollo missions,’ says Ouyang Ziyuan, Chief Scientist of China’s lunar probe project

　　According to the plan, the Chang’e Project will go through three phases before launching its manned probe to the moon. The first phase will send a satellite to orbit the moon; the second phase is to conduct exploration on the surface of the moon through the soft landing of a detector; and the third phase is to collect moon surface samples using a robot, which will then return to the earth. Every step constitutes a giant leap forward in development.

　　According to the project schedule, detailed program design of the first step will be completed before September 2004. Research and development of a prototype probe and relevant testing of the probe will be finished before the end of 2005. Design, manufacture, general assembly, test and ground experiments of the lunar probe satellite will be finished before December 2006. In 2007 the Chang’e 1 will blast off.

　　The Chang’e 1 satellite will carry 24 pieces of lunar probe equipment, including CCD three-dimensional cameras, microprobe instruments and a high-energy sun particle detector. According to the design, the satellite will weigh 2,350 kg, with a 130 kg of payload, and will orbit the moon for one year.

　　China’s Long March 3A will be used as the carrier rocket to launch the satellite. Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province is to serve as the launch site. The necessary transformation of the launch center will be made, in order to accomplish the launch mission of the lunar probe satellite.

　　Currently, the second and third phases of the lunar probe project are being planned. Ouyang Ziyuan, Chief Scientist of China’s lunar probe project and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that the second-phase project would include the launch of a soft landing device in 2012, and the device will land on the moon together with a lunar vehicle to conduct an inspection of the moon’s surface and probe the moon’s resources. It would also provide data to determine the selection of a moon base. In addition, the soft landing device will carry seismic instruments, a telescope and other scientific equipment. The seismic instruments will be used to measure any “moonquakes,” so as to determine the inner structure of the moon through testing the quake waves. The telescope will be used to better observe various cosmic bodies, the earth and the space environment between the earth and the moon. At the same time, both the soft landing device and the lunar vehicle will be equipped with visual instruments, so that ground scientists can enable the two to monitor each other’s work.

　　Ouyang said that because there is no atmosphere and no air on the moon, the soft landing device must land using a reverse thrust rocket. China has already developed a fairly technologically mature reverse thrust rocket, he said. “After landing on the moon, the soft landing device will automatically unfold and its narrow ladder will stretch allowing the lunar rover to land on the moon surface. The landing method of the moon rover is similar to that of the U.S. Mars Spirit rover,” he added.

　　The third phase is to launch a small returnable capsule to collect key moon samples. After the unmanned lunar probe mission is basically completed, a manned moon probe is the next goal. In addition, a moon base will be built, together with other countries, based on the situation of international lunar probe development at that time and China’s national conditions and financial strength. The three phases of the project is expected to be completed by 2020, which will enable China’s space technology to reach a new level.

　　Luan Enjie predicts that this timetable may possibly be moved up, if the first-phase project is completed successfully and everything goes smoothly in the following two phases.

　　Four Major Scientific Objectives

　　The first phase of the Chang’e Project has four major goals. They are as follows:

　　1. Drawing “pictures” of the moon and obtaining three-dimensional images of the lunar surface. Dividing the basic landforms and structures of the lunar surface and initially making outline graphs of lunar geology and structures, so as to provide reference and bases for later soft landing. The flight of the Chang’e 1 around the moon will not only completely cover the entire moon, but also include parts of areas in the north and south poles, which have never been involved.

　　2. Probing useful elements on the moon surface and analyzing the useful elements and materials, primarily making maps of the distribution of various elements on the moon’s surface. China hopes to expand the number of the useful elements to 14, compared with the five kinds previously probed by the United States, and will conduct an overall prospect evaluation on some useful resources on the moon’s surface.

　　3. Probing the features of lunar soil and evaluating its depth, as well as the amount of helium-3 resources.

　　4. Probing the space environment between 40,000 km and 400,000 km from the earth, recording the data of primitive solar wind and studying the impact of solar activity on the earth and the moon.

　　The first three of the four objectives are to aim at the moon itself, while the last one is to focus on the process of sending the Chang’e probe to the moon, which means exploring the physical environment between the earth and the noon.

　　In addition, the lunar probe engineering system, composed of five major systems—the satellite system, the launch vehicle system, the launch site system, the monitoring and control system and the ground application system—will accomplish the following five goals:

　　• Researching, developing and launching China’s first lunar probe satellite;

　　• Initially mastering the basic probe technology of satellites in orbit;

　　• Conducting first lunar scientific exploration;

　　• Initially forming a lunar probe space engineering system; and

　　• Accumulating experiences for the later lunar probe project.

　　Technological Guarantee

　　The first phase of the Chang’e Project is a project solely accomplished by China through its own technologies, products and designs. Recently, some European, American and Russian scientists had expressed their willingness to cooperate with China in the research of moon science and exchange of the deep space exploration. An official of the China National Space Administration said he believed there would be more and more international cooperation after the second and third phases.

　　It is reported that there would be only one rocket and one satellite used for orbiting the moon in the first phase. For this, Chief Scientist Ouyang said that the launch of the lunar probe satellite mainly relies on this rocket. China’s rocket launch capacity now can directly reach the moon, or can accelerate speed to reach the moon after launching a geostationary satellite. All these can be realized. “There are no problems with the rocket, the satellite and our probe instruments. And everything is ready,” he said.

　　China’s space development and experience accumulated over the past 40-plus years, particularly its successful launch of a manned spacecraft in October 2003, have paved a solid foundation for the Chang’e Project. The Chang’e 1 satellite will be transformed based on China’s Dongfanghong 3 satellite, while the carrier rocket will be made based on the Long March 3A. In the aspect of the monitoring and control system, the existing space monitoring and control network and the astronomical observation network of the Chinese Academy of Sciences will be utilized to provide the monitoring and control services for the launch and operation of the lunar probe satellite.

　　A Decade of Deliberation

　　In 1978, Dr. Zbibiniew Brezinski, then National Security Advisor to U.S. President Jimmy Carter, presented a 1-gram lunar sample to the Chinese Government when visiting China. Thereafter, the Chinese Academy of Sciences organized related experts from all parts of the country to conduct an initial study on 0.5 gram of the sample. At the same time, experts also used lunar meteorolite to conduct related research.

　　In 1994, China started its manned space project. At that time some scientists proposed to launch a lunar probe satellite using the Long March 2F rocket developed on the Long March 2E, and also put forward a simple lunar probe program. As China at that time did not have a complete development program and lacked long-term and in-depth scientific exploration objectives, this program didn’t get off the ground.

　　With China’s scientific and technological development, and enhanced national strength, its space strength has been greatly reinforced. So, it has become a natural choice for China to conduct a deep-space probe with the lunar probe as its starting point, after developing man-made satellites and manned space flight.

　　Starting from 1999, the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense organized comprehensive deliberations on the scientific objectives of the lunar probe project. From 2000, the commission organized engineers and scientists to study the technological programs of the lunar probe project. After two years of efforts, the experts proposed a lunar probe project program based on China’s existing capacity. In January this year, the State Council formally approved the project.

　　Luan Enjie said that at present China is not able to land on the moon, so it is impossible to have a definite schedule. The lunar probe is the preparation and technological accumulation for future lunar landings. After the three tasks of the unmanned space device are completed, the manned lunar landing development program will be studied and times will be selected to carry out manned lunar landing explorations and to jointly set up a lunar base with other countries.

　　Huge Returns

　　Total investment in the first-phase Chang’e 1 project is 1.4 billion yuan (about $170 million), which is equivalent to the input in the construction of 2 km of subway in Beijing. Insiders say that the budget for the first-phase lunar probe project has gone through strict scientific evaluation and appraisal.

　　Luan does not believe that the Chang’e Project would bring about direct economic returns. “But it is of far-reaching significance to China’s development,” he said. The lunar probe work is the first step of the country’s deep space exploration and is another milestone act following the launch of its man-made earth satellite and manned spacecraft in its space science and space technology development.

　　The lunar probe will enable China’s space technology to make a great leap forward, while promoting and raising the comprehensive development of its advanced technology, particularly the progress in aerospace, information, optical-electronic technology and space application. It will also propel the innovation and development of space science, astronomy, life science and material science, as well as other basic sciences.

　　But more than just a trip to the moon, the lunar probe will drive China’s scientific and technological development in general, allowing breakthroughs in other key areas of technology.

　　In addition, the moon has various unique resources beneficial to humankind. The minerals and energy resources on the moon are important supplementary reserves to the resources on earth, and will produce a far-reaching significance to the sustainable development of human society on the earth. The helium-3 in the lunar soil is a new type of fuel, which is clean, highly efficient and safe. It can change the energy structure of human society. The helium-3 on the moon can meet the power needs of humankind for over 10,000 years. Scientific statistics show that 100 tons of helium-3 can provide the whole world with one year’s energy supply, while 10 tons of helium-3 can meet China’s one-year energy demands. The exploration of the content and distribution of helium-3 on the moon in China’s lunar probe project will lay a solid foundation for humankind to utilize lunar nuclear energy in the future.

　　Chronology of China’s Space Technology Development (1956-2003)

　　October 8, 1956: China opens its first institute on missile and rocket research, the No.5 Research Institute under the Ministry of National Defense, with Qian Xuesen, a Chinese scientist who returns from the United States, as the director.

　　April 1958: Construction begins on China’s first carrier rocket launch center.

　　July 19, 1964: A biological rocket carrying albino rats is launched successfully from Guangde County in east China’s Anhui Province, an important step forward in China’s space exploration.

　　April 1, 1968: An institute for space flight-oriented medical engineering opens in Beijing, and begins to select and train astronauts, and conduct research into manned space flight.

　　April 24, 1970: China successfully launches its first man-made satellite, Dongfanghong 1 aboard a Long March 1 rocket, becoming the fifth country to send a satellite into orbit.

　　November 26, 1975: China launches its first recoverable satellite, becoming the third country able to operate recoverable satellites. For over 30 years, China has developed and launched 51 man-made earth satellites of 15 types, with a success rate of over 90 percent.

　　1979: China finishes building Yuanwang 1, space tracking ship, becoming the fourth country to own such ships.

　　April 8, 1984: The Long March 3 carrier rocket successfully sends the Dongfanghong 2 experimental satellite into orbit, symbolizing China’s space technology stepping into the application stage.

　　1985: China announces to put the Long March series carrier rockets into the international commercial launching market.

　　April 7, 1990: The Long March 3 rocket sends U.S.-made AsiaSat-1 communication satellite into orbit.

　　July 16, 1990: China launches Long March 2E, a cluster carrier rocket which can launch a 9.2-ton payload into low-orbit, laying a foundation for manned spacecraft launches.

　　1992: China lists manned space flight as one of its state projects, later named “Shenzhou.”

　　November 20, 1999: China launches its Shenzhou 1 experimental spacecraft for the first time and the re-entry module lands the next day.

　　January 10, 2001: The Shenzhou 2 spacecraft is successfully launched and the re-entry capsule returns to earth seven days later.

　　March 25, 2002: China sends the unmanned Shenzhou 3 into orbit and the craft returns to earth, landing in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on April 1.

　　December 30, 2002: Shenzhou 4, also an unmanned spacecraft, is successfully launched. And after circling the earth 108 times, the craft lands in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on January 5, 2003.

　　October 15, 2003: Shenzhou 5 blasts off into space from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, sending China’s first astronaut into orbit.