Hey amigos! 🌙 As we gear up to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival and gaze at the brightest moon of the year, there's some stellar news coming from the Chinese mainland's space engineers! 🚀✨
They've just unveiled more designs for the Chang'e-6 lunar mission, and trust me, it's out of this world! 🌌 The Chang'e-6 mission made history back in June by bringing home the world's first samples from the moon's far side and pioneering a super cool retrograde orbiting technique. Talk about shooting for the stars! 🌠
\"The technical challenges were huge,\" shared Zhang Wu from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). \"We had to modify an existing Chang'e-5 backup to serve a new target.\" Imagine tweaking your old gadgets to explore uncharted territories—so sci-fi! 🤖
Now, the moon's far side isn't your regular neighborhood. Unlike the smoother near side, it's filled with craters and rugged terrain. Sounds like a level from a video game, right? 🎮
Zhang Yuhua from CASC told China Media Group that the team opted for retrograde orbiting to tackle the tricky lighting conditions on the moon's far side. \"For Chang'e-5, which worked north of the moon's equator, the sunlight came from the south,\" she explained. \"But on the far side, the light comes from the north, causing major heat control issues unless we use the retrograde orbit.\"
Thanks to this innovative approach, the Chang'e-6 team ensured the sampling was done under perfect lighting. \"The use of the orbit was successful,\" Zhang added triumphantly.
Named after the mythical Chinese moon goddess Chang'e, who embodies the dreams of exploring the moon, the Chang'e series is a testament to the Chinese mainland's epic journey in space exploration. 🚀🌕
So, while you're munching on your mooncakes this Mid-Autumn Festival, remember that there's a whole team working hard to unveil the mysteries of our lunar neighbor. How cool is that? 😎
Reference(s):
Mid-Autumn Festival: Space engineers reveal more Chang'e-6 designs
cgtn.com
