by Morris Jones
Sydney, Australia (SPX)
Dec 09, 2013
China's first Moon lander is in a stable orbit around that world, awaiting the command to lower its orbit and eventually descend to the surface. Judging by what little we know, the Chang'e-3 spacecraft seems to be in a good state of health.
It has successfully navigated its way from low Earth orbit though cislunar space and fired its main engine to brake into lunar orbit. These are major hurdles for the mission, and Chang'e-3 has passed them well.
Given the apparent success of the mission, it is thus frustrating to confront the relatively scarce reportage on the mission by China's state media. Low coverage is normal for most Chinese space launches, but it is especially frustrating for high-profile missions like this.
China has released almost no information since the spacecraft arrived in orbit. We have seen no images returned by the spacecraft, which must have transmitted plenty to Earth by now. Even the exact landing time and date remain undisclosed.
It seems likely that the "mid-December" landing window previously released by China would suggest a landing this weekend. Unfortunately, it's difficult to calculate exactly when it will land from orbital extrapolations. The spacecraft will modify its orbit prior to the final descent, so considerations based on its current "parking" orbit are not much use.
There have been some clues to the nature of the next planned orbital change, but we don't have the exact parameters for the real orbit, and won't have them until it actually happens. By then, Chang'e-3 will clearly be getting closer to landing, but we still don't know how long it will stay in this second orbit before it actually touches down.
In short, China's failure to release even a single image taken by Chang'e-3 after launch is disappointing, and seems to indicate that China's restrictive media policies are well in force.
To be fair, coverage of the launch of Chang'e-3 was highly explicit, with live television coverage from a group of well-placed cameras on the launch vehicle. But after this, the veil came down.
We shouldn't have too long to wait for the landing, but the lack of coverage and the uncertainties of the time are frustrating. China should understand that this media strategy is working against their own interests, and taking kudos away from one of their finest technical achievements.
Source: Moon Daily.
Link: http://www.moondaily.com/reports/Silent_Orbit_for_Chinas_Moon_Lander_999.html.
Sydney, Australia (SPX)
Dec 09, 2013
China's first Moon lander is in a stable orbit around that world, awaiting the command to lower its orbit and eventually descend to the surface. Judging by what little we know, the Chang'e-3 spacecraft seems to be in a good state of health.
It has successfully navigated its way from low Earth orbit though cislunar space and fired its main engine to brake into lunar orbit. These are major hurdles for the mission, and Chang'e-3 has passed them well.
Given the apparent success of the mission, it is thus frustrating to confront the relatively scarce reportage on the mission by China's state media. Low coverage is normal for most Chinese space launches, but it is especially frustrating for high-profile missions like this.
China has released almost no information since the spacecraft arrived in orbit. We have seen no images returned by the spacecraft, which must have transmitted plenty to Earth by now. Even the exact landing time and date remain undisclosed.
It seems likely that the "mid-December" landing window previously released by China would suggest a landing this weekend. Unfortunately, it's difficult to calculate exactly when it will land from orbital extrapolations. The spacecraft will modify its orbit prior to the final descent, so considerations based on its current "parking" orbit are not much use.
There have been some clues to the nature of the next planned orbital change, but we don't have the exact parameters for the real orbit, and won't have them until it actually happens. By then, Chang'e-3 will clearly be getting closer to landing, but we still don't know how long it will stay in this second orbit before it actually touches down.
In short, China's failure to release even a single image taken by Chang'e-3 after launch is disappointing, and seems to indicate that China's restrictive media policies are well in force.
To be fair, coverage of the launch of Chang'e-3 was highly explicit, with live television coverage from a group of well-placed cameras on the launch vehicle. But after this, the veil came down.
We shouldn't have too long to wait for the landing, but the lack of coverage and the uncertainties of the time are frustrating. China should understand that this media strategy is working against their own interests, and taking kudos away from one of their finest technical achievements.
Source: Moon Daily.
Link: http://www.moondaily.com/reports/Silent_Orbit_for_Chinas_Moon_Lander_999.html.
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