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International Space Flight (ESA, Russia, China and others) => Chinese Launchers => Topic started by: spacex on 11/27/2009 03:46 am

Title: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: spacex on 11/27/2009 03:46 am
Recent update:

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-11/27/content_9060389.htm
Title: Re: Chinese Lunar Exploration Program
Post by: Satori on 11/27/2009 12:45 pm
China to launch second lunar probe in 2010: report (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-11/27/content_12548180.htm)
Title: Re: Chinese Lunar Exploration Program
Post by: spacex on 12/28/2009 12:47 am
Chang'e-2 2010 launch: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-12/28/content_12716681.htm
Title: Re: Chinese Lunar Exploration Program
Post by: spacex on 12/28/2009 11:14 pm
China Daily article: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-12/29/content_9239369.htm
Title: Re: Chinese Lunar Exploration Program
Post by: E.P. Grondine on 01/02/2010 10:17 pm
"ultimately they want to build an observatory on the surface"

CAPS

Title: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe
Post by: Satori on 01/13/2010 09:07 pm
China plans to launch Cheng'e-2 in October or at the end of 2010.

From People's Daily: Chang'e-2 Satellite's camera resolution reaches 1 meter (http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/6866732.html).
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 2010
Post by: Satori on 04/13/2010 10:18 am
From Xinhua: China to launch 2nd lunar probe this year (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2010-04/13/c_13248610.htm).
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 2010
Post by: wbhh on 05/18/2010 11:38 am
It will drop an object for raising up moon dust.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/tech/2010-05/07/content_13472598.htm   (in Chinese)
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 2010
Post by: savuporo on 05/18/2010 05:00 pm
2013 still given for the soft lander, Chang'e 3.
If they meet it, and unless GLXP gets there before that, it will be a 37 year gap between lunar soft landings.
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 2010
Post by: wbhh on 05/19/2010 03:38 pm
Chang'e-3 rover (2013, 120kg, 20kg payload) has been finished.
Chang'e-4 rover (2015?) entered prototype phase.
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/news/2010/04-09/2217871.shtml  (in Chinese)

Soft landing is not the final, associate the progresses of Chang'e, ShenZhou, TianGong station, Long March 5 rocket, WenChang launch center, it seems CNSA very expects manned landing before 2030.
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 2010
Post by: spacex on 06/01/2010 05:32 pm
New moon probe ready to fly
http://www.globaltimes.cn/www/english/sci-edu/china/2010-06/537211.html
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 2010
Post by: Satori on 08/03/2010 05:13 pm
Some rumors on the 9ifly Chinese space forum point to a possible launch in September of the Change'-2 Moon probe.
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 2010
Post by: Salo on 09/03/2010 01:16 pm
China's second lunar probe Chang'e-2 to reach lunar orbit faster than Chang'e-1 (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2010-09/03/c_13477442.htm)
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 2010
Post by: Satori on 09/09/2010 11:35 am
According to CCTV, the prelaunch tests have been completed on the Chang'e-2 lunar probe.
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 2010
Post by: SpaceHero on 09/14/2010 02:47 pm
Maybe we can watch the launch during Mid-Autumn or National Day holidays.
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 2010
Post by: HappyMartian on 09/17/2010 12:59 pm
Maybe we can watch the launch during Mid-Autumn or National Day holidays.

That would be good!

Cheers!
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 2010
Post by: Satori on 09/20/2010 02:57 pm
According to Wuwei Ren, the chief architect of China's lunar exploration program, the "Chang'e-2" lunar probe preparations are progressing smoothly and now has entered the final stages of launch preparation. Sources said the probe could be launched during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 2010
Post by: input~2 on 09/20/2010 03:02 pm
From Chinese philatelic source (dated September 17), the launch is planned for "the first  third of October" from Xichang
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 2010
Post by: Satori on 09/20/2010 04:54 pm
Launch window for Chang'e-2: September 30 to October 3, possibly on the early morning of September 30.
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: Satori on 09/23/2010 08:46 am
Chang'e-2 has entered the clinical phase of pre-launch countdown.

Launch is schedule for October 1st, China National Day.
Title: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: Satori on 09/26/2010 10:45 am
Launch preparations at the Xi Chang Satellite Launch Center. Images from here (http://news.163.com/photoview/00AN0001/11049.html#p=6HGAHK6T00AN0001).
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: Satori on 09/26/2010 10:47 am
A few more images. Same source as the previous.
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: Satori on 09/26/2010 10:48 am
And another one... Nice image of the bottom of the first stage. Same source as the previous.
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: Satori on 09/26/2010 10:57 am
Another Chang'e-2 launch simulation took place on September 25.
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: input~2 on 09/26/2010 01:08 pm
Launch is schedule for October 1st, China National Day.
According to preparations for booster debris protection, launch should occur on October 1st "in the night" (I presume this means October 1st between 1200 UTC and 1600 UTC).
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: sdsds on 09/26/2010 06:19 pm
I'm confused about this launch vehicle.  The photos clearly show "CZ-3C" painted on the side, yet at http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html Spaceflight Now is describing it as a "Long March 3A"?
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: Satori on 09/26/2010 06:26 pm
I'm confused about this launch vehicle.  The photos clearly show "CZ-3C" painted on the side, yet at http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html Spaceflight Now is describing it as a "Long March 3A"?

Spaceflightnow is wrong.
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: savuporo on 09/26/2010 06:36 pm
Anyone know what its mission plan is going to look like ?
Chang'e-1 took about a month from launch to relay back first pictures. Was its data ever shared outside of CNSA ?

EDIT: actually scratch that previous question, quick query on scholar.google.com shows tons of research being published on the data.
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: input~2 on 09/27/2010 12:33 pm
Here (http://news.ifeng.com/mil/2/detail_2010_09/27/2643025_0.shtml)
  they say launch on October 1 "in the afternoon"
  So "at night" and "in the afternoon" would translate in "late afternoon"
Let's say 1100UTC to 1300UTC
  (sunset in Xichang is about 7pm LT)
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: spacex on 09/27/2010 09:09 pm
A few English pieces from Chinese media:

http://www.globaltimes.cn/www/english/sci-edu/china/2010-09/577870.html

http://english.cri.cn/6909/2010/09/26/2021s596408.htm
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: Satori on 09/28/2010 08:22 am
According to the 9ifly chinese space forum the launch window is 16:29:57 to 17:04:57. I supose this is local time, so this translates to 0829:57UTC to 0904:57UTC.

Chang'e-2 mission will be 6 months long.
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: Satori on 09/28/2010 05:30 pm
From China Daily Lunar probe ready for lift-off in October (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-09/28/content_11355930.htm)

Damn! Watching the launch and touring the Xi Chang Satellite Launch Center for only $119,00!!!
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: limen4 on 09/29/2010 06:01 pm
According to the 9ifly chinese space forum the launch window is 16:29:57 to 17:04:57. I supose this is local time, so this translates to 0829:57UTC to 0904:57UTC.

Chang'e-2 mission will be 6 months long.

Recent news (see  here  (http://scitech.people.com.cn/GB/12855349.html)) indicates that launch will occure at 18:59:57 local time.
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: Satori on 09/29/2010 10:59 pm
According to the 9ifly chinese space forum the launch window is 16:29:57 to 17:04:57. I supose this is local time, so this translates to 0829:57UTC to 0904:57UTC.

Chang'e-2 mission will be 6 months long.

Recent news (see  here  (http://scitech.people.com.cn/GB/12855349.html)) indicates that launch will occure at 18:59:57 local time.

Great! Thanks for that info limen4!!!
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: Liss on 09/30/2010 06:14 am
NOTAM issued:
Quote
A7704/10 - A TEMPORARY RESTRICTED AREA ESTABLISHED BOUNDED BY
N274655E1061205-N275139E1054213-N273539E1053904-N273056E1060859 BACK TO START. VERTICAL LIMITS: SFC-UNL.ALL ACFT ARE PROHIBITED TO FLY INTO THE AREA. SFC - UNL, 01 OCT 10:50 2010 UNTIL 01 OCT 11:08 2010. CREATED: 30 SEP 05:33 2010
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: input~2 on 09/30/2010 07:32 am
and for the dropped fairing in southern Jiangxi province:
Quote
A7705/10 -  A TEMPORARY RESTRICTED AREA  ESTABLISHED BOUNDED BY N260756E1142808-N261432E1135902-N255846E1135440-N255210E1142344  BACK TO  START. VERTICAL LIMITS: SFC-UNL.ALL ACFT ARE PROHIBITED TO FLY  INTO THE AREA. SFC - UNL, 01 OCT 11:00 2010 UNTIL 01 OCT 11:26 2010.  CREATED: 30 SEP 05:43 2010
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: osiossim on 09/30/2010 08:21 am
Is there any live video feed for the launch coverage?
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: Satori on 09/30/2010 09:48 am
Is there any live video feed for the launch coverage?

I supose that CCTV will provide a live broadcast of the launch, but until the monent I didn't see any link for a live feed.

The live feed for CCTV(-9) is at http://english.cntv.cn/live/
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: Satori on 09/30/2010 10:44 am
A very nice collection of images related to Chang'e-2 can be seen (and downloaded) at http://slide.news.sina.com.cn/c/slide_1_15699_13288.html#p=1
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: Satori on 09/30/2010 11:38 am
The fuelling of the CZ-3C for the launch of Chang'e-2 has started. Cryogenics will be fuelled tomorrow
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: Satori on 09/30/2010 01:12 pm
From China Daily China's second lunar probe ready to launch (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-09/30/content_11367210.htm)

From sina.com Thousands to be evacuated for lunar probe launch (http://english.sina.com/china/p/2010/0928/341660.html)
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: input~2 on 09/30/2010 05:19 pm
NOTAM issued:
Quote
A7704/10 - A TEMPORARY RESTRICTED AREA ESTABLISHED BOUNDED BY
N274655E1061205-N275139E1054213-N273539E1053904-N273056E1060859 BACK TO START. VERTICAL LIMITS: SFC-UNL.ALL ACFT ARE PROHIBITED TO FLY INTO THE AREA. SFC - UNL, 01 OCT 10:50 2010 UNTIL 01 OCT 11:08 2010. CREATED: 30 SEP 05:33 2010
This corresponds to boosters drop zone in SE Sichuan/NW Guizhou. We also have a NOTAM for the fairing drop zone.
I am still missing the NOTAM to avoid XSLC itself and an area around Cengong in Eastern Guizhou where the first stage is supposed to be dropped (source (http://www.qdn.cn/news/sh/201009/40773.shtml))
Title: Re: Chang'e-2 - China's second lunar probe - October 1st, 2010
Post by: Stephan on 09/30/2010 06:01 pm
A very nice collection of images related to Chang'e-2 can be seen (and downloaded) at http://slide.news.sina.com.cn/c/slide_1_15699_13288.html#p=1
Awesome pics, thanks for sharing !
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 03:30 am
Given the likely TV coverage, we're converting this into a live update thread.

Rui's preview will be on site in the morning, at which time we'll move this into live coverage.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 04:32 am
Rui's article:

Long March 3C set to launch Chang'e-2, China's second lunar probe
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2010/09/live-long-march-3c-launch-change-2-probe/

Moving for live coverage.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: cd-slam on 10/01/2010 04:54 am
Nice article. I wasn't aware that planning for Chang'e 3 was so advanced (to have selected a landing site).

GO for the MOON! :)
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Far Reach on 10/01/2010 05:02 am
Rui's article:

Long March 3C set to launch Chang'e-2, China's second lunar probe
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2010/09/live-long-march-3c-launch-change-2-probe/

Moving for live coverage.

Interesting read Rui. I enjoy your expertise in Chinese launches.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 07:46 am
Thanks for the feedback guys!

You can see live webcast at http://english.cntv.cn/english/special/change2_satellite/live/index.shtml or http://www.livetvcenter.com/cctv_9_180.asp (choosing CCTV-9; less lag in here).

If anyone manages to get a VLC link please let us know!!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 07:48 am
Weather is good at the Xi Chang Satellite Launch Center...
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 07:57 am
Our friends from the 9ifly chinese space forum have provided another live feed at http://tv.people.com.cn/GB/14645/12855234.html
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 08:10 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 08:14 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 08:15 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 08:17 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 08:18 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Phillip Clark on 10/01/2010 08:22 am
I have just been playing with some numbers.

The launch time indicates that th lunar Greenwich Hour Angle at launch will be close to 38 degrees.

Take that and a parking orbit inclination of 28.5 degrees suggests that the transit time with be around 105 hours - maybe an hour or so less.

This is less than the reported five days but it does mean that lunar arrival is well into the fifth day of the flight.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 08:23 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 08:25 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 08:31 am
According to one of the specialists of the CZ-3C launch vehivle, Chang'e-2 launch mass is around 2.500 kg to 2.600 kg.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 08:45 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 08:48 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: g4ayu on 10/01/2010 08:56 am
Just noticed for anyone in the UK it's being carried live on Sky channel 510 (CCTV News)
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 09:04 am
Cloudy and possible rain at the launch site...
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 09:13 am
Countdown clock...
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 09:16 am
Other possible landing site for Chang'e-3 is Mare Fecunditatis..
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 09:20 am
The Control Center...
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 09:36 am
It might be possible to send Chang'e-2 to the asteroids after is lunar mission. This is new for me!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: idefix on 10/01/2010 10:02 am
T minus 1 hour and counting....
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:03 am
Less than one hour to launch!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:12 am
Dark clouds at the launch site, but meteo says the launch is go!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:15 am
Service platforms will be rotated to the launch position shortly...
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:17 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:20 am
Service platforms of the LC2 launch complex should be rotating to the launch position now...
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:23 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:26 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:27 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:28 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:30 am
Next major event will be the evacuation of the last of the service personnel to the nearby cave bunkers.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 10:31 am
This guy looks like a character! ;)
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:36 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 10:36 am
Next major event will be the evacuation of the last of the service personnel to the nearby cave bunkers.

And there's a good number of them still there with 25 minutes to go.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:37 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:39 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:40 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:40 am
Next major event will be the evacuation of the last of the service personnel to the nearby cave bunkers.

And there's a good number of them still there with 25 minutes to go.

And they are near an hypergolic first stage!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:41 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:42 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:43 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 10:45 am
15 minutes!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:45 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 10:47 am
Big crowd.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:48 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:50 am
T-10 minutes!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 10:50 am
Reporter in the LCC, drags over a controller and interviews him....with 10 minutes to go :)
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:51 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:52 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:53 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:54 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:55 am
T-5 minutes!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:56 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 10:57 am
T-120 seconds. Still chatting on the TV coverage, as opposed to piping in a countdown loop.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 10:58 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 10:58 am
Umbilical to the payload just released.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 10:59 am
Umbilicals retracted.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: HappyMartian on 10/01/2010 11:00 am
There she goes!

Cheers!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 11:01 am
Launch! (CCTV ran a graphic at T-0, which seemed to be a mistake on their part)
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 11:02 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 11:04 am
Launch time was 1059:57.345UTC...
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 11:04 am
Booster sep (we're mainly getting views of spectators)
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 11:05 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 11:06 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 11:07 am
Interesting graphic
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 11:07 am
Staging. Fairing jettison.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: HappyMartian on 10/01/2010 11:07 am
Nice launch. Everything is good so far. Some interesting commentary on CCTV prior to the launch, including some comments about the possibility of China having a role at the International Space Station...

Cheers!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 11:08 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 11:08 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: HappyMartian on 10/01/2010 11:09 am
Flying over the Taiwan Straits.

Cheers!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 11:10 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: HappyMartian on 10/01/2010 11:13 am
Coasting.

Cheers!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 11:13 am
It's just interviews at the moment.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 11:17 am
CCTV replaying the launch, which they messed up on the live coverage.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 11:17 am
Nine minutes to s/c sep.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 11:18 am
And live again. Looks like they've acquired signal from one of their tracking stations out at sea
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: HappyMartian on 10/01/2010 11:21 am
Third stage ignition for transfer to Lunar transfer orbit. The third stage should burn for 2.5 minutes.

Cheers!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 11:22 am
Into the final burn
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 11:22 am
Image from Xinhua
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 11:23 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: HappyMartian on 10/01/2010 11:23 am
Everything looks good at this time.

Cheers!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 11:24 am
Go for the Moon!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 11:26 am
More launch images
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 11:26 am
Chang'e-2 on its way to the Moon!!!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: HappyMartian on 10/01/2010 11:26 am
Third stage cutoff and sepparation. Tracking saying everything is still good so far. Go for the Moon!

Cheers!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 11:27 am
Big attitude change for s/c sep
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 11:27 am
And sep.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Chris Bergin on 10/01/2010 11:28 am
Well done China.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: idefix on 10/01/2010 11:29 am
thanks everybody for the updates & screenshots
Greetings from Belgium
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: HappyMartian on 10/01/2010 11:30 am
About five days to Lunar orbital insertion burn.

Great start to the Nationa Day Holiday! What fun!

Cheers!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 11:30 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 11:31 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: HappyMartian on 10/01/2010 11:37 am
According to CCTV interviews Chang'e-2 is now under the control of the Beijing Space Center. Orbital apogee is about 300,000 km. Up to three possible orbital trajectory corrections may occur. International cooperation with ESA ground station is important for tracking. Discussion of China building and testing deep space tracking network.

Cheers!

Edited.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 11:39 am
Solar panels have been open!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: HappyMartian on 10/01/2010 11:40 am
Discussion on CCTV about Chang'e-2 data processing center and cooperation with EEU tracking and monitoring.

Cheers!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 11:42 am
Scientists and technicians are considering three possible extra missions for Chang'e-2, but no final plans were yet decided.

The first was staying in the lunar orbit, continuing to transfer data back to the earth for further research before eventually landing on the moon as an experiment for future lunar probes.

In the second scenario, Chang'e II would leave the Earth-Moon system, flying into outer space to test China's capability to probe further into space.

The third would be a "homecoming," altering its orbit to become an earth orbiter.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: JimO on 10/01/2010 11:48 am
Scientists and technicians are considering three possible extra missions for Chang'e-2, but no final plans were yet decided.

The first was staying in the lunar orbit, continuing to transfer data back to the earth for further research before eventually landing on the moon as an experiment for future lunar probes.

In the second scenario, Chang'e II would leave the Earth-Moon system, flying into outer space to test China's capability to probe further into space.

The third would be a "homecoming," altering its orbit to become an earth orbiter.


I saw that news item too. The 'landing' could only be an impact mission, the probe has no terminal guidance system and I believe the thrusters aren't strong enough to hover even if it did. But it would be helpful for low-orbit navigation practice.

If there is enough excess delta-V to achieve earth-Moon escape (as Clementine did) that's good for the flag-waving but without a transmitter built powerful enough, and ground tracking dishes with enough sensitivity, it's hard for me to imagine how long they'd be able to keep contact, especially in the continuous full sunlight conditions (recall their anxiety about overheating when CE-1's orbit entered full sunlight briefly, on its mission?).
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: HappyMartian on 10/01/2010 11:52 am
Nice launch. Discussion on CCTV about Chang'e-2 instruments, low Lunar orbit of 100 km...

John S. Lewis, professor of planetary science at the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory has been the main CCTV foreign commentator prior to and during the launch and he is discussing Van Allen radiation belt and Solar radiation and Lunar chemical composition and the gamma ray spectometer and low orbit limitations.

Cheers!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 11:52 am
Scientists and technicians are considering three possible extra missions for Chang'e-2, but no final plans were yet decided.

The first was staying in the lunar orbit, continuing to transfer data back to the earth for further research before eventually landing on the moon as an experiment for future lunar probes.

In the second scenario, Chang'e II would leave the Earth-Moon system, flying into outer space to test China's capability to probe further into space.

The third would be a "homecoming," altering its orbit to become an earth orbiter.


I saw that news item too. The 'landing' could only be an impact mission, the probe has no terminal guidance system and I believe the thrusters aren't strong enough to hover even if it did. But it would be helpful for low-orbit navigation practice.

If there is enough excess delta-V to achieve earth-Moon escape (as Clementine did) that's good for the flag-waving but without a transmitter built powerful enough, and ground tracking dishes with enough sensitivity, it's hard for me to imagine how long they'd be able to keep contact, especially in the continuous full sunlight conditions (recall their anxiety about overheating when CE-1's orbit entered full sunlight briefly, on its mission?).

The earth-Moon escape scenario would be the more ambitious for China and could give them some experience in deep space tracking.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: JimO on 10/01/2010 12:49 pm
The earth-Moon escape scenario would be the more ambitious for China and could give them some experience in deep space tracking.

Compared to their scheduled Mars hitch-hiker mission? Several years ago, the practive would have been useful. Now it will conflict with the Mars mission requirements.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 01:01 pm
The earth-Moon escape scenario would be the more ambitious for China and could give them some experience in deep space tracking.

Compared to their scheduled Mars hitch-hiker mission? Several years ago, the practive would have been useful. Now it will conflict with the Mars mission requirements.

Humm, well assuming Fobos-Grunt is launched on schedule ;)

The primary mission of Chang'e-2 ends around April 2011. Fobos-Grunt and YH-1 Yinghuo 1 are schedule for launch on November 2011.

If they send it to the deep space it will all depend on the amount of fuel left on the probe and the capacitu to maintain an operational status after so many months in space. A real challenge.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 01:10 pm
An amazing photo collection of the launch of Chang'e-2 is available at http://www.chinanews.com.cn/tp/hd/2010/10-01/8032.shtml
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 02:30 pm
Another great photo collection is available at http://www.mod.gov.cn/photo/2010-10/01/content_4198124.htm
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/01/2010 02:54 pm
The directional antena is now operational. The probe will send the first set of data tomorrow.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: spacex on 10/01/2010 03:06 pm
Congrats to China. Excited to see the mission results.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Space Pete on 10/01/2010 09:22 pm
Here's a video of the launch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9vdSEvTyl0
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Phillip Clark on 10/02/2010 01:56 am
After my post yesterday morning (UK time) I discovered that because of some quirk in this new-fangled Vista-thingey, some software that was giving perfectly good data under Windows XP is now churning out rubbish.

Oh well, I suppose it’s called “progress”.   I have now re-run the software on my XP machine and got some decent results!

At the time of the Chang'e 2 launch the lunar GHA was about 66 degrees and this, combined with a launch inclination of 28.5 degrees indicates a transit time between trans-lunar injection and lunar orbit injection of ~115 hours: this is more in line with the Chinese saying that the trip will take five days.

The transit time means that lunar orbit injection should come on October 6th at about 06:30 GMT, and at that time the lunar GHA will be around 300 degrees.   As a comparison, when the first lunar orbit injection burn for Chang’e 1 took place the lunar GHA was 288 degrees, so therefore the estimated time for the Chang’e 2 burn seems to be reasonable.

That’s what I like – consistent data!   The numbers never lie, but incompetent operating systems can make them appear to do so!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: spacex on 10/02/2010 02:39 am
After my post yesterday morning (UK time) I discovered that because of some quirk in this new-fangled Vista-thingey, some software that was giving perfectly good data under Windows XP is now churning out rubbish.

Oh well, I suppose it’s called “progress”.   I have now re-run the software on my XP machine and got some decent results!

At the time of the Chang'e 2 launch the lunar GHA was about 66 degrees and this, combined with a launch inclination of 28.5 degrees indicates a transit time between trans-lunar injection and lunar orbit injection of ~115 hours: this is more in line with the Chinese saying that the trip will take five days.

The transit time means that lunar orbit injection should come on October 6th at about 06:30 GMT, and at that time the lunar GHA will be around 300 degrees.   As a comparison, when the first lunar orbit injection burn for Chang’e 1 took place the lunar GHA was 288 degrees, so therefore the estimated time for the Chang’e 2 burn seems to be reasonable.

That’s what I like – consistent data!   The numbers never lie, but incompetent operating systems can make them appear to do so!


Phillip,
Xinhua reports "about 112 hours, or nearly five days" or a little less than what you have
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/sci/2010-10/01/c_13539114.htm
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Phillip Clark on 10/02/2010 10:16 am
Thank you SpaceX for the 112 hours transit time - China announcing things takes the fun out of number-crunching!

I have been looking around for accurate times of Earth orbit injection (ie, time of the first third stage shutdown) and the start and end of the trans-lunar injection burn.   Has anyone seen these published anywhere, please?
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: HappyMartian on 10/02/2010 10:20 am
Chang'e-2's launch was a great way to begin the Chinese National Day vacation. It will be interesting to see and read about the science that is produced.

Cheers!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/02/2010 01:09 pm
Great news from Xinhua, Chang'e-2 heads for moon after first trajectory correction (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2010-10/02/c_13540276.htm)
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Apollo-phill on 10/02/2010 01:54 pm
I wonder if we could encourage the Chinese to image the Apollo-15 site - which is roughly on 'opposite' side of Mare Imbrium to that of the Sinis Iridum (Iridium) (Bay of Rainbows ) - once their prime mission of hires imagery of the Sinus Iridum for Chang'e-3 is completed ?

I would expect quality to be same as LRO imagery of APollo-15 site ?


Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: input~2 on 10/03/2010 01:16 pm
One of the engine from the CZ-3C first stage was recovered in Zhenyuan County, Guizhou province (SW of the announced Cengong drop zone).
Here is a picture showing time proven technology to haul the engine:

(more pictures here (http://www.qdnrm.com/a/qiandongnanxinwen/bendi/2010/1003/20288.html))
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: input~2 on 10/03/2010 01:44 pm
The fairing was recovered near Suichuan, Jiangxi province, a city NE of the NOTAM prohibited zone.
(source (http://news.bandao.cn/news_html/201010/20101002/news_20101002_989802.shtml))
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: input~2 on 10/03/2010 02:12 pm
One booster was recovered near Jinsha, Guizhou province, in the center of the NOTAM prohibited zone
(source (http://udn.com/NEWS/NATIONAL/NAT3/5885965.shtml) giving indications on the debris -except the first stage - and "fireball" seen from Taiwan)
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: robertross on 10/03/2010 02:40 pm
The fairing was recovered near Suichuan, Jiangxi province, a city NE of the NOTAM prohibited zone.
(source (http://news.bandao.cn/news_html/201010/20101002/news_20101002_989802.shtml))

Yikes. That looks to have 'just' missed a house off to the right.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Liss on 10/04/2010 12:43 pm
I have been looking around for accurate times of Earth orbit injection (ie, time of the first third stage shutdown) and the start and end of the trans-lunar injection burn.   Has anyone seen these published anywhere, please?
Phillip, I can list approximate times (seconds from actual lift-off) based on the live TV report and other sources:

609.2 (618.5 plan) First 3rd stage shutdown
1267 Second 3rd stage ignition
1441 Second 3rd stage shutdown
1559 (1533 plan) Spacecraft separation
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/04/2010 02:06 pm

609.2 (618.5 plan) First 3rd stage shutdown
(...)
1559 (1533 plan) Spacecraft separation


Liss, do you have any clue about what caused the delays? I cannot find any on the usual source...
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/04/2010 03:44 pm
From Xinhua, Parts of Chang'e II (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/photo/2010-10/01/c_13539282.htm)
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Phillip Clark on 10/04/2010 05:55 pm
Thank you Igor, much appreciated!
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: savuporo on 10/04/2010 11:15 pm
http://lunarnetworks.blogspot.com/2010/10/dispatch-from-change-2-sinus-iridium.html

Quote
"The satellite will eventually be maneuvered into an orbit just 15 kilometers above the moon. At that point, Chang'E-2 will take pictures of moon's Bay of Rainbows area, the proposed landing site for Chang'E-3, with a resolution of 1.5 meters. The spatial resolution of Chang'E-1's CCD stereo camera was 120 meters, said Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar orbiter project.

Interesting. I had not seen this before. 15km would be a really low, and very short lived orbit ?
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Lars_J on 10/04/2010 11:44 pm
Just curious... Other than secrecy, what is the reason for not putting their launch pads by the coast? With so much east-facing coastline, they should have plenty of potential launch sites that would cause much less problems from stages/parts coming down.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: cd-slam on 10/05/2010 01:01 am
If you look at the map, it would be near impossible for the Chinese to launch rockets from the east coast without the risk of dropping stages on Taiwan, Korea or Japan. None of which would be politically acceptable.

Plus as you mentioned, the secrecy aspect. Would not be hard for the US to station a carrier in the East China Sea to pick up a booster.

Since the farmers shown in the photos actually make serious cash from selling these spent stages for scrap metal, I doubt there would ever be a major protest unless/until there is a serious loss of life (maybe not even then).
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Phillip Clark on 10/05/2010 03:09 am
http://lunarnetworks.blogspot.com/2010/10/dispatch-from-change-2-sinus-iridium.html

Quote
"The satellite will eventually be maneuvered into an orbit just 15 kilometers above the moon. At that point, Chang'E-2 will take pictures of moon's Bay of Rainbows area, the proposed landing site for Chang'E-3, with a resolution of 1.5 meters. The spatial resolution of Chang'E-1's CCD stereo camera was 120 meters, said Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar orbiter project.

Interesting. I had not seen this before. 15km would be a really low, and very short lived orbit ?

Remember that there is no atmosphere around the Moon to slow down the satellite and thus produce a rapid orbital decay!

The major effect on the Chang'e 2 (or any other lunar satelite) orbit is from irregularities in the lunar gravitational field, the MASCONs for those of us with memories that go back to the Apollo era.   Depending on how the Chang'e 2 orbit is synchronised with the Moon (will it be in an orbit which repeats its groundtrack?), the MASCONs could have a significant effect on the orbit and cause perturbations which could bring the satellite out of lunar orbit.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Phillip Clark on 10/05/2010 03:12 am
Just curious... Other than secrecy, what is the reason for not putting their launch pads by the coast? With so much east-facing coastline, they should have plenty of potential launch sites that would cause much less problems from stages/parts coming down.

All three of the satellite launch sites currently in use are using facilities linked to military missile bases which preceeded space applications, and the Chinese would not want these near the coast for security reasons.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Lars_J on 10/05/2010 03:27 am
If you look at the map, it would be near impossible for the Chinese to launch rockets from the east coast without the risk of dropping stages on Taiwan, Korea or Japan. None of which would be politically acceptable.

Really? I'm looking at the map, and a launch site located just south of Hong Kong would be able to launch straight east *and* south. There seems to be room.

EDIT: after some reading, it does appear that there is some sort of rocket launch facility on Hainan Island, under construction according to some sources ( http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/world/china/sanya.htm ) . That is a location I would have expected.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: cd-slam on 10/05/2010 04:58 am
There is a thread for the Hainan launch facility.

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=6524.0

But it had been dormant for some time. I wondered if the issues on staging etc mentioned had anything to do with it? 
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: wbhh on 10/05/2010 01:24 pm
a video of the first trajectory correction
during 70s
http://v.ku6.com/show/OGzD-eTxjfDq9Ynh.html
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: osiossim on 10/05/2010 02:00 pm
Debris pictures from CZ-3B;

(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/10/04/article-1317641-0B798AA8000005DC-43_634x413.jpg)

(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/10/04/article-1317641-0B798BD2000005DC-542_634x356.jpg)

(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/10/04/article-1317641-0B798C66000005DC-123_634x387.jpg)

(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/10/04/article-1317641-0B798C8F000005DC-256_634x388.jpg)
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Apollo-phill on 10/05/2010 03:12 pm
With Chang'e-2 fast approaching the Moon any updates from the Chinese media ?

Also, any news on images I understand they were going to take from Chang'e-2 ,  of the Earth and Moon , whilst enroute ?




Phill P.
UK
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/05/2010 03:51 pm
Using on-line translation from http://www.clep.org.cn/index.asp?modelname=cegc%5Fxwsd%5Fzxdt%5Fnr&FractionNo=&titleno=cegczxdt&recno=217

Chang'e II amended again to cancel the middle of track will be scheduled for tomorrow to enter lunar orbit 
 
Time: October 5, 2010 
 
[ National Space Agency News Network October 5 ] Technology and Industry for National Defense from the message : " Chang'e II " mission commander Command Control Communications , Beijing Aerospace Control Center Director Zhu Min, told reporters this morning, just as the first intermediate Modified to meet the accuracy requirements orbit track , " Chang'e II "satellite originally planned amendments to be carried out again to cancel half-way track , is expected to be scheduled for tomorrow to enter lunar orbit.

According to Zhu was introduced in October 2nd half-way track to implement the first amendment , the Beijing Center for attitude control to establish a precise disturbance compensation model , through careful calculation and repeated review of the satellites orbit the middle of the first successful implementation of the amendment. Track from the revised measurement results analysis, the control is very precise , satellite arrived in recent months to meet the braking point accuracy. Therefore , the original plans for the two subsequent amendments no longer be half-way . This indicates that China's space orbit determination and control technology to achieve precise level. Successive half-way track to cancel the amendment will be " Chang'e II "satellite save some fuel for the lunar orbit satellite in lunar exploration work carried out to provide more power support.

"Chang'e II " on October 1 satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the evening launch , the solar wing has launched a surveillance camera shot chart test , X -band monitoring and control test , ultraviolet navigation test , the solar wind plasma detectors , and other science Test.

As of 11 am today , " Chang'e II "satellite has been flying in space of 88 hours, from about 345,000 km above the ground . Tomorrow morning, the Beijing Aerospace Control Center will be the first time in recent months, the satellite brake operation cycle of the satellite into a 12 -hour elliptical lunar orbit.

Source:National Space Agency Network 
Editor:Zhao Rui 
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/05/2010 03:52 pm
Using on-line translation from http://www.clep.org.cn/index.asp?modelname=cegc%5Fxwsd%5Fzxdt%5Fnr&FractionNo=&titleno=cegczxdt&recno=216

Chang'e II satellite first science data return 
 
Time: October 5, 2010 
 
According to China Central Television reported , is " Flight to the Moon " in transit "Chang'e II " back this morning, the first satellite orbit data . As of 7 am , the first scientific data has been received , the capacity in the 1.6G.

Following two successful evening 's first start after the scientific instrument , is the "Chang'e II " the evening of 4 satellites have two scientific instruments turned on. At this point, "Chang'e II " satellites are equipped with the γ-ray spectrometer , solar high-energy particle detector and solar wind ion detector smooth start , and " Flight to the Moon " in advance the way they have all been successful instrument to open the boot . These devices are mainly used in space exploration between the earth and the moon .

Beijing at 18:59:57 on on October 1 , China Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the " Long March III C " carrier rocket , the " Chang'e II "satellite successfully into orbit. "Chang'e II " carrying a total of 7 satellite detection equipment , including CCD stereo camera, laser altimeter , γ -ray spectrometer , X -ray spectrometer , microwave detector, solar energetic particle detector and solar wind ion detector, the total payload weight About 140 kg.

" Chang'e II " flight of about 112 hours flying to the moon , during this period will be 2-3 times orbit correction. When the satellite reaches a specific location near the moon , the implementation of the first time in recent months, brake, 100 km into the points in recent months , periodic 12-hour elliptical orbit the moon . After two points in recent months, and then braking into the full moon height of 100 km polar orbit . Upon completion of in-orbit testing and technical validation, " Chang'e II "satellite will enter the 100 km × 15公里elliptical orbit around the moon , filming "Chang'e III " Rainbow Moon Bay preselected landing zone images, and verify that the rapid determination of rail and other related technologies . 1-2 days after the satellite orbit 100 km return , carry out scientific exploration tasks.
 
Source:National Space Agency Network 
Editor:Zhao Rui
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Apollo-phill on 10/05/2010 06:33 pm
Thanks Rui for the update.


Looking toward tomorrow for Chang'e-2 lunar orbit injection :) :)


Apollo-phill
UK

Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: savuporo on 10/06/2010 01:34 am
Thats pretty OK deal for a lunar orbiter ?

The Chang'e II is the country's second-ever lunar orbiter—something that cost the country the equivalent of $134 million.  (http://gizmodo.com/5654871/metal-from-outer-space-falls-down-on-chinese-villages)

Chandrayaan cost reported at $90M
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: wbhh on 10/06/2010 05:51 am
went into moon orbit
119.399 km x 8599.187 km
during 32 minutes
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: jcm on 10/06/2010 06:09 am
Good news. Can anyone translate the information on 6.jpg ? (with the vallues 113.4 and 102.4?) I am wondering if one of these might be the orbital inclination.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: wbhh on 10/06/2010 06:19 am
on 5.jpg
perilune: 119.399 km
apolune: 8599.187 km
velocity increment: 414.030 m/s

on 6.jpg
perilune: 113.424 km
velocity increment: 102.440 m/s
:)
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Phillip Clark on 10/06/2010 12:01 pm
I am assuming that in the above entries perilune and apolune are interchanged.

Figure 5 must relate to the first lunar orbit injection burn (LOI-1), and two others are planned.   It is not clear whether Figure 6 relates to the LOI-2 burn to a near-circular 120 km orbit and then perhaps LOI-3 is to be the manoeuvre to a 100-15 km orbit.   Or whether two further LOI burns will take place before the manoeuvre to the 15 km perislene altitude.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Apollo-phill on 10/06/2010 03:04 pm
Thanks wbbh for posting lunar insertion images - great stuff.

Keep on orbiting  :)


Apollo-phill
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: jcm on 10/06/2010 06:59 pm
on 5.jpg
apolune: 119.399 km
perilune: 8599.187 km
velocity increment: 414.030 m/s

on 6.jpg
apolune: 113.424 km
velocity increment: 102.440 m/s
:)

Thank you! Oh well... an inclination value was too much to hope for I guess :-)
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Phillip Clark on 10/06/2010 07:06 pm
According to a report from ANI posted on the China-Defense.com web site, Chang'e 3 will be launched from the Wenchang site "before 2013".
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: savuporo on 10/06/2010 11:56 pm
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Four_Chinese_Lunar_Landers_Mooted_999.html

Quote
We expect that the first lander will fly around the year 2012. Chinese media statements have been cautious about the timetable in recent years, suggesting a launch in 2013. However, the case for a 2012 launch seems to be getting stronger. Phrases such as "before 2013" or "around 2012" are appearing. It would seem that the development of the landing platform and its rover are fairly on-track.

This is exciting stuff ! This is FINALLY getting back to the moon. Nobody has landed there since 1976 ....
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: SpaceHero on 10/07/2010 02:43 am
According to a report from ANI posted on the China-Defense.com web site, Chang'e 3 will be launched from the Wenchang site "before 2013".

I doubt its possibility. WenChang site is still under construction and three years is too difficult for it to be ready. Chang'e 3 may be launched in late 2012 or early 2013 but not from WenChang.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Apollo-phill on 10/07/2010 11:42 am
Sinus Iridum(Iridium) - target for Chang'e-3 landing - is currently in 'darkness' and will not be back in sunlight until 17-18th October 2010.

This will give the Chinese about 10 days to 'shakedown' science kit onboard Chang'e-2 and establish the lower orbit before the "first"  opprtunities become available for Sinus Iridum landing site imaging .

Apollo-phill
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: wbhh on 10/08/2010 05:53 am
yesterday the inclination was changed 3.2 degree, and lower the perilune to 86km, during 10 minutes, no more detail.
(news in chinese) http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2010-10-08/001021228922.shtml

today lower the apolune from 8631km to 1830km, during 17 minutes.
(video) http://video.sina.com.cn/p/news/c/v/2010-10-08/121661154937.html
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: spacex on 10/09/2010 06:13 am
China's second lunar probe completes final braking, enters working orbit
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2010-10/09/c_13548648.htm
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: cd-slam on 10/11/2010 08:40 am
According to a report from ANI posted on the China-Defense.com web site, Chang'e 3 will be launched from the Wenchang site "before 2013".

I doubt its possibility. WenChang site is still under construction and three years is too difficult for it to be ready. Chang'e 3 may be launched in late 2012 or early 2013 but not from WenChang.

Per the SpaceDaily article quoted by savuporo, Chang'e 3 (lunar lander/rover) is within the capability of Long March 3B. However future sample return mission (Chang'e 4 or 5) will require Long March 5 from Wenchang - this mission date is around 2017 to 2020.

With Chandrayaan 2 also coming in 2013, this is really cool stuff! 8)
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/12/2010 06:24 pm
From Space Daily China Eyes Extended Mission Beyond Moon (http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/China_Eyes_Extended_Mission_Beyond_Moon_999.html)
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: spacex on 10/13/2010 09:27 pm
Chinese Proving Tech For Future Missions
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/awst/2010/10/11/AW_10_11_2010_p39-260020.xml&headline=Chang%27%27e%202%20Proving%20Tech%20For%20Future%20Missions
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: savuporo on 10/14/2010 11:45 pm
So they will have plenty of fuel left in the tank after primary mission.
They could lower the orbit a LOT and try and keep it stable at very low altitude for some period, even in the face of irregular gravity.

That would give it a chance to do some really detailed photo ops.

Lagrange point option going on into a deep space test would be really interesting too.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Apollo-phill on 10/15/2010 04:05 pm
Tomorrow,16th October 2010, sees the Moon's Sinus Iridum entering into "illumination" again.

Maybe we will have further information from China's space Agency about Chang'e-2 and whether it will start taking images of this intended landing site zone for Chang'e-3 ?


Apollo-phill
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: spacex on 10/17/2010 06:47 pm
China Touts Lunar Probe Braking Maneuver
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/asd/2010/10/15/08.xml&headline=China%20Touts%20Lunar%20Probe%20Braking%20Maneuver
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Apollo-phill on 10/20/2010 02:23 pm
Remarkably quiet on this Chinese Chang'e-2 mission from China ?

I'd have thought they would have been jumping up and down eager to show off first images and data now the prime Chang'e-3 landing site of Sinus Iridum  is illuminated once more ?


Apollo-phill
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Hungry4info3 on 10/20/2010 03:23 pm
... eager to show off first images and data...

If I recall correctly, it was some time after Chang'e 1 entered Lunar orbit that we got to see some images.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/27/2010 10:24 am
From Xinhua, China's lunar probe ready to photograph Bay of Rainbows (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2010-10/27/c_13576736.htm)
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Apollo-phill on 10/29/2010 05:38 pm
As a matter of interest the Sinus Iridum (Iridium - Bay of Rainbows) will enter into 'full shadow' on the 1st November 2010.


Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Apollo-phill on 10/29/2010 06:07 pm
Whilst the Chang'e-2 spacecraft hopefully begins imaging the SInus Iridum (Bay of Rainbows) as a possible target for the Chinese Chang'e-3 unmanned lunar lander, we must recall that the Soviet Union sent their Luna-17 lunar lander spacecraft to Sinus Iridum landing about 60 km southwest of Promontorium Heraclides at the southern end of the Montes Jura surrounding Sinus Iridum.  Luna-17 carried the Lunokhod-1 unmanned lunar rover which was very succesful in traversing a wide area about its landing site in the 1970s.

So, besides orbital imagery from their own craft and  several Russian,American,European and Japanese lunar orbiter spacecraft, there is also the Lunokhod-1 imagery to help them determine the type of terrain their Chang'e-3 rover will encounter.


Apollo-phill
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: savuporo on 10/29/2010 06:18 pm
Im wondering if they have plans for a polar lander/rover as a followup to Chang'e3 already, to look into the cold trap.s
It would be quite a bit more challenging and would give them a nice "first" in space.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 11/03/2010 05:22 pm
From China.org.cn, China's lunar probe enters long-term lunar orbit  (http://www.china.org.cn/china/2010-11/03/content_21265125.htm)
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Liss on 11/08/2010 08:52 am
First detailed images of the Rainbow Bay from Chang'e-2:



Imaged on Oct 28 at 10:25 UTC. 43°04'N, 31°03'W. Strip width is 8 km, length is 15.9 km. Resolution is 1.3 м from 18.7 km. Context:
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Liss on 11/08/2010 09:16 am
Daniell (29 km in diameter, 35°18'N, 31°06'E), imaged on Oct 23 from 100 km:

Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Liss on 11/08/2010 09:20 am
3D model:



Details:

Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 11/08/2010 10:00 am
From Xinhua, China announces success of Chang'e-2 lunar probe mission (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2010-11/08/c_13596211.htm)

From Xinhua, China publishes pictures of moon's Sinus Iridum sent back by Chang'e-2 (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/photo/2010-11/08/c_13596313.htm)

Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Apollo-phill on 11/08/2010 10:21 am
Nice see those images from Chang'e-2 of Bay of Rainbows or Sinus Iridum taken on 23rd October 2010.


Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: FabulousNASA on 11/08/2010 07:02 pm
These images seem to have better quality.

http://slide.news.sina.com.cn/c/slide_1_15699_13762.html
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Liss on 11/09/2010 07:39 am
Nice see those images from Chang'e-2 of Bay of Rainbows or Sinus Iridum taken on 23rd October 2010.

In fact on October 27 and 28.

As far as I understand, in 15x100 km orbit Chang'e-2 orbits are spaced at 1.04°, or 23 km at the latitude of the Bay of Rainbow. Also, the bay itself is 12° wide. So we can suppose that Chang'e-2 imaged 11 or 12 strips 110 km long (N-S) and 8 km wide on October 27-28, with 4-5 more strips outside the bay.

I understand that Chang'e-3 landing ellipse is oriented W-E with length of 300 km and width of 100 km centered at 31W, 43N. If so, Chang'e-2 has already imaged 1/3 of it in strips.

I expect at least two more imaging sessions from 15x100 km orbit are needed to fill the gaps. Of course, the six month primary mission of Chang'e-2 provides for six or seven such possibilities.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Liss on 11/13/2010 01:28 pm
Onboard video over moon:

http://video.sina.com.cn/p/news/c/v/2010-11-13/121961182339.html
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: jcm on 11/14/2010 12:24 am
Gareth Williams of the IAU Minor Planet Center reports that one of the NEO surveys has picked up an object consistent with the Chang'e-2 third stage rocket. According to the data he's supplied me, it is in a 244195 x 434042 km x 78.4 deg orbit and passed close to the Moon in the Oct 5 to 9 timeframe.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Liss on 11/14/2010 09:41 am
Another 7-min video with actual CMOS cameras footage of solar panel and HGA deployment, maneuvers and (probably) UV sensor data:

http://i2.chinanews.com/shipin/flv/videoV1.2.swf?vInfo=2010/other/30changeerhao_1&amp
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: darklighter on 11/18/2010 01:12 pm
Videos taken with CE-2's onboard cameras (provided by SASTIND, produced by BISSTI):

-----Video #1
http://tv.people.com.cn/GB/144357/150722/13159712.html
Part 1: Solar panel deployment, shortly after spacecraft seperation.
Part 2 (after 01:00): A glance back at earth at about 100,000 km, 9 hours into the mission.

Translation of on-screen annotation:
00:00: CG preview of CE-2 solar array deployment.
00:10(upper): Solar Array Monitoring Camera.
00:18: Oct 1, 2010 11:52 UTC, deployment of CE-2's solar array. (Note: This is only true for the first part of the video.)
00:24: Live images of Solar Array Monitoring Camera.
00:53(lower): Probe is about 100,000 km away from earth. (Note: This is only true for the second part of the video.)
01:33(from top to bottom): North America, South America, Pacific Ocean, Antarctic, Equator (Note: This is only roughly correct if rotated by about 60 degree clockwise. North America is recognizable at the upper-right part of the imaged earth.)


-----Video #2
http://tv.people.com.cn/GB/144357/150722/13159711.html
Part 1: High Gain Antenna deployment, shortly after spacecraft seperation.
Part 2 (after 00:37): HGA steers, while the probe rotating, allowing the **moon** (yes, it has to be the moon, judging by possible probe trajectory and the shape of the solar terminator) slowly entering the field of view from left. Apparently these 2 events were coordinated for the "shot design".

Translation of on-screen annotation:
00:00(upper): HGA Monitoring Camera.
00:00(lower): CG preview of CE-2 HGA deployment.
00:18: Oct 1 2010, 11:59 UTC, deployment of CE-2's HGA.
00:24: Live images of HGA Monitoring Camera. Oct 1, 2010 11:59 UTC, deployment of HGA. (Note: Only true for the first part of the video.)


-----Video #3
http://tv.people.com.cn/GB/144357/150722/13159708.html
LOI burn #1. The burn lasted 32 minutes in real-time, 77 seconds in the video (as the engine throat glows). The "time-compression" rate of LOI burn #2 and #3 video is roughly the same. If the video has a framerate of 30 fps and is made frame-by-frame from the original images, we may estimate the monitoring cameras took an image every 1.2 seconds.

Translation of on-screen annotation:
00:00: CG preview of CE-2 LOI burn #1.
00:09(upper): 490N Engine Monitoring Camera.
00:16: Oct 6, 2010 03:06 UTC, CE-2's first LOI burn, about 100 km above lunar surface. (Note: The burn lasted a fairly long arc. Only at periselene the altitude is about 100 km.)
00:21: Live images of 490N Engine Monitoring Camera, 100 km above lunar surface.


-----Video #4
http://tv.people.com.cn/GB/144357/150722/13159709.html
LOI burn #2.

Translation of on-screen annotation:
00:00: Oct 8, 2010 02:25 UTC, CE-2's second LOI burn.
00:06: Live images of 490N Engine Monitoring Camera, 100 km above lunar surface. (Note: Only true at periselene.)


-----Video #5
http://tv.people.com.cn/GB/144357/150722/13159710.html
LOI burn #3, including attitude setup prior to the burn.

Translation of on-screen annotation:
00:00: Oct 9, 2010 02:50 UTC, CE-2's third LOI burn.
00:07: Live images of 490N Engine Monitoring Camera, 100 km above lunar surface. (Note: Only true at periselene.)


-----Video #6
http://tv.people.com.cn/GB/144357/150722/13159706.html
Surface of Sinus Iridium imaged at an altitude about 15 km, by a test article of the "Descent Camera". CE-3 is likely to carry such a camera for precise descending guidance, utilizing hi-res reference images acquired by CE-2.

Translation of on-screen annotation:
00:00: Oct 28, 2010, 4th imaging pass of lunar surface by CE-2's Descent Camera. Imaging time: 20:34:22 ~ 21:08:22 UTC.
00:03: Images of Descent Camera, 15 km away from lunar surface.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 11/23/2010 02:25 pm
From Xinhua, Condition of China's lunar probe to determine its own "fate": chief designer (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2010-11/23/c_13619243.htm)
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 12/20/2010 09:42 pm
From Xinhua, China celebrates successful launch of its 2nd lunar probe Chang'e-2 (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/sci/2010-12/20/c_13656440.htm).

From Xinhua, China celebrates success of 2nd lunar probe Chang'e-2 (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/2010-12/20/c_13656972.htm).
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 12/22/2010 03:26 pm
From Xinhua, China's orbiter successfully flies through lunar eclipse (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2010-12/22/c_13659982.htm).
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: powerplay2009 on 12/23/2010 08:43 pm
Zhou said the European Space Agency had provided tracing and monitoring support for Chang'e 2 during the six hours before the probe entered the shadow, when it was out of reach of China's monitoring stations.

interesting.
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 04/01/2011 07:56 am
From Xinhua, Chang'e-2 operations remain normal after 180 days since launch (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/sci/2011-04/01/c_13808957.htm).
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: FabulousNASA on 05/17/2011 07:04 pm
http://news.xinmin.cn/rollnews/2011/05/17/10777705.html

Google translate:

Chief architect consultant: Chang'e II to complete the mission in June left the lunar moon

昨天,在首都师范大学第五届科技周的讲座上,中国科学院院士、我国深空探测首席科学家、嫦娥工程总设计师顾问叶培建透露,嫦娥二号将于6月中旬离开月球,飞向地球、太阳间的一个引力平衡点拉格朗日2号上继续进行探测。 Yesterday, the fifth in the Capital Normal University, lectures on Science and Technology Week, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China's deep space exploration chief scientist, chief designer of Chang'e Ye Peijian consultants said Chang'e II will be held in mid-June to leave the moon, fly to the earth, sun, a gravitational balance point between the 2nd Lagrangian continue to be detected.

此外,叶培建还透露,今年年底我国将公布目前世界上最清晰的7米分辨率的月球表面图。 In addition, Ye Peijian also revealed that China will announce the end of this year the world's most clear and present 7-meter resolution of the lunar surface.

目前状况 The current situation

顺利完成探月使命 The successful completion of the mission moon

叶培建介绍,嫦娥二号于去年10月1日发射,经过奔月、近月制动、绕月飞行、降轨控制等多个关键环节,开始在环月工作轨道上运行。 Ye Peijian introduced Chang'e II was launched on October 1 last year, after flying to the moon, in recent months, brake, lunar flight, control, track down a number of key areas, began to work in lunar orbit.

此后,卫星分别在100×100公里的圆轨道和100×15公里的椭圆轨道进行了高分辨率成像和环月探测。 Since then, the satellite at 100 × 100 km circular orbit, and 100 × 15 km elliptical orbit, the high resolution imaging and lunar exploration.

半年间,卫星系统、测控系统和地面应用系统精心组织开展了各项探测工作,严密监视卫星工作状态。 Six months, the satellite system, control system and ground application system of the well-organized exploration work carried out to closely monitor the work status of the satellite. 嫦娥二号卫星在轨运行状态良好,已经完整获取了7米分辨率的月球表面三维影像数据,并且一直按计划持续开展4项科学目标的探测活动。 Chang'e II satellite in orbit in good condition, has full access to a 7-meter-resolution lunar surface three-dimensional image data, and has been ongoing four planned target detection science activities.

截至今年4月1日,嫦娥二号已安全运行180天,达到了它半年的设计寿命,但是卫星燃料剩余仍然充足,工程各有关方面经过一个多月的研究论证,决定嫦娥二号探月使命告一段落,最终命运也已出炉。 As of April 1, Chang'e II has safely operated for 180 days, reached its half-year design life, but the satellite is still plenty of fuel remaining, engineering studies of all concerned demonstrated more than a month, decided to lunar mission Chang'e II come to an end, the final fate has been released.

Fate of the disclosure

将飞出地月环境“远嫁”他方 Months will be flying out to the environment "marrying" the other party

早在嫦娥二号发射之初,“二姑娘”的最终命运大致被设置为三种:一是对月球做补充探测,考虑卫星落月。 Chang'e II launch as early as the beginning, "the second girl," the ultimate fate of the roughly be set to three: First, to do additional exploration of the Moon, consider satellite sangrakwol. 二是让它飞向更远的太空,验证我国更远宇宙空间的深空探测能力。 The second is to make it fly farther in space, verification of the deep space beyond space exploration capabilities. 三是让它成为地球卫星。 Third, it became the Earth satellite.

在昨日的讲座上,叶培建透露,经过工程师们的论证,目前嫦娥二号的各项运行均正常,鉴于其目前已经很好地完成了探月任务,并且在整个过程中没有出现任何问题,所以决定在6月16号左右,让它离开月球,飞向拉格朗日点2号继续进行探测。 At yesterday's talks, Ye Peijian said, after the engineers of the argument, the current run Chang'e II are normal, given its now well lunar mission accomplished, and in the process without any problems, so decision about the June 16, it left the moon, fly to the Lagrangian point 2, to continue exploration.

叶培建解释,嫦娥二号处在这个拉格朗日点上,可与太阳和地球间的相对位置保持不变,所受到的太空中天体的引力影响也将减到最小,相对而言处于真正的失重状态,可以进行更多的探测和实验。 Ye Peijian explained Chang'e II at the Lagrangian point, with the sun and the relative position between the Earth and remain unchanged, the objects in space by the gravitational influence will be minimized, relatively speaking in the real weightlessness, can be more exploration and experiment.

权威发布 Authority issued

年底前公布世界最清晰月球图 Announced before the end of the world's most clear map the moon

叶培建透露,此次嫦娥二号探月任务中,一个重要的任务就是获取更清晰的月球表面图。 Ye Peijian said the lunar mission Chang'e II, an important task is to get more clear of the lunar surface.

目前全部图像的数据已经传回,科研人员正在进行数据的组合和三维图像的拼接。 At present all the image data has been returned, the researchers combined the data and the ongoing three-dimensional images of the mosaic. 如果没有意外,年底前,这幅目前世界上最清晰的月球图将公布,分辨率将精确到7米。 If there is no accident, by the end of this piece of the world's clearest moon map will be released, the resolution will be accurate to 7 meters.

而嫦娥一号曾成功完成了120米分辨率的全月图,此次根据嫦娥二号传回的数据制作的月球影像图,分辨率将提高近20倍,月球上的许多细节将更为具体。 The lunar probe has successfully completed a full month's 120-meter-resolution map, the Chang'e II according to the data returned by the production of lunar imagery, the resolution will increase nearly 20 times, many of the details on the moon would be more specific .

在讲座中,叶培建还着重介绍了我国未来深空探测的状况,表示如果有意愿,我国将可以在2025年到2030年间完成载人登月。 In the lecture, Ye Peijian also highlights the future deep space exploration of the situation, said that if there is will, by 2025 China will be completed between 2030 manned moon landing.

他还透露,2020年前后,我国将建成自己的空间站,这个空间站目前已经设定重量为60吨。 He also revealed that by 2020, China will build its own space station, the station is now set weighs 60 tons.

Background Links

嫦娥二号卫星:是嫦娥一号卫星的姐妹星,由长三丙火箭发射。 Chang'e II satellite: a satellite Chang'e sister stars, from long Sanbing rocket. 但是嫦娥二号卫星上搭载的CCD相机的分辨率更高,所探测到的有关月球的数据更加翔实。 But the Chang'e II CCD camera on board were higher resolution, the detected data is more informative about the moon. 它为嫦娥三号在月球软着陆做准备。 It Chang'e lunar soft landing in the preparation III.

嫦娥二号于2010年10月1日18时59分57秒在西昌卫星发射中心发射升空,并获得了圆满成功。 Chang'e II was at 18:59:57 on October 1st, 2010 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, and was a complete success.

名词解释 Glossary

拉格朗日点:是指受两大物体引力作用,能使小物体稳定的点。 Lagrangian points: the two objects is affected by gravity, small objects can make a stable point. 在该点处,一个小物体在两个大物体的引力作用下,小物体相对于两大物体基本保持静止。 In this point, a small object in the gravitational pull of two large objects, small objects relative to the two objects remained stationary.

每三个上述的物体之间都有5个拉格朗日点,其中2个稳定,3个不稳定。 Between each of the three above-mentioned objects are five Lagrangian points, including 2 stable, 3 unstable. (李莎莎王璐) (Li Shasha Wang Lu)

Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 06/09/2011 04:35 pm
From Xinhua, China's second moon orbiter Chang'e-2 goes to outer space (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-06/09/c_13920425.htm).
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: jcm on 08/15/2011 04:11 am
Chang'e 2 should be approaching L2 by now, has there been any Chinese report?
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: spacex on 08/30/2011 10:22 pm
Chang'e 2 reached L2 last Thursday

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/video/2011-08/27/c_131078520.htm
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/chinas-moon-orbiter-change-2-travels-1-5-km-into-outer-space/articleshow/9796401.cms
Title: Re: LIVE: Long March 3C - Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 09/21/2011 09:00 pm
China's second moon orbiter Chang'e-2 sends data from 1.7 mln km away (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/sci/2011-09/21/c_131150155.htm)
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 11/07/2011 07:27 pm
what next for CE-2?
according to the Google translation of this interview (in Chinese) http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2011-09...c_122063243.htm it will remain at L2 until the end of next year. Then, depending on the remaining fuel it may fly to the Sun-Earth L1 point, flyby a near Earth asteroid or comet, or return to the Moon
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 03/14/2012 11:34 am
From Xinhua, China's second moon orbiter outperforms design (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sci/2012-03/13/c_131465298.htm).
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: HappyMartian on 03/18/2012 07:34 am
what next for CE-2?
according to the Google translation of this interview (in Chinese) http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2011-09...c_122063243.htm it will remain at L2 until the end of next year. Then, depending on the remaining fuel it may fly to the Sun-Earth L1 point, flyby a near Earth asteroid or comet, or return to the Moon

How much "remaining fuel" would be needed for a flyby of 2012-DA14? Is such a flyby mission worth considering?

I just saw in the news the discovery of a new Earth-Grazing NEO in the Tunguska-class (~50m diameter).

Link to Article (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2115943/Atomic-bomb-Asteroid-2012-DA14-visits-Earth-annually-miss-time--maybe-time-after.html)
.....

Thoughts and comments?


"The Chang'e-2 is now on an extensive exploration mission some 1.5 million km from Earth. Ye said it is in good condition and scientists are planning its next stage.

"'It could fly toward the Earth to test returning orbit for future spacecraft or travel farther to explore an asteroid, he said."
   
From: Mission to bring back lunar soil  By Xin Dingding (China Daily)
At: http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-03/16/content_14845488.htm

Would it be feasible and worthwhile for Chang'e-2 to do a close high speed flyby reconnaissance mission to 2012 DA14?

Is it feasible and worthwhile to use any other robotic spacecraft to do such a close high speed flyby reconnaissance mission?

Cheers!


:)

Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Galactic Penguin SST on 06/14/2012 06:30 am
Well this is surprising..... CE-2 has already left the SE-L2 point in April to make a fly-by of an asteroid in January 2013!  :o (initial reports points to asteroid 3179 Beruti (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3179_Beruti), but I don't think that's possible, given that it's well into the asteroid belt)

Source (http://www.9ifly.cn/forum.php?mod=redirect&goto=findpost&ptid=62&pid=203109&fromuid=19646)

Edit: apparently the survey target is actually 4179 Toutatis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4179_Toutatis). The original source was from a China Academy of Science meeting this morning, where lunar scientist Ouyang Ziyuan made a report on the future of China's plan for solar system exploration. He also mentioned a possible mission to the infamous 99942 Apophis in around 2020.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 06/14/2012 06:53 am
GREAT NEWS IF TRUE!!! thanks for diggin it out...
here I am hoping they got confused with NEO (4179) Toutatis! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4179_Toutatis
I have been waiting to see Toutatis up close ever since radar images were released 20 years ago!
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Galactic Penguin SST on 06/14/2012 07:17 am
GREAT NEWS IF TRUE!!! thanks for diggin it out...
here I am hoping they got confused with NEO (4179) Toutatis! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4179_Toutatis
I have been waiting to see Toutatis up close ever since radar images were released 20 years ago!

I don't believe CE-2 has enough propellant to make a fly-by of the main asteroid belt, and the forum member said that he couldn't exactly remember the asteroid number, so I think this is it!

Can anyone here help to see how much delta-v is needed to make a flyby of Toutatis?
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 06/14/2012 07:26 am
dunno. anyway, according to jpl's horizon ephemeris generator, Toutatis is having a close (0.046 AU, 6.9 M km) flyby of Earth in mid-December this year. I don't expect the delta-v for a flyby to be very high
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 06/14/2012 08:49 am
don't forget that Toutatis was to have been the target of the DoD Clementine 2 mission, which would have fired a couple of missile interceptors at it
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 06/14/2012 09:48 am
finally, I was wondering whether the Chinese have developed a moving target tracking algorithm to collect any data from the flyby or they will have to image all of the uncertainty volume of the asteroid in order to be sure of capturing it as Galileo did at Gaspra and Ida. any idea?
of course such software is not needed for a lunar orbiter...
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Galactic Penguin SST on 06/14/2012 02:25 pm
Well this is surprising..... CE-2 has already left the SE-L2 point in April to make a fly-by of an asteroid in January 2013!  :o (initial reports points to asteroid 3179 Beruti (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3179_Beruti), but I don't think that's possible, given that it's well into the asteroid belt)

Source (http://www.9ifly.cn/forum.php?mod=redirect&goto=findpost&ptid=62&pid=203109&fromuid=19646)

Edit: apparently the survey target is actually 4179 Toutatis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4179_Toutatis). The original source was from a China Academy of Science meeting this morning, where lunar scientist Ouyang Ziyuan made a report on the future of China's plan for solar system exploration. He also mentioned a possible mission to the infamous 99942 Apophis in around 2020.

A video of the meeting can be found here: http://www.cas.cn/zt/hyzt/16thysdh/zb/ (http://www.cas.cn/zt/hyzt/16thysdh/zb/)

It shows that CE-2 has left the SEL2 point on April 15, and has set up a trajectory towards Toutatis. The fly-by is scheduled on January 6, 2013.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: apace on 06/14/2012 02:38 pm
I'm surprised about the advancement the chinese had done... have seen such mission changes at US probes only.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Galactic Penguin SST on 06/14/2012 02:52 pm
Well this is surprising..... CE-2 has already left the SE-L2 point in April to make a fly-by of an asteroid in January 2013!  :o (initial reports points to asteroid 3179 Beruti (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3179_Beruti), but I don't think that's possible, given that it's well into the asteroid belt)

Source (http://www.9ifly.cn/forum.php?mod=redirect&goto=findpost&ptid=62&pid=203109&fromuid=19646)

Edit: apparently the survey target is actually 4179 Toutatis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4179_Toutatis). The original source was from a China Academy of Science meeting this morning, where lunar scientist Ouyang Ziyuan made a report on the future of China's plan for solar system exploration. He also mentioned a possible mission to the infamous 99942 Apophis in around 2020.

A video of the meeting can be found here: http://www.cas.cn/zt/hyzt/16thysdh/zb/ (http://www.cas.cn/zt/hyzt/16thysdh/zb/)

It shows that CE-2 has left the SEL2 point on April 15, and has set up a trajectory towards Toutatis. The fly-by is scheduled on January 6, 2013.

The video shows that the possible targets for the planned Chinese asteroid fly-by mission are as follows:

12711 Turkmit in August 2018
99942 Apophis between April and September 2020
175706 (1996 FG3) in between August and December 2023

All three are Apollo asteroids.

Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Moe Grills on 06/14/2012 05:50 pm
Good of the Chinese to get 'more bang for their buck' with CE-2.
JPL and JHUAPL have a lengthy track record of getting bonus missions
out of their spacecraft; it's good to see that the Chinese are taking that
route too.
 If the flyby of Toutalis is successful, the CE-2 should return more than
eye candy. There are gravitometric experiments that can be done; and
if the non-optical science instruments are working well, we should also get back fields and particles data too.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 06/14/2012 08:23 pm
12711 Turkmit in August 2018

the correct name is Tukmit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12711_Tukmit
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 06/15/2012 08:51 am
The video shows that the possible targets for the planned Chinese asteroid fly-by mission are as follows:

according to another forum, the last lines (in red) mention a second exploration phase consisting of a main belt asteroid sample return. can you confirm?
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 06/15/2012 07:41 pm
another question (sorry, CE2 for me is the Chinese space news of the moment, I'm not interested in SZ9...)
I understood that the Tukmit, Apophis and 1996 FG3 are three possible targets of a dedicated asteroid mission, but Rui's blog http://astropt.org/blog/2012/06/14/change-2-a-caminho-de-toutatis/ suggests that they may be further targets for CE2. so which is right?
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: yaohua2000 on 06/15/2012 08:05 pm
Re: plutogno
1. Yes.
2. Rui is wrong.

Let me translate the slide in post #238:

Quote
(3) 小行星探测任务
一、首次近地小行星探测任务:
精确确定小行星轨道和相关特性,
评估其撞击地球可能;同时开展
科学探测研究。

探测目标 | 物理参数 | 探测方式 | 探测时间
-----------------------------------------
12711号 (Tukmit, 1991 BB) | 光谱型:X/直径:X/自转周期:X | 飞越探测 | 2018.8
99942号 (Apophis, 2004 MN4) | 光谱型:X/直径:X/自转周期:X | 伴飞探测 | 2020.4 - 2020.9
175706号 (1996 FG3) | 光谱型:X/直径:X/自转周期:X | 伴飞探测 | 2023.8 - 2023.12

二、第二次小行星探测 — 主带小行星采样返回探测

Translation:
Quote
(3) Asteroid exploration mission(s)
1. First time near-Earth asteroids exploration mission(s):
- Precisely determine asteroid orbit and related features,
- Evaluate their possibilities hit the Earth; And perform
- Scientific exploration research

Exploration target | Physical parameters | Exploration method | Exploration time
-----------------------------------------
12711 Tukmit | Spectral type: X / Diameter: X / Rotation period: X | Flyby exploration | August 2018
99942 Apophis | Spectral type: X / Diameter: X / Rotation period: X | Rendezvous exploration | April 2020 – September 2020
175706 (1996 FG3) | Spectral type: X / Diameter: X / Rotation period: X | Rendezvous exploration | August 2023 – December 2023

2. Second time asteroid exploration — Main-belt asteroid sample return exploration

I use "mission(s)" as Chinese language does not have plural words. It can be one probe for all the three asteroids, or three separated probes. Not possible to tell from the slide.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 06/15/2012 08:15 pm
Re: plutogno
1. Yes.
2. Rui is wrong.

ah! Thank you for the correction! I thought Cheng'e-2 would be redirected to other targets after Toutatis.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 06/23/2012 09:26 am
while waiting for details and news on the Toutatis mission (note that it's been more than a week since the story was leaked, and Chinese mainstream press has not yet picked it up), I have found an interesting if quite technical paper on Moon-to-L2 navigation
http://info.scichina.com:8083/sciFe/EN/abstract/abstract507363.shtml (http://info.scichina.com:8083/sciFe/EN/abstract/abstract507363.shtml)
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 06/24/2012 03:41 pm
while everybody is looking at SZ-9 and its expoits, I continue to dig into the Chinese technical literature for hints at the extended mission of CE-2.
Here are two different extended missions that have been studied and non selected:

- A mission to the lagrangian points of the Earth-Moon system
http://tech.scichina.com:8082/sciEe/EN/abstract/abstract505028.shtml (http://tech.scichina.com:8082/sciEe/EN/abstract/abstract505028.shtml)
Quote
Trajectory design for the Moon departure libration point mission in full ephemeris model
The lunar probe may still have some remaining fuel after completing its predefined Moon exploration mission and is able to carry out some additional scientific or technological tasks after escaping from the Moon orbit. The Moon departure mission for the lunar probe is the focus of this paper. The possibility of the spacecraft orbiting the Moon to escape the Moon's gravitational pull is analyzed. The trajectory design for the Earth-Moon system libration point mission is studied in a full ephemeris dynamical model, which considers the non-uniform motion of the Moon around the Earth, the gravity of the Sun and planets and the finite thrust of the onboard engine. By applying the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm, the trajectory design for the transfer from the Moon-centered orbit to the L1 halo orbit, the station-keeping strategies for the Earth-Moon halo orbit and the construction of homoclinic and heteroclinic orbits are investigated. Taking the tracking conditions and engineering constraints into account, two feasible schemes for the Moon departure libration point mission for the lunar probe are presented.

- An asteroid mission from lunar orbit
http://phys.scichina.com:8084/Jwk_sciG_en/EN/abstract/abstract502540.shtml (http://phys.scichina.com:8084/Jwk_sciG_en/EN/abstract/abstract502540.shtml)
Quote
Design and optimization of a trajectory for Moon departure Near Earth Asteroid exploration
The lunar probe often has some remaining fuel on completing the predefined Moon exploration mission and may carry out some additional tasks from the Moon orbit using the fuel. The possibility for the lunar probe to escape from the Moon and the Earth is analyzed. Design and optimization of the trajectory from the Moon orbit to the Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs) using the spacecraft’s residual fuel is studied. At first, the semi-major axis, inclinations and the phase relations with the Earth of all the numbered NEAs are investigated to preliminarily select the possible targets. Based on the Sun-centered two-body problem, the launch window and the asteroid candidates are determined by calculating the minimum delta-v for two-impulse rendezvous mission and one-impulse flyby mission, respectively. For a precise designed trajectory, a full ephemeris dynamical model, which includes gravities of the Sun, the planets and the Moon, is adopted by reading the JPL ephemeris. The departure time, arrival time, burning time duration and thrust angles are set as variables to be designed and optimized. The optimization problem is solved via the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm. Moreover, two feasible NEA flyby missions are presented.

as I pointed out in a post to the unmannedspaceflight.com forum, the choice of Toutatis over other near-Earth objects (the latter paper mentions an Apollo and an Aten asteroid, 190491 and 162421) is a clever one. Toutatis has been detected by radar on every Earth flyby since 1992 (encounters repeat at 4-years intervals), and its orbit is thus known to an accuracy probably unique among such small objects. It turns out that its position on 6 January 2013 is known with an uncertainty of just a few kilometers, meaning that even in the absence of a moving-object detection and tracking software (which CE-2 probably does not possess), it should be possible to image and take other measurements of it simply by aiming cameras and spectrometers at the spot in the sky where it is predicted to be.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 06/28/2012 07:40 am
at last the story has been picked up by Chinese news sites!
http://tech.sina.com.cn/d/2012-06-27/14427317706.shtml
nothing new as far as I can tell from the Google translation, beside the first mention of a planned flyby distance of 1000 km. I also find it interesting that they mention a flyby near the end of this year or early next year, as if the date was not yet fixed
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: yaohua2000 on 06/28/2012 09:15 am
at last the story has been picked up by Chinese news sites!
http://tech.sina.com.cn/d/2012-06-27/14427317706.shtml
nothing new as far as I can tell from the Google translation, beside the first mention of a planned flyby distance of 1000 km. I also find it interesting that they mention a flyby near the end of this year or early next year, as if the date was not yet fixed

1000 km is a mistake made by the journalist, who actually wanted to write a flyby distance of 1000,0000 km from the Earth. The same journalist also says L2 is 150 km from the Earth, instead of 150,0000 km. Furthermore, the journalist didn't make an interview with Ouyang. Everything was from the same presentation that we already have.

Quote
去年6月9日,“嫦娥二号”再次开始新的旅程,奔向150公里的拉格朗日2点;

欧阳自远介绍,“嫦娥二号”于2012年4月15日受控飞翔距离地球大约1000千米深邃的太阳系空间

“嫦娥二号”搭载的CCD相机如果以1000公里的距离飞越4179号小行星

Very poorly written report indeed.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 06/28/2012 09:27 am
thanks for your input yaohua2000!
actually, on 6 Jan 2012 Toutatis will be 28.2 million km from Earth, and even on its closest approach to Earth in December it will be no closer than 6.9 million km. I have seen the distance of 1 million km in other reports, but I don't understand what it is supposed to mean...
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: yaohua2000 on 06/28/2012 09:50 am
thanks for your input yaohua2000!
actually, on 6 Jan 2012 Toutatis will be 28.2 million km from Earth, and even on its closest approach to Earth in December it will be no closer than 6.9 million km. I have seen the distance of 1 million km in other reports, but I don't understand what it is supposed to mean...

I did some gravitational simulations a few days ago, given the initial location of Chang'e 2 at L2, I can't find a solution with a reasonable delta-v budget to rendezvous with Toutatis on January 6, 2012. The most likely date of a flyby should be in late December.

I am not an expert in this field but it looks like they are trying to follow the interplanetary superhighway concept that proposed by 罗闻宇?
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 06/28/2012 11:25 am
I suspect that there will be Moon or Earth flybys involved, like NASA did on the International Cometary Explorer in the 80s...
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: ChrisC on 07/07/2012 03:07 am
FYI, Emily Lakdawalla at the Planetary Society provided a nice link over to this thread in a planetary.org blog post (http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2012/07011200-whats-up-in-the-solar-system-july.html), as the place to get Chang'e-2 updates!
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 07/07/2012 08:54 am
unfortunately, even after almost a month, there is almost nothing on the mission on the Chinese websites.
Interestingly, someone pointed out on the 9ify forum http://www.9ifly.cn/thread-9843-106-1.html (http://www.9ifly.cn/thread-9843-106-1.html) that the mission could be a test of the Chinese deep space network (separated from the lunar tracking network, apparently), which may be true as they could not test it on YH-1 at Mars.
note also that JPL gives 5 January as the flyby date http://echo.jpl.nasa.gov/~lance/radar.small.body.mission.targets.html (http://echo.jpl.nasa.gov/~lance/radar.small.body.mission.targets.html), but this is probably just a Chinese time zone issue.
BTW, with all the hype on SZ-9 finally subsiding, will Xinhua or any other Chinese news agency finally release some solid details on the mission? please...
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 07/18/2012 11:49 am
this seems to have gone unreported: there was a meeting at the Purple Mountain Observatory last January on Chang'e 2 extended mission to asteroids

http://www.cas.cn/hzjl/ydhz/hzdt/201201/t20120113_3427830.shtml
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 07/23/2012 05:15 pm
there was an interview with Ouyang Ziyuan published in some Chinese news sites today, speaking about Chinese lunar exploration. see for example
http://www.tianshannet.com.cn/edu/content/2012-07/23/content_7052742.htm
nothing really new, except for an anecdote on a gift Apollo 17 pebble that the Chinese removed from its plexiglas case during the 1970s, cut in half and analyzed to verify that it was indeed a Moon rock.
In the same interview Ouyang states that the CE-2 asteroid flyby will take place "in March (3月) next year". I am puzzled...
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 07/24/2012 07:53 pm
repeated on some sites today: flyby "probably" on 1 March (3月1日) next year

http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2012-07-25/021924837262.shtml
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 08/15/2012 10:40 am
re-posted from unmannedspaceflight.com:
at last some hard data on CE-2
http://www.projectpluto.com/pluto/mpecs/cheprobe.htm
the probe appears to be, from optical observations, on an Earth-like 1.022 x 1.035 AU orbit with a period of 381 days and an inclination of 0.24 degrees that will intersect Toutatis' path on 13 December, one day after its closest approach to Earth.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 08/25/2012 04:30 pm
a blog article by Bill Gray describing how CE-2 was recovered by terrestrial telescopes, and how the 13 December flyby date was determined
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/20120825-change-2-the-full-story.html
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 09/05/2012 11:13 am
two papers to be presented at this year's IAC:

An Extended Mission of Chang’E-2 From Sun-Earth L2 point to Asteroid: Design and Analysis
http://www.iafastro.net/iac/paper/id/15114/summary.lite/

Low energy trajectory optimization for CE-2’s extended mission after 2012
http://www.iafastro.net/iac/paper/id/15724/summary.lite/
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 10/03/2012 07:27 am
a paper presented at the IAC (still speaking of asteroid mission as an option):
http://images.spaceref.com/news/2012/chang'e-moon-iac2012.pdf
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 10/04/2012 05:29 am
this is behind the paywall, but you can still see the first two pages
First-round design of the flight scenario for Chang’e-2’s extended mission: takeoff from lunar orbit
http://rd.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10409-012-0111-x
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 10/07/2012 08:40 am
two papers to be presented at this year's IAC:

An Extended Mission of Chang’E-2 From Sun-Earth L2 point to Asteroid: Design and Analysis
http://www.iafastro.net/iac/paper/id/15114/summary.lite/

Low energy trajectory optimization for CE-2’s extended mission after 2012
http://www.iafastro.net/iac/paper/id/15724/summary.lite/

I have got a copy of the latter paper. I will not share it, but I can tell you something more about the Toutatis flyby

- first of all: 13 December 2012 is confirmed as the date. no distance nor relative speed or other details are given
- we are told that the Beijing Aerospace Control Center called for proposals on a mission beyond L2 in January 2012.
- there were lots of interesting proposals including one that would flyby Earth and Moon repeatedly, visit the L1 and L2 Lagrangian points, flyby a hundred-meter sized asteroid and finally explore the L4 Sun-Earth point in 2017 (the paper states that CE-2 would have been the first mission to do so. I think one of the two Stereos was first)
- in March 2012 the Toutatis flyby, proposed by the Chinese Academy of Space Technology was selected
- in a non-optimized form, the mission would have cost 107.5 m/s of the remaining 120 m/s delta-v budget
- a 6.2 m/s correction on 15 April "was mainly used to keep the Lissajous trajectory". it was previously reported as the date CE-2 was maneuvered out of the L2 halo orbit
- trajectory optimization was only carried out starting on 16 April. After optimization, an additional 22 m/s delta-v was gained that could be used to ensure a successful flyby
- the first targeting maneuver was carried out on 31 May (32.9 m/s)
- the second targeting maneuver (46.5 m/s) was to be carried out on 24 September
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Lsquirrel on 10/08/2012 06:22 am
two papers to be presented at this year's IAC:

An Extended Mission of Chang’E-2 From Sun-Earth L2 point to Asteroid: Design and Analysis
http://www.iafastro.net/iac/paper/id/15114/summary.lite/

Low energy trajectory optimization for CE-2’s extended mission after 2012
http://www.iafastro.net/iac/paper/id/15724/summary.lite/

I have got a copy of the latter paper. I will not share it, but I can tell you something more about the Toutatis flyby

- first of all: 13 December 2012 is confirmed as the date. no distance nor relative speed or other details are given
- we are told that the Beijing Aerospace Control Center called for proposals on a mission beyond L2 in January 2012.
- there were lots of interesting proposals including one that would flyby Earth and Moon repeatedly, visit the L1 and L2 Lagrangian points, flyby a hundred-meter sized asteroid and finally explore the L4 Sun-Earth point in 2017 (the paper states that CE-2 would have been the first mission to do so. I think one of the two Stereos was first)
- in March 2012 the Toutatis flyby, proposed by the Chinese Academy of Space Technology was selected
- in a non-optimized form, the mission would have cost 107.5 m/s of the remaining 120 m/s delta-v budget
- a 6.2 m/s correction on 15 April "was mainly used to keep the Lissajous trajectory". it was previously reported as the date CE-2 was maneuvered out of the L2 halo orbit
- trajectory optimization was only carried out starting on 16 April. After optimization, an additional 22 m/s delta-v was gained that could be used to ensure a successful flyby
- the first targeting maneuver was carried out on 31 May (32.9 m/s)
- the second targeting maneuver (46.5 m/s) was to be carried out on 24 September
Chang’E-2 will fly by 4179 Toutatis this year,and it will be explore L4?
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 10/08/2012 06:34 am
Chang’E-2 will fly by 4179 Toutatis this year,and it will be explored L4?


that was a different mission extension. as I understand it, there will not be enough fuel remaining after the Toutatis flyby to do any other meaningful mission.

BTW from the orbital elements published by Bill Grey (semiaxis = 1.029 AU) one can compute an orbital period of 1.044 years, i.e. CE-2 will trail Earth by 15 degrees every year, meaning that it will be near the trailing Lagrangian point L5 anyway in four years
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 10/09/2012 09:41 am
a quick graph that I computed using the orbital elements given by Bill Gray.
it shows the motion of CE2 until the end of 2016 in a typical reference system that keeps the position of the Sun and Earth fixed. The Sun is at (0,0) and the Earth is the red dot at (1,0).
As you can see, CE2 will pass in the environs of the L5 point (red dot at lower right) in July 2016
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 10/28/2012 09:53 am
a new Chinese deep space station and radiotelescope is unveiled in Shanghai just in time to support CE-2
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sci/2012-10/28/c_131935824.htm
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 11/18/2012 06:52 pm
a long article (in Chinese) on the development of CE2
http://zh.cnr.cn/2100zhfw/zhhz/201211/t20121114_511342196.shtml
and
http://zh.cnr.cn/2100zhfw/zhhz/201211/t20121114_511342196_1.shtml
it looks quite interesting. anybody willing to translate it?
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 11/20/2012 12:33 pm
another interesting paper on CE2 mission design:

First-round design of the flight scenario for Chang’e-2’s extended mission: takeoff from lunar orbit
http://ams.cstam.org.cn/CN/article/downloadArticleFile.do?attachType=PDF&id=143726
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: JimO on 12/09/2012 02:40 am

- the second targeting maneuver (46.5 m/s) was to be carried out on 24 September

any indication that burn succeeded?

we're close to encounter, and no further news.

it's too quiet.

emily update here:
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2012/12061004-toutatis-preview.html
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: frank808 on 12/12/2012 08:30 pm
The fly-by was just confirmed by CCTV that it will take place today.

http://news.cntv.cn/china/20121213/100038.shtml
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 12/14/2012 06:24 pm
Chang'e-2 fly-by of Toutatis took place on December 13: http://scitech.people.com.cn/GB/n/2012/1214/c1007-19895649.html (in Chinese).

Not much info about it.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: 20350902 on 12/14/2012 10:13 pm
Video: http://news.cntv.cn/china/20121215/100850.shtml

Relative speed at 10.73 km/s
Closest flyby at 3.2 km altitude

Sequence (local time):
• Dec13 15:25 Return solar panels to 180 degrees
• Dec13 15:30 Switch to inertial attitude control
• Dec13 15:45 Switch to star orientation 10
• Dec13 15:48 Switch to star orientation 2
• Dec13 16:20 Solar panel monitoring camera power up
• Dec13 16:30 Closest flyby
• Dec13 16:45 Solar panel monitoring camera power down

Attached image: captured at 93–240 km distance between 16:30:09–16:30:24, maximum resolution 10 meters/pixel
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Dalhousie on 12/14/2012 10:21 pm
Image of Toutatis at 59 seconds in that video.  Well done to everyone at CNSA involved.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Galactic Penguin SST on 12/14/2012 10:38 pm
Another photo taken at 93 km away:
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: frank808 on 12/14/2012 11:00 pm
Another photo taken at 93 km away:

What is the star on the right hand side?  The moon?
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Dalhousie on 12/14/2012 11:16 pm
AS predicted by some, looks like two merged rubble pile bodies.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Dalhousie on 12/15/2012 01:44 am
A few more details.

http://english.cri.cn/6909/2012/12/15/53s738568.htm

Given the very close flyby there should have been a range of data collected.  I imagine there should be some interesting talks at LPSC.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 12/15/2012 08:18 am
anybody know what the two sentences in purple between the L2 orbit and the Toutatis flyby mean?
http://ww1.sinaimg.cn/large/58b49184jw1dzubmjhtyhj.jpg
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Liss on 12/15/2012 09:04 am
anybody know what the two sentences in purple between the L2 orbit and the Toutatis flyby mean?
http://ww1.sinaimg.cn/large/58b49184jw1dzubmjhtyhj.jpg
The first of the two has the same structure as the two previous purple phrases. I guess these denote 1st, 2nd and 3rd maneuvers. The last purple line may denote the approach TCM.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: 20350902 on 12/15/2012 09:36 am
anybody know what the two sentences in purple between the L2 orbit and the Toutatis flyby mean?
http://ww1.sinaimg.cn/large/58b49184jw1dzubmjhtyhj.jpg
The first of the two has the same structure as the two previous purple phrases. I guess these denote 1st, 2nd and 3rd maneuvers. The last purple line may denote the approach TCM.

The last purple "第四次机动控制" = "4th TCM"
White text:
• "150万公里" = "1.5 million km"
• "700万公里" = "7 million km"
Orange text:
• "5小时椭圆轨道" = "5-hour elliptical orbit"
• "中途修正" = "mid-way correction"
• "捕获点" capture point (likely to be the point of L2 orbit insertion)
Red text:
• "李萨如轨道" = "Lissajous orbit"
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Nathan on 12/15/2012 09:52 am
This is fantastic!
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 12/15/2012 12:17 pm
anyway, kudos to the Chinese!
this is the most interesting space story from China in 2012. far more interesting than those boring taikonaut flights!
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Star One on 12/15/2012 05:33 pm
Can we now expect the official end of mission to be declared, I assume its now exhausted all its propellant after this extended phase of its mission?
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 12/15/2012 06:36 pm
I assume its now exhausted all its propellant after this extended phase of its mission?

there is some 30 m/s of delta-V remaining. it's not much and probably no meaningful missions would be possible, but I sincerely hope that they will try to get as much deep space tracking and navigation experience as possible and keep contacts as long as possible
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Star One on 12/16/2012 11:12 am
I assume its now exhausted all its propellant after this extended phase of its mission?

there is some 30 m/s of delta-V remaining. it's not much and probably no meaningful missions would be possible, but I sincerely hope that they will try to get as much deep space tracking and navigation experience as possible and keep contacts as long as possible

Thanks. Good points especially if they do intend to send vehicles to the outer planets such as Jupiter.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Phillip Clark on 12/16/2012 11:14 am
I assume its now exhausted all its propellant after this extended phase of its mission?
there is some 30 m/s of delta-V remaining. it's not much and probably no meaningful missions would be possible, but I sincerely hope that they will try to get as much deep space tracking and navigation experience as possible and keep contacts as long as possible
Thanks. Good points especially if they do intend to send vehicles to the outer planets such as Jupiter.

Their next goal is their first (successfully-launched) mission to Mars.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 12/16/2012 11:19 am
plus, experience in VLBI tracking (which I understand was key to achieving such a close flyby) would be very useful also for precise lunar landings from Chang'e 3 on
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: gwiz on 12/16/2012 11:33 am
It's carrying a couple of instruments that could still return good data on the solar wind and cosmic radiation.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Zero-G on 12/16/2012 12:24 pm
According to Zhou Jianliang, deputy chief designer of Chang'e-2 monitoring and control system, there were 120 m/s of delta-v left before they decided to fly to Toutatis. Currently, the remaining delta-v is less than 10 m/s.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 12/16/2012 01:48 pm
Currently, the remaining delta-v is less than 10 m/s.

interesting. does it mean that the optimized trajectory I summarized here http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=19644.msg961832#msg961832 was not eventually implemented?
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Zero-G on 12/16/2012 02:11 pm
Currently, the remaining delta-v is less than 10 m/s.

interesting. does it mean that the optimized trajectory I summarized here http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=19644.msg961832#msg961832 was not eventually implemented?

You mentioned three maneuvers (on 15 April, 31 May and 25 Sept.) in your post, but according to the picture discussed here http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=19644.msg992172#msg992172 there were four maneuvers. This may explain the difference.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: JimO on 12/17/2012 07:55 pm
The fly-by was just confirmed by CCTV that it will take place today.

http://news.cntv.cn/china/20121213/100038.shtml

Sorry to come late to the party, but this is the only report i've seen that indicates the chinese made an advance alert the ecounter was about to happen. Just what was said in this broadcast and how long before encounter was it aired?

Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Kryten on 12/17/2012 08:13 pm
 There was more indication than that, just not in a very high profile way; for example, here (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sci/2012-07/30/c_131747665.htm) is a Xinhua article from July that mentions it as part of an overview of CNSA plans in general.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: JimO on 12/18/2012 03:02 pm
There was more indication than that, just not in a very high profile way; for example, here (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sci/2012-07/30/c_131747665.htm) is a Xinhua article from July that mentions it as part of an overview of CNSA plans in general.

There was also a science conference paper with the precise encounter date.

What I'm trying to determine is this: were there ANY Chinese media reports in the days prior to the encounter, that the encounter was about to happen?

Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 12/18/2012 04:24 pm
Jim, I have been monitoring the Chinese online press everyday for weeks before the encounter and there was next to nothing. I think I have posted everything that I have found either here or on unmannedspaceflight.com
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Star One on 12/18/2012 05:25 pm
Jim, I have been monitoring the Chinese online press everyday for weeks before the encounter and there was next to nothing. I think I have posted everything that I have found either here or on unmannedspaceflight.com

That's curious, even if they were being cautious I would have thought for something like this there would have been more coverage?
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: JimO on 01/08/2013 04:22 am
Two more weeks and not even ONE more mention in the Chinese news media? Very odd.

Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Galactic Penguin SST on 01/08/2013 04:44 am
Two more weeks and not even ONE more mention in the Chinese news media? Very odd.



Not exactly mainstream media, but there are reports about the fly-by and the achievements by various organizations during the last few days (translate this forum page (http://bbs.9ifly.cn/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=9843&page=118) to see a few of them).

And Xinhua News just made an article about CE-2 crossing the 10 million km mark from Earth on January 5: http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2013-01/08/c_124199889.htm (http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2013-01/08/c_124199889.htm)
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 01/08/2013 05:24 am
Chinese sources have always been quite silent on this one, especially after it left moon orbit. I'm waiting for technical papers to know more.
BTW it''s the western media silence that shocks me more. not a single word in any specialized magazine and journal like Science, Nature or Aviation Week. it looks like CE2 never existed...
finally, I hope we will know something more next week when a presentation is scheduled to be given at the Small Bodies Assessment Group http://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/meetings/jan2013/agenda.shtml
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Dalhousie on 01/08/2013 07:38 am
Chinese sources have always been quite silent on this one, especially after it left moon orbit. I'm waiting for technical papers to know more.
BTW it''s the western media silence that shocks me more. not a single word in any specialized magazine and journal like Science, Nature or Aviation Week. it looks like CE2 never existed...
finally, I hope we will know something more next week when a presentation is scheduled to be given at the Small Bodies Assessment Group http://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/meetings/jan2013/agenda.shtml

Don't think the BBC mentioned it either.  Certainly not local news services.  I have hopes for LPSC though.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: JimO on 01/08/2013 02:20 pm
I had one magazine story that got swallowed up in holiday vacations but will appear shortly -- will link.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Star One on 01/08/2013 05:35 pm
Chinese sources have always been quite silent on this one, especially after it left moon orbit. I'm waiting for technical papers to know more.
BTW it''s the western media silence that shocks me more. not a single word in any specialized magazine and journal like Science, Nature or Aviation Week. it looks like CE2 never existed...
finally, I hope we will know something more next week when a presentation is scheduled to be given at the Small Bodies Assessment Group http://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/meetings/jan2013/agenda.shtml

Don't think the BBC mentioned it either.  Certainly not local news services.  I have hopes for LPSC though.

I can't remember seeing any mention of it in any astronomy magazines either.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 01/08/2013 05:42 pm
Sky & Telescope had the story on their website: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/Toutatis-Revealed-by-Chinese-Spacecraft-183673171.html
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Star One on 01/08/2013 05:45 pm
Sky & Telescope had the story on their website: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/Toutatis-Revealed-by-Chinese-Spacecraft-183673171.html

Thanks for the link. Lets see if it turns up in print. :)
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 01/08/2013 07:53 pm
there is a technical parameter of Chang'e 2 that I have not been able to find in the literature and which will eventually influence the maximum distance at which it can be tracked: what is the diameter of its high gain antenna? anybody knows?
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Dalhousie on 01/09/2013 02:39 am
there is a technical parameter of Chang'e 2 that I have not been able to find in the literature and which will eventually influence the maximum distance at which it can be tracked: what is the diameter of its high gain antenna? anybody knows?

This paper says that Chang'e 1 had a 0.6 m S band high gain antenna.

http://www.vlbi.csdb.cn/home/VLBIart/ce1/Chang%E2%80%99E-1_precision_orbit_determination_and_lunar_gravity_field_solution.pdf

Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 01/09/2013 07:02 am
thank you. I had seen that paper but I had not spotted the datum...
it's the same paper that gives the coordinates for the Kashgar deep space antenna that I gave in a separate thread http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=30696.0
but there is nothing at those coordinates...
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 01/18/2013 05:10 pm
the Chang'e 2 team has been awarded  the State Special Award for Scientific and Technological Progress.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-01/18/c_132112663.htm
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: powerplay2009 on 01/19/2013 04:06 am
Chang'e-2 is on the way to a destination of 20 millions KM away. Which star is there? It will arrive there in late March.

Chang'e -3 will be launched late this year. javascript:void(0);

latest source:
http://discovery.163.com/13/0119/08/8LIOA1GU000125LI.html
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Liss on 01/19/2013 07:00 am
The Small Bodies Group Chang'e presentation:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/meetings/jan2013/presentations/sbag8_presentations/TUES_0930_CE_Toutatis.pdf
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 01/23/2013 05:47 pm
Sky & Telescope had the story on their website: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/Toutatis-Revealed-by-Chinese-Spacecraft-183673171.html

Thanks for the link. Lets see if it turns up in print. :)

nothing in the March issue...
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: JimO on 01/31/2013 08:12 pm
Here's my SPECTRUM story:

http://spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/space-flight/details-emerge-of-change2-asteroid-encounter
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Liss on 01/31/2013 09:18 pm
Here's my SPECTRUM story:

http://spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/space-flight/details-emerge-of-change2-asteroid-encounter

Jim,
First of all I believe 15 km planned / 3.2 km actual figure is true.
Second, you may easily reconstruct the cold mathematical logic leading to such a bold flyby.
You have a spacecraft and a target with large uncertainties in orbit determination. As far as I understood, 11 km for CE2 and 5 km for Toutatis. And you have 10.73 km/s relative velocity.
You will never catch the target unless you do an easy thing: stay and watch in the direction of Toutatis departure after the closest approach. With a 7.2° FOW you will see asteroid from 240 km if standing 15 km from its path.
The Chinese were wildly lucky to find themselves only 3.2 km from the path of Toutatis -- with some 50 km minimal distance of viewing WRT its center and even closer for the off-center parts. But if not lucky, they'd still see it from 240 or 400 km or what.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 02/01/2013 05:18 am
actually, as near-Earth asteroids go, Toutatis has the smallest orbit uncertainties. other objects typically have uncertainties 100s or 1000s times larger.
also remarkable is that the Chinese achieved such a close flyby without OpNav (optical navigation), which would be impractical with all of the cameras on board. I think this is the first minor body flyby doing without of some degree of OpNav
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 02/28/2013 10:36 am
From Xinhua, Chinese probe in breakthrough outer space travel (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-02/28/c_132198667.htm).
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 03/02/2013 09:09 am
another academic paper on the asteroid selection process for CE-2
http://ams.cstam.org.cn/EN/Y2013/V29/I1/123#
it will take some more months until we see papers describing the extended mission in detail
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 05/25/2013 04:27 pm
interesting: if I correctly understand this abstract (the full paper is in Chinese), solar sailing attitude control was tested when CE-2 was stationed at L2
http://zgkj.cast.cn/EN/abstract/abstract10662.shtml

Quote
Momentum Management of Chang'e-2 Satellite on L2 Point
DAI  Ju-Feng1, XU  Hong-Bing2, CUI  Yan2, XUE  Rui1

Abstract
Since Chang'e-2 (CE-2) satellite entered the Lissajous orbit surrounding the Earth-Sun Lagrange point L2,the effect of jet uninstall was studied. A momentum management method by light pressure was given. The in orbit test shows that the Solar light pressure is strong enough to unload the momentum of CE-2 satellite, which is surrounding the L2 point. This method can substantially reduce the number of jet uninstall, and benefit the orbit maintenance of CE-2 satellite.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 05/29/2013 06:54 am
can anybody translate the latest posts on 9ifly?
http://bbs.9ifly.cn/thread-9843-121-1.html
if I understand correctly the google translation, CE-2 is to be put soon into hibernation?
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Galactic Penguin SST on 05/29/2013 07:36 am
can anybody translate the latest posts on 9ifly?
http://bbs.9ifly.cn/thread-9843-121-1.html
if I understand correctly the google translation, CE-2 is to be put soon into hibernation?

Close, although I think the report states that the spacecraft will not be completely shut down during the time CE-2 is too far away for the Chinese DSN to command it - the Chinese are just trying to see if it can survive the long way around the Sun.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: luhai167 on 05/30/2013 04:33 am
interesting: if I correctly understand this abstract (the full paper is in Chinese), solar sailing attitude control was tested when CE-2 was stationed at L2
http://zgkj.cast.cn/EN/abstract/abstract10662.shtml

Quote
Momentum Management of Chang'e-2 Satellite on L2 Point
DAI  Ju-Feng1, XU  Hong-Bing2, CUI  Yan2, XUE  Rui1

Abstract
Since Chang'e-2 (CE-2) satellite entered the Lissajous orbit surrounding the Earth-Sun Lagrange point L2,the effect of jet uninstall was studied. A momentum management method by light pressure was given. The in orbit test shows that the Solar light pressure is strong enough to unload the momentum of CE-2 satellite, which is surrounding the L2 point. This method can substantially reduce the number of jet uninstall, and benefit the orbit maintenance of CE-2 satellite.

I quickly scan the article in Chinese, it's basically characterization of light pressure using the solar panels of CE2 at L2. Basically the movements of CE2 matches the existing model, and the model can be used for future developments and techniques.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 06/08/2013 12:58 pm
the latest issue (5 2013) of SCIENCE CHINA Technological Sciences
http://tech.scichina.com:8082/sciE/CN/volumn/current.shtml
has a bunch of papers (in Chinese) on the CE-2 flyby of Toutatis.
nothing yet on the English version of the journal
http://tech.scichina.com:8082/sciEe/EN/volumn/current.shtml
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 06/19/2013 06:01 pm
another batch of CE-2 related papers in Chinese
tech.scichina.com:8082/sciE/CN/volumn/volumn_6667.shtml
note in particular the paper on page 596 where if I understand it correctly they imply that CE-2 came to within 1.32 km of Toutatis!
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 07/06/2013 07:11 am
and yet more papers
http://tech.scichina.com:8082/sciE/CN/volumn/volumn_6684.shtml
these look like engineering papers, and they don't seem to have even just an English abstract
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: beidou on 12/16/2013 05:40 pm
CE-2 is about 65 million-kilometer from the Earth, and it's now actually a planet in the Solar System.

http://bbs.9ifly.cn/forum.php?mod=redirect&goto=findpost&ptid=9843&pid=280499&fromuid=24484 
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 04/10/2014 05:31 pm
a paper on the future orbit of CE-2, due for publication in the Chinese Science Bulletin: The Earth co-orbital motion and recapture of the Chang'e-2 spacecraft (http://www.docin.com/p-650957694.html)
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 10/25/2014 06:36 am
this was just published online in Advances in Space Research (and, incredibly for Elsevier, seems to be in open access): Navigation of Chang’E-2 asteroid exploration mission and the minimum distance estimation during its fly-by of Toutatis (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273117714006334)
from a first, quick look, lots of interesting infos not published elsewhere:
- a detailed timeline of the corrections maneuvers leading to the flyby
- the targeted flyby distance was approx. 30 km but CE-2 ended being much closer (less than 2 km) to Toutatis
- distant images of the Earth and Moon were taken after departure, on 31 July and 1 August 2012. apparently, these were taken to test the camera (the CMOS monitoring camera used during the flyby, I suspect). it would be nice to see these images...
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/30/2014 06:53 pm
From Xinhua, Chang'e-2 lunar probe 100 million km away from earth (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2014-10/30/c_133754585.htm).
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: wally on 01/13/2016 06:08 am
Anyone knows if this probe is still active?
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: limen4 on 01/13/2016 07:33 pm
Anyone knows if this probe is still active?

A presentation from Feb 2015 given by China National Space Administration is saying: "Chang’e 2 has flown for 4 years on orbit. Now it has become an artificial satellite of the sun." Sounds like the probe is not active since late 2014.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: Satori on 10/24/2016 10:51 am
China's Chang'e-2 a success: expert (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-10/24/c_135777400.htm).
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: plutogno on 10/25/2016 07:33 am
China's Chang'e-2 a success: expert (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-10/24/c_135777400.htm).

Quote
It has completed over 200 million kilometers flight and will continue to fly, returning somewhere closer to the earth around 2029

it would have been nice to know whether it is still working and transmitting or not
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: gwiz on 10/25/2016 12:38 pm
It's certainly not the smallest "man-made asteroid".  There are quite a few smaller payloads, eg the 6 kg Pioneer 4, and even smaller bits of debris like de-spin cables.
Title: Re: LIVE: Chang'e-2 (China's second lunar probe) - Long March 3C - October 1, 2010
Post by: wsl2005 on 01/18/2017 06:50 am
Congrat!