According to http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2017/03-01/8162455.shtml Chang'e-5 will arrive at Wenchang in August for launch "around late November". The joint module tests will be done after arrival at the launch site.
Quote from: Galactic Penguin SST on 03/01/2017 11:37 amAccording to http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2017/03-01/8162455.shtml Chang'e-5 will arrive at Wenchang in August for launch "around late November". The joint module tests will be done after arrival at the launch site. Why the eye roll?
Quote from: Dalhousie on 03/02/2017 01:49 amQuote from: Galactic Penguin SST on 03/01/2017 11:37 amAccording to http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2017/03-01/8162455.shtml Chang'e-5 will arrive at Wenchang in August for launch "around late November". The joint module tests will be done after arrival at the launch site. Why the eye roll?Yes I meant to ask that as well?
On a general note, I think that the Chinese have been extremely fortunate not to have suffered a serious failure in their lunar and piloted space programmes.I think that this is perhaps the most complicated unmanned mission (and probably piloted mission!) that the Chinese have attempted and I wonder when their first major failure will be coming.
Don't want to fly off-topic here! But since i grew up during the 1960s i was aware of the failures that the Soviet union and US had in their lunar programmes, also problems encountered during piloted flights. For the Chinese things to have gone extremely smoothly, although I am sure that they have had minor hiccups that have not been widely reported.
Quote from: Star One on 03/02/2017 05:59 amQuote from: Dalhousie on 03/02/2017 01:49 amQuote from: Galactic Penguin SST on 03/01/2017 11:37 amAccording to http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2017/03-01/8162455.shtml Chang'e-5 will arrive at Wenchang in August for launch "around late November". The joint module tests will be done after arrival at the launch site. Why the eye roll?Yes I meant to ask that as well?Just to indicate that I thought the decision to do those tests until after arrival at launch site was interesting. The same article also indicated that the lunar samples would be back at Earth before 2017 ends if all goes well.
Quote from: Phillip Clark on 03/02/2017 10:55 amOn a general note, I think that the Chinese have been extremely fortunate not to have suffered a serious failure in their lunar and piloted space programmes.I think that this is perhaps the most complicated unmanned mission (and probably piloted mission!) that the Chinese have attempted and I wonder when their first major failure will be coming.Solid success is that an accident but the result of solid, careful work.
This particular mission, won't make anything not already done. And they have had a lot of time to specify, simulate, certify, manufacture, etc.
Quote from: baldusi on 03/02/2017 02:00 pmThis particular mission, won't make anything not already done. And they have had a lot of time to specify, simulate, certify, manufacture, etc.This will be the first time that a robotic rendezvous and docking will be performed around another heavenly body besides the Earth.
Quote from: Steven Pietrobon on 03/03/2017 05:21 amQuote from: baldusi on 03/02/2017 02:00 pmThis particular mission, won't make anything not already done. And they have had a lot of time to specify, simulate, certify, manufacture, etc.This will be the first time that a robotic rendezvous and docking will be performed around another heavenly body besides the Earth.Which they will need for a future Mars sample return mission, of course.