The moon will no longer be quiet

This year and next year, the Moon - the Earth's only natural satellite - will no longer be a quiet place because after Europe, a host of Asian countries, Russia and the US are preparing to launch an exploration ship. Return to the orbit of this planet.

The beginning is China. In April, the world's most populous country will join the Moon Exploration Club when launching the Truong Chinh 3A missile carrying the Chang'e I ship toward the planet with an orbit of 384,400km from Earth. The ship will hover around Earth's orbit about 8 hours before departing for the Moon, which is estimated to last more than 110 hours.

According to Chinese space program planners, during one year of operating on the Moon's orbit, Chang'e I will take 3-dimensional images of the Moon's surface, exploring the distribution of 14 useful elements, measuring temperature, estimate the thickness of the Moon's crust while studying the space between the Earth and the satellite. The Chang'e I project, with a budget of 175.5 million USD, is the start of China's Moon exploration program. General practitioner Luan Enjie said immediately after Chang'e I completed the mission

SELENE will explore the Moon
(Photo: Nineplanets)

This country will deploy the self-propelled robot project to the Moon, expected to be launched in 10 years.

This summer, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans to launch SELENE (Greek for Moon) to collect data to clarify the mystery of origin and progress. the only extraterrestrial planet ever printed human footprints 38 years ago. According to JAXA, this will be the largest mission to explore the Moon since America's Apollo Moon Program ended in 1972.

Project leader SELENE Yoshisada Takizawa revealed that the ship will apply state-of-the-art technical equipment to ' watch Sister Hang ' for 12 months. The system of 14 sensors can determine the distribution of elements and minerals on the Moon, surface and underlying structures, gravity, magnetic traces, and the environment of plasma gas molecules. of the Moon. Besides the SELENE project, Japanese space program leaders intend to consult the government to take the next steps of the Moon conquest goal. JAXA is ambitious to play a pivotal role in the implementation of international initiatives for the moon exploration.

At the 2nd Space Exploration Conference in Houston last month, the US Aerospace Administration (NASA) announced the International Expedition Strategy, which identified the Moon as not only a " pure destination ". . With the contribution of more than 1,000 people around the world and the space expert of 14 countries, this project is being expected by NASA to be the foundation to establish a permanent research station on the Moon according to the model of No Station. International Space (ISS). According to Shana Dale, NASA's deputy director, currently, besides China, Japan, India and Russia, is also implementing a spacecraft launch program on Moon's orbit, notably the Chandrayaan ship project -1 of India. NASA itself is also planning to ship the Lunar Reconnaissance - expected to be launched in October next year.

This 4.4 billion-year rock sample was collected by Apollo astronauts on the Moon Plateau more than 30 years ago, still being studied by scientists.(Photo: Nineplanets)

HUYNH ANH