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Artist’s illustration of Chinese astronauts landing on the moon. The country hopes to achieve the first manned moon landing by 2030. Image source: CMSA/CCTV
A diverse volcanic region on the near side of the moon could serve as a landing site for China’s first manned lunar mission, a new study suggests. China aims to send its first astronauts to the moon by the end of the century. Over the past year, the state has been testing hardware for this ambitious effort, including Lunar landing and launch simulation and crew Spacecraft abort and rocket testing. Now, a team of scientists has conducted a detailed assessment of priority candidate landing zones, providing new insights into the planning of this historic mission and its potential scientific payoff. Huang Jun, a professor at China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, and colleagues used multiple sets of orbital images and data sets from a series of spacecraft to study the Moon’s Rimeibode region and found that the region offers an attractive combination of scientific value and safe landing conditions for future manned missions. This piece of paper is publish Published March 9 in the journal Nature Astronomy.
Rimae Bode is located near the Sinus Aestuum volcanic plain, close to moonLocated just north of the lunar equator, it is one of 14 potential astronaut landing sites selected from an initial pool of 106 candidates. These need to meet the engineering constraints for a safe landing on the Moon, including being on the near side for communications purposes, relatively flat terrain, and being at low latitudes to ensure adequate power from the Moon sunThe Rimaybod region also provides access to many types of lunar material in a relatively small area, including ancient lava flows, rilles (long, narrow channel-like features formed by ancient lava flows), and ejecta from nearby craters, according to the researchers. Since this mission will include Pressureless roverastronauts will be able to enter different geological units for sampling. Overall, the researchers identified four viable landing sites in the region, each with slightly different sample priorities. Huang told us that the Limai Bod area is a top candidate for China’s first manned landing because it is a “geological museum” that combines scientific potential and engineering safety. Space Network. “It provides a diverse landscape of volcanic plains and ancient highlands, allowing astronauts to sample everything from volcanic ash erupted deep within the moon’s interior to debris from massive ancient impacts within a single traversable zone,” Huang said. Perhaps most interesting of all, Rimae Bode could provide insights into the moon’s deep interior. “Perhaps the most groundbreaking discovery in the Rimae Bode region comes from dark mantle deposits composed of volcanic ash and glass beads that violently erupted from deep within the moon billions of years ago,” Huang said. “These samples act as ‘messengers’ from the lunar mantle, providing a rare opportunity to directly analyze the chemical composition of the moon’s depths – information that is often hidden beneath miles of crust.” Examining this material, along with material from the region’s complex network of lava channels, could help scientists reconstruct the moon’s volcanic history. The samples can tell us how the moon cooled and what triggered the largest eruptions. “This will not only change our understanding of the history of the moon, but also our understanding of how all rocky planets, including Earth, cooled and evolved after their birth,” Huang said. Huang noted that astronauts selected for the mission must undergo intensive geological training before landing. The Chinese Astronaut Corps was recently inaugurated Simulation training Prepare for future lunar missions in a cave environment.
“Astronauts are like our expert eyes and hands on the ground,” the researchers said, noting that they must distinguish ordinary rocks from “scientific gold,” such as tiny volcanic glass beads that may hold clues about the moon’s deep interior. Huang said the robust training will help them discover important clues hidden in seemingly ordinary gray rocks, determine the best places to place sensitive scientific instruments and navigate tricky terrain. Huang did not disclose the next steps in selecting a site for China’s first manned lunar mission, but the process will continue, including the expected launch Dedicated lunar remote sensing satellite to provide further data. And the next generation Mengzhou spaceship The first full-orbital flight using the new Long March 10A launch vehicle is likely to take place later this year. Huang said that when Chinese astronauts land on the moon, they will not just be tourists, but deep space detectives seeking to solve geological puzzles.
