China's lunar probe in good conditions

时间：2007-10-29 08:28:08

（单词翻译:单击）

BEIJING, Oct. 28 - All the systems of China's lunar probe Chang'e-1 are in good conditions with the high energy solar particle detector1 and the low energy ion detector functioning properly on Saturday, according to the moon probe team.

 

The Chang'e-1, China's first moon orbiter, is currently moving on a 24-hour orbit with an apogee2 of 70,000 kilometers after it entered the orbit following its second orbital transfer at 5:33 p.m. on Friday, according to the Beijing Aerospace3 Control Center (BACC).

 

The lunar probe has traveled more than 500,000 kilometers so far. It has to travel a total of 1.59 million kilometers before it reaches the moon orbit as planned, said Ji Gang, an engineer of monitoring and controlling branch of the moon probe program.

 

The BACC said the VLBI beaconing machine on board the satellite has started operation in the early hours on Saturday, and China's four ground monitoring stations with the application of the VLBI, or "Very Long Baseline Interferometry", technology have monitoringChang'e-1.

 

The VLBI technology helps to reduce the time needed for orbit determination, according Ji.

 

Ji said the probe will stay on the 24-hour orbit before it moves further from the earth to a 48-hour orbit on Oct. 29, which runs more than 260,000 kilometers.

 

The satellite is expected to fly to the moon in a real sense after it enters the earth-moon transfer orbit on Oct. 31, and it is planned to arrive in the moon's orbit on Nov. 5.

 

The lunar probe completed its first orbital transfer Thursday afternoon, in which it was transferred to a 16-hour orbit with a perigee4 of about 600 kilometers from 200 kilometers.

 

Chang'e-1, named after a mythical5 Chinese goddess who, according to legend, flew to the moon, blasted off on a Long March3A carrier rocket at 6:05 p.m. Wednesday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan.

 

The satellite will relay the first picture of the moon in late November and will then continue scientific explorations of the moon for a year.

 
 

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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 detector svnxk     
n.发觉者，探测器
参考例句：
  • The detector is housed in a streamlined cylindrical container.探测器安装在流线型圆柱形容器内。
  • Please walk through the metal detector.请走过金属检测器。
2 apogee roiy0     
n.远地点；极点；顶点
参考例句：
  • The orbit of the artificial satellite has an apogee of 200 miles from the earth.这个人造卫星的轨道，其最远点在离地球200英里的地方。
  • Apogean tides occur when the moon is at the apogee of its orbit.远月潮在月球位于其轨道的最远点时发生。
3 aerospace CK2yf     
adj.航空的，宇宙航行的
参考例句：
  • The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
  • Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。
4 perigee CMyx4     
n.近地点
参考例句：
  • The Moon reaches its absolute perigee once a year.月球每年有一次达到它的绝对近地点。
  • Once the satellite reaches perigee,it will eject a small probe which enter the planet's atmosphere.当人造卫星达到近地点时，就会发射一根小探针，这根探针将进入行星的大气层。
5 mythical 4FrxJ     
adj.神话的；虚构的；想像的
参考例句：
  • Undeniably,he is a man of mythical status.不可否认，他是一个神话般的人物。
  • Their wealth is merely mythical.他们的财富完全是虚构的。

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