Chang'e I breaks Chinese space record

时间：2007-10-31 03:17:17

（单词翻译:单击）

Oct. 31 - China's first lunar probe Chang'e I has broken the country's space explore record by travelling farther from the planet than any other domestic orbiter after it roamed to the apogee1 of its third orbit Tuesday afternoon.

 

The satellite reached a point about 120,000 kilometers away from the Earth at 5:40pm Tuesday, besting its predecessor2 Tance-1 which flew 80,000 kilometers from Earth in December, 2003, Xinhua news agency reported.

 

The orbiter, named after the Chinese goddess who, according to legend, flew to the moon, opened its ultraviolet image sensors3 about 7am Tuesday and began work to collect information on the Earth, the report said.

 

The images will be transmitted back to the Earth when it enters lunar orbit later this week, the report said.

 

The orbiter transferred to a 48-hour orbit at 6:01pm Monday, another crucial step forward in its 1,580,000-km journey to the moon.

 

It will stay in the orbit until tomorrow before entering the Earth-moon transfer orbit, a critical point that may determine whether the satellite can fly to the moon successfully or not, according to the Beijing Aerospace4 Control Center.

 

The probe completed its second orbital transfer Friday, which made it move on a 24-hour orbit with an apogee of 70,000 km, up from the former 50,000 km.

 

Chang'e I blasted off on a Long March3A carrier rocket at 6:05pm last Wednesday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan, marking the first step of China's three-stage moon mission, which will lead to a moon landing and launch of a moon rover around 2012.

 

The 2,300-kg satellite is expected to arrive in the moon's orbit next Monday with eight probing facilities, including a stereo camera and interferometer, an imager and gamma/x-ray spectrometer, a laser altimeter, a microwave detector5, a high energy solar particle detector and a low energy ion detector, Xinhua said.

 

It will fulfill6 four scientific objectives, including a three-dimensional survey of the moon's surface, analysis of the abundance and distribution of elements on lunar surface, an investigation7 of the characteristics of lunar regolith and the powdery soil layer on the surface, and an exploration of the circumstance between the earth and the moon.

 

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

 

In the third phase of the country's moon mission, another rover will land on the moon and return to Earth with lunar soil and stone samples in about 2017.

 
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1 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。
2 predecessor qP9x0     
n.前辈，前任
参考例句：
  • It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
  • The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。
3 sensors 029aee483db9ae244d7a5cb353e74602     
n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句
4 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。
5 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。
6 fulfill Qhbxg     
vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意
参考例句：
  • If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
  • This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。
7 investigation MRKzq     
n.调查，调查研究
参考例句：
  • In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
  • He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

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