December 31,2020(CGTN)
What is Chang'e-5's lunar orbiter's extended mission?
嫦娥五號的月球軌道器的擴展任務是什麼?
The orbiter of the Chang'e-5 mission, which completed its major task of returning lunar samples to the Earth on December 17, has been sent to an extended mission, according to the China National Space Agency (CNSA).
據中國國家航天局(CNSA)表示,嫦娥五號任務軌道飛行器已於12月17日完成了將月球樣本返回地球的主要任務,並已被派遣執行續期任務。
The spacecraft is heading toward a gravitationally stable point in space about 1.5 million kilometers away from the Earth: the Sun-Earth Lagrange point known as L1.
該太空飛行器正朝著距離地球約150萬公裡的空間引力穩定點——太陽-地球拉格朗日點L1飛行。
The extended mission follows the craft's successful delivery of the first fresh moon samples in 44 years. After a roughly 4.5-day trip from the moon back to Earth, it separated with the reentry capsule just before arrival.
此次延長任務是在44年來首次成功運送新鮮月球樣本之後進行的。經過大約4.5天的從月球返回地球的旅程,它在抵達之前與返回艙分離。
Lagrange points are positions in space where the gravitational pull of two large celestial bodies precisely equals the centripetal force required for a small object to move with them, according to NASA. These points can be used for spacecraft to reduce fuel consumption needed to remain in position.
根據美國宇航局(NASA)的說法,拉格朗日點是指空間中兩個大天體的引力恰好等於一個小物體隨它們移動所需要的向心力的位置。這些點可以用於太空飛行器,以減少燃料消耗所需的保持在位置。
There are five such points in the Sun-Earth system, and the L1 point is between the two, where a spacecraft will not be shielded by the Earth or the moon. That makes it the best position to conduct an observation of the sun.
When Chang'e-5's orbiter reaches that position, it will carry out observations of the environment, the sun, and perform operational tests.
在日-地系統中有5個這樣的點,L1點位於兩者之間,在這裡太空飛行器不會被地球或月球遮擋。這使它成為觀測太陽的最佳位置。
This is not the first time that a component of a Chinese lunar probe is dispatched to an extended mission. In 2011, the lander of the Chang'e-2 also conducted an extended mission to the Earth–Sun L2 Lagrangian Point.
這並不是中國月球探測器第一次被派遣去完成一個更大的任務。2011年,嫦娥二號著陸器還在地球-太陽L2拉格朗日點進行了一次擴展任務。