China`s Chang`e-2 travels past asteroid in deep space
China`s space probe Chang`e-2 has successfully conducted a manoeuvre in which it flew by the asteroid Toutatis, about seven million kilometres away from the Earth.
|Last Updated: Dec 15, 2012, 02:09 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Beijing: Travelling deep in space, China`s space probe Chang`e-2 has successfully conducted a manoeuvre in which it flew by the asteroid Toutatis, about seven million kilometres away from the Earth.
Chang`e-2 had gone past the moon after completing its mission and flew by the asteroid Toutatis on December 13, which the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND) claimed was the first time a space ship flew by the asteroid, named after a Celtic God.
It also made China the fourth country after US, the European Union and Japan to be able to examine an asteroid by spacecraft, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted SASTIND as saying.
Chang`e-2 came as close as 3.2 km from Toutatis and took pictures of the asteroid at a relative velocity of 10.73 km per second, it said.
The Chang`e-2 is continuing its deep space travel and will reach a distance of more than 10 million km away from Earth in January next year.
Chang`e-2 was launched on October 1, 2010 and later orbited the moon to finish a more extensive probe than its predecessor Chang`e-1.
Since its blast-off, Chang`e-2 has captured full coverage map of the moon besides becoming the first object ever to reach the L2 point directly from lunar orbit and being the first to closely observe the asteroid Toutatis.
China early this year published a full coverage map of the moon, as well as several high-resolution images of the celestial body, captured by Chang`e-2.
The resolution of the images is 17 times greater than those taken by Chang`e-1.
"The success of the extended missions also embodies that China now possesses spacecraft capable of interplanetary flight," Wu Weiren, chief designer of China`s lunar probe program said.
Chang`e-2`s extended missions, which were conducted millions of kilometres away from Earth, have tested China`s spacecraft tracking and control network, including two newly built measuring and control stations in the northwest Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and northeast Heilongjiang province, according to SASTIND.
Wu Weiren stressed international cooperation in lunar probes, saying it is a shared responsibility of world scientists to work together in lunar and deep space exploration for the common good of the human race.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.