The Chang’e-5 probe planted a real fabric Chinese flag on the moon. The main mission of the Chinese probe was to take samples from the lunar soil and bring them back to Earth, according to the Chinese National Space Administration.
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Chang’e-5, the third Chinese probe to land on the Moon and the first to leave, has positioned a flag in the colors of China, in real fabric, announced the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA), publishing images of this historic moment.
The images were taken by the panoramic camera installed on the Chang’e-5 lander, before the probe’s ascent module took off. with soil and rock samples lunar on the evening of December 4.
The robotic arm for taking the samples is visible in an image.
Dynamic simulation of Chang’e-5 probe unfolding Chinese national flag on the moon.
China’s Chang’e-5 displayed the national flag ????????on the moon on Thur during its mission to return with soil and rocks samples to Earth. https://t.co/IBP6WnUqtS pic.twitter.com/MVzV4N35QL
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) December 4, 2020
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The flag, 2,000 millimeters wide and 900 millimeters high, weighs only 12 grams, said the CNSA on the social network WeChat.
It is made of a special fabric resistant to cold, heat and wind and should not lose its color over time, according to Cheng Chang, a manager of the team responsible for creating the equipment, whose comments have been taken up by the Chinese newspaper Global Times. According to Cheng Chang, the team took more than a year to find a material that met all the requirements.
China had already sent its colors to the Moon in 2016 and 2019 during the missions Chang’e-3 and Chang’e-4. However, they were more in the form of a lunar vehicle skin than that of a real flag.
Probe Chang’e-5
China has launched the Chang’e-5 probe, named after the moon goddess in Chinese mythology, November 24. The moon landing landed in the Ocean of Storms, north of the Rümker Mountains, on December 1.
After taking about 2 kg of samples in a special sealed cartridge, the ascent module took off from the lunar surface. It should moor this Saturday, December 5 at the orbital module which evolves at some 200 km altitude.
After the transfer, the ascent module will be ejected, while the probe will remain in lunar orbit for about a week, awaiting the optimal time to make the return trip to Earth. The end of the mission is scheduled for December 17
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