China’s Chang’e-6 launches successfully — what happens next?
中国的嫦娥六号成功发射—接下来会发生什么？
China has successfully launched its historic Chang’e-6 mission. The 53-day odyssey will be the most complex and challenging Moon mission China has carried out. If all goes according to plan, scientists will be examining the first rocks from the Moon’s far side by late June.
中国成功发射了历史性的嫦娥六号使命。这次为期53天的奥德赛之旅将是中国所执行的最复杂、最具挑战性的月球使命。如果一切按计划进行，科学家们将在6月下旬检查月球远端的第一批岩石。
The 7.2-metre-tall, eight-tonne spacecraft lifted off aboard a Long March 5 rocket on Friday afternoon local time, piercing through a tropical rainstorm from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Centre on Hainan Island. Just over one hour into the flight, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced the launch “a complete success”, after the craft separated from the rocket and entered the designated Earth-Moon transfer orbit.
当地时间周五下午，这艘高7.2米、重8吨的航天器搭载长征五号火箭从海南岛文昌卫星发射中心发射升空，穿过热带暴雨。在飞行一个多小时后，中国国家航天局（CNSA）宣布发射“圆满成功”，之后飞船与火箭分离并进入指定的地月转移轨道。
Quentin Parker, an astrophysicist at the University of Hong Kong, hails the launch as “flawless”. “China’s accomplishments in space exploration over the past few years are without precedent. If successful, this mission will be another science bonanza,” he says.
香港大学的天体物理学家昆汀帕克称赞这次发射“完美无瑕”。“中国过去几年在太空探索方面取得的成就是前所未有的。如果成功的话，这个使命将是另一个科学富矿，”他说。
Two-faced Moon 双面月亮
The lunar far side, which always faces away from us because the Moon is tidally locked to Earth, could not be more different than its near side, says planetary scientist Bradley Jolliff at Washington University in St Louis. Most of the ancient volcanic activity on the Moon happened on the near side, while the far side remained quieter under a thick and heavily cratered crust. “You would hardly know that they are from the same body by comparing the two sides,” Jolliff says.
位于圣刘易斯的华盛顿大学的行星科学家布拉德利·乔利夫说，月球的远侧总是背对着我们，因为月球是潮汐锁定在地球上的，它的近侧与月球的远侧没有什么不同。月球上大多数古老的火山活动都发生在月球的近侧，而远侧在厚厚的陨石坑地壳下保持安静。“通过比较两边，你很难知道它们来自同一个身体，”Jolliff说。
A total of 10 missions, manned or unmanned, have brought back Moon rocks for analysis — all from the near side. Landing on the Moon’s far side requires, among other things, a communications satellite to relay signals with Earth.
总共有10次载人或无人任务带回了月球岩石进行分析—所有这些都来自近侧。在月球的远端着陆，除其他外，还需要一颗通信卫星与地球中继信号。
This is why China launched the Queqiao-2 satellite in March, which is equipped with a 4.2-metre-diameter radio antenna — the largest of its kind used in deep space exploration — to orbit the Moon and wait for the arrival of Chang’e-6.
这就是为什么中国在3月发射了鹊桥2号卫星，该卫星配备了4.2米直径的无线电天线—这是深空探测中使用的最大天线—以绕月飞行并等待嫦娥6号的到来。
After arriving at the Moon early this week, the spacecraft will gradually lower its orbit and prepare for landing in one of three pre-selected areas within the South Pole-Aitken basin (SPA). The SPA is the largest and oldest impact basin on the lunar surface, and samples from there will provide clues to the Moon’s two-face mystery and the early history of the solar system.
在本周早些时候抵达月球后，航天器将逐渐降低轨道，并准备在南极—艾特肯盆地（SPA）内的三个预选区域之一着陆。SPA是月球表面最大、最古老的撞击盆地，从那里采集的样本将为月球的双面之谜和太阳系的早期历史提供线索。
In early June, the spacecraft will drop a lander, which aims to drill and scoop up two kilograms of soil and rocks. Then an ascender will blast off from the lander and ferry the samples back to the orbiter for the trip back home. Thanks to Queqiao-2, the spacecraft and Earth will remain in contact during the mission’s critical moments, such as the 15-minute descent and touchdown, two-day sampling, and 6-minute ascent.
6月初，该航天器将投放一个着陆器，目的是钻取两公斤的土壤和岩石。然后，一个上升器将从着陆器上发射，并将样本运回轨道器，以便返回家园。多亏了鹊桥二号，航天器和地球将在使命的关键时刻保持联系，例如15分钟的下降和着陆，两天的采样和6分钟的上升。
“The geological conditions on the far side are less clear. Whether we’ll actually be able to scoop up or drill down, all remains to be seen when the sampling begins,” Pei Zhaoyu, a senior CNSA official and chief designer of China’s upcoming Chang’e-8 mission, told China Central Television during the launch livestream.
“远处的地质条件不太清楚。我们是否真的能够挖起来或钻下来，一切都还有待观察，当采样开始时，”中国国家安全局高级官员兼中国即将到来的嫦娥八号使命的总设计师裴兆宇在发布直播中告诉中国中央电视台。
Scientists hope Chang’e-6 will also return material from beyond its landing site, such as rock fragments thrown over to the landing site from far distant locations during powerful impacts, Jolliff says. The material collected at the Chang’e-6 site “will be like a treasure chest”, he says. “The samples collected will be analysed for decades to come, and hopefully with access provided to the international research community,” he says.
Jolliff说，科学家们希望嫦娥六号也能从着陆点以外的地方返回物质，比如在强大的撞击过程中从遥远的地方抛到着陆点的岩石碎片。他说，在嫦娥六号现场收集的材料“将像一个宝箱”。他说：“收集的样本将在未来几十年内进行分析，并希望向国际研究界提供访问权限。”
Chang’e-6 is expected to return to Earth around June 25. If successful, the precious samples will land at the Siziwang Banner Landing Site in Inner Mongolia and be retrieved within 48 hours, according to CNSA.
嫦娥六号预计将于6月25日左右返回地球。如果成功，珍贵的样品将降落在内蒙古四子王旗着陆点，并在48小时内取回。