China's first lunar probe, Chang'e-1, will perform its second
braking at about 11:00?AM on Nov. 6, according to a spokesman
with the China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Monday
afternoon.
The second braking will slow down the probe's speed to 1.8 km
per second to help it enter a 3.5-hour orbit with a perilune of 200
km and an apolune of 1,700 km, Pei Zhaoyu, the spokesman, told a
press conference here.
The probe is expected to brake for the third time at around
8:00?AM on Nov. 7, which will further slow down its speed to
1.59 km per second to make it enter a 127-minute round polar
circular orbit, which is also its final destination where Chang'e
is supposed to start "working" formally, Pei said.
Chang'e-1 will then stay a year in the round orbit, which is 200
km from the moon's surface, for scientific explorations.
Chang'e-1 completed its first braking, which slowed down its
speed to 1.948 km per second, and entered the moon's orbit at
around 11:37?AM on Monday.
The probe is now traveling along a 12-hour elliptical moon
orbit, with a perilune of about 210 km and an apolune of about
8,600 km.
(Xinhua News Agency November 5, 2007)