China will make public the data collected by its first lunar
probe Chang'e-1 and share them with foreign countries, Chinese
official in charge of the moon exploration program said on
Monday.
"The data sent back by Chang'e-1 will be provided with domestic
research institutions and then we will share them with the foreign
peers one year later according to international practice," said Hu
Hao, head of the moon exploration center under the Commission of
Science Technology and Industry of National Defense (COSTIND).
China successfully launched the Chang'e-1, named after a
mythical Chinese goddess who, according to legend, flew to the
moon, on Wednesday. The moon orbiter is currently moving on a
24-hour orbit with an apogee of 70,000 kilometers.
"The operation of the Chang'e-1 goes on well and the data are
expected to be sent back in a steady stream after all the
exploration equipment on the orbiter begin to work on November 18,
" said Yang Duohe, chief engineer of of COSTIND's moon exploration
center.
China has established a 112-strong research team, which is
headed by Ouyang Ziyuan, chief scientist of China's lunar
exploration, to study the data collected by Chang'e-1.
Officially called a scientific application committee, the team
consists of experts in the fields of geology, meteorology and
aeronautics.
"The first-hand data will be most informative and our
responsibility is to make full use of them," said Ouyang
Ziyuan.
(Xinhua News Agency October 29, 2007)