The "Jadehase" begins his exploratory trip - Spiegel Online

not only for space enthusiasts, there is a historic day. As the third country in the world, China has sent an unmanned probe on the moon on Saturday. “Chang’e-3″ sat up briefly after 14 clock CET. In the control center in Beijing spontaneous jubilation broke out. “The landing catapulted the Chinese in the premier league of space-faring nations,” says Moon researcher Harald Hiesinger of the University of Münster.

The maneuver in the lunar region with the picturesque name of Rainbow Bay (Latin: Sinus Iridium) proceeded according to the information known so far without problems. State media reported a soft landing. Since St. Nicholas had “Chang’e-3″ the moon orbits and had him doing in the meantime to come close to 15 km. The European Space Agency (Esa) had supported the landing with their communication network.

The landing site sinus iridium was chosen wisely: Before almost four billion years ago, a powerful cosmic chunks there was taken. Because thereafter lava rising from underground columns, large parts of the Bay of Rainbows are very flat. And would the descent still an obstacle in the way was to “Chang’e-3″ would have to find 100 meters a new landing site.

“The area is scientifically interesting,”

Not only the technology on board, even the dimensions of the probe are impressive: On Earth, the vehicle weighs 1.2 tons. The lunar module also has a solar-powered robotic vehicle named “Yutu” to German: “Jadehase” on board. The name is the result of an online vote – and reasonably fit: Chang’e in Chinese mythology, the moon fairy, the Jadehase her companion

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On the Moon should be “Yutu” can make a way if necessary even in difficult terrain. “The selected area is scientifically interesting,” says Moon researchers Hiesinger. The crater Laplace-A a possible destination is near. Here could be the basis of the ejected rock examine how thick the layers of basalt – and whether changes its composition in depth. A so-called wrinkle ridge where various moon rocks have slid over one another, is not far away.

The six-wheeled machine is up to ten kilometers a drive far with multiple pauses in the dark of the moon. The Lunar Rover comes as a slightly smaller version of the NASA Mars lander “Curiosity” therefore. Several high-resolution cameras have the environment in mind, a radar analyze the ground. Robotic arms to collect soil samples that can be analyzed with spectrometers on board then. How much of the collected data then divide the Chinese with international scientists, is another matter.

China’s moon plans to go even further

Since August 1976, landed not a machine built by more people on the moon. At that time, the Soviets continued the massive “Luna 24″ from the sea of ??dangers. Subsequently, they were able to collect 170 grams of lunar rocks and with a small capsule to send back to Earth. The same want soon hinbekommen also China’s space engineers. But they are working on a mission called “Chang’e-5″, which is to recover towards the end of the decade at least two kilograms lunar booty.

And it is not unlikely that Beijing’s moon plans go even further. Again and again it is mentioned that China astronauts will sooner or later send to the Earth’s satellite. Consequently, this step would certainly be more than 40 years after the last human in the local desert herumstapfte.

The U.S. has left the lunar Chinese competition – and the enthusiasm of private space entrepreneurs. The “Google Lunar X Prize” competition want to venture a landing attempt several teams in 2015. Overall, it comes to a premium of $ 30 million. Some participants want to do later on the moon businesses. The company Moon Express about plans to cut raw materials.

But the flight tickets for moon rockets are expensive. Therefore, it is far from clear whether any one of the teams will actually leave his cart timely roll in the moon dust. In China, the space program, however, has the support of state and party leaders. Was to reach the moon was “a desire of the Chinese nation since ancient times,” it said in a recent commentary on the state news agency Xinhua to “Chang’e-3″ mission. But that’s not enough: “China’s space exploration will not stop at the moon The goal is the deep space..”

With so much ambition recently also the organizers of the have “Google Lunar X Prize” responding. Originally, the premiums for the private teams should be reduced by five million dollars when they come before a national mission on the way to the moon. But this rule has now been abolished. The organizer of the competition, a nonprofit foundation that still pours the full sum of – probably because none of the privateers can seriously compete with the financial strength of the Chinese

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