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Space Topics: Chang'e 1

Images and Data From Chang'e 1's Mission to the Moon

Chang'e 1
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Last updated December 13, 2007

Chang'e 1, in orbit since November 5, 2007, is now returning science data. Since Chang'e data is generally released on Chinese language websites, it can be difficult for Westerners to locate using Internet searches. This page will attempt to index Chang'e releases. To read the Chinese-language pages in English, you can try the Google Language Tools. Some images are available on the website of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program: clep.org.cn (Google translation); unfortunately, they are only displayed on that website at low resolution and with large watermarks.

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Wan-Hoo Crater, December 12, 2007
CNSA publishes 4 series of moon photos taken by Chang'e 1, December 9, 2007
3-D images of Chang'e 1's first moon picture, December 3, 2007
China publishes first moon picture, November 26, 2007

Chang'e 1's first picture of the Moon (with scale bar)
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Credit: CNSA

China publishes first moon picture

November 26, 2007

This image is the first returned from the Moon by Chang'e 1, China's first spacecraft beyond Earth orbit. The 19 separate images that compose this view were captured over two days, November 20 and 21. Each image was 60 kilometers wide; the entire image is about 460 kilometers long and 280 kilometers wide, located within a box from 54 to 70 degrees south latitude and 57 to 83 degrees east longitude. It includes mostly areas of highlands but contains some of the dark basalt plains of Mare Australe at the upper right. The scale bar at lower right is 50 kilometers long. The 66-kilometer-diameter crater Gill is just to the lower right of center in this image. Cut off at the upper left side is 91-kilometer Pontecoulant. At the bottom edge is 94-kilometer Helmholtz.

Sources:
China National Space Administration (English) - Wen Jiabao unveils image
Xinhua (English) - Image at low resolution, with border
Sina.com (Chinese) - Google trans. - Full-resolution image, no border

Other information:
Compare this area to some lunar orbiter images: IV-044-H3 and IV-178-H3
There were accusations on Chinese websites that this image was "faked." These allegations were dealt with on The Planetary Society Weblog on December 3, 2007 and December 6, 2007.

Orthographic projection of first Chang'e image swaths
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Orthographic projection of first Chang'e image swaths
Chang'e 1's first published image was a mosaic of 19 separate image swaths. This lower-resolution version shows how the mosaic was constructed. The website clep.org.cn has much more geometric information on the image. Credit: CLEP / clep.org.cn
3D view of Chang'e 1's first image
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Credit: CLEP / clep.org.cn

3-D images of Chang-e 1's first moon picture

December 3, 2007

Chang'e's camera simultaneously shoots three images along the spacecraft's track. The multiple look angles allow the calculation of digital elevation models of the lunar terrain. This is a perspective view of the first image released by the Chang'e 1 mission.

Sina.com (Chinese) - Google trans. - low-resolution Powerpoint slides explaining how Chang'e 1 acquires 3D data; related news story - Google trans.

Chang'e 1 image and DEM for Alphonsus area
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Credit: CLEP / clep.org.cn

CNSA publishes 4 series of moon photos taken by Chang'e 1

December 9, 2007

Chang'e 1 image and DEM for Alphonsus area
This Chang'e image shows the area around the crater Alphonsus near the center of the lunar nearside. It spans from 0.8 to 6.9°E and from 2.7 to 20.5°S, covering an area about 234 by 543 kilometers in size. Named craters visible include, from the top, Herschel (40 kilometers diameter); flat-floored Ptolemaeus (164 km); Alphonsus (108 km); slightly to the left, Alpetragius (39 km); and Arzachel (96 km). For comparison, view Lunar Orbiter images IV-108-H2 and IV-108-H3.

Xinhua (English) - four low-resolution Powerpoint slides including new image from Alphonsus area and a slide showing photos of, and data from, three other instruments, a microwave radiometer, high-energy particle detector, and solar wind particle detector.
Clep.org.cn (Chinese) - Google trans. - low-resolution versions of the DEM for the first image; and DEM for a new image, centered on crater Alphonsus. There are also much more legible versions of the images and data from microwave detector, solar energetic particle detector, solar wind ion detector, laser altimeter, and gamma- and X-ray spectrometers.

Chang'e 1 image and DEM from the farside
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Credit: CLEP / clep.org.cn

Wan-Hoo Crater

December 12, 2007

This area of the lunar farside has many small, overlapping impact craters. Chang'e 1's ability to acquire 3-D images is revealing new craters that are not directly visible in photographs; one such crater, 52 kilometers in diameter, is visible as a blue hole in this image from the lunar farside. The crater is centered at 9.8°S, 138.8 °W.

Clep.org.cn (Chinese) - Google trans.