Lunar Penetrating Radar onboard the Chang'e-3 mission

Lunar Penetrating Radar （LPR） is one of the important scientific instru- ments onboard the Chang＇e-3 spacecraft. Its scientific goals are the mapping of lunar regolith and detection of subsurface geologic structures. This paper describes the goals of the mission, as well as the basic principles, design, composition and achievements of the LPR. Finally, experiments on a glacier and the lunar surface are analyzed.

Correlations between plasmapause evolutions and auroral signatures during substorms observed by Chang'e-3 EUV Camera

The plasmapause locations determined from the Chang'e-3(CE-3) Extreme Ultraviolet Camera(EUVC) images and the auroral boundaries determined from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program(DMSP) Special Sensor Ultraviolet Spectrographic Imager(SSUSI) images are used to investigate the plasmaspheric evolutions during substorms. The most important finding is a nightside pointing plasmaspheric plume observed at 23:05 UT on 21 April 2014 under quiet solar wind and geomagnetic conditions, which drifted from the dusk sector. High correlations between the plasmapause evolutions and the auroral signatures exist during substorms. After substorm onset, the plasmapause erosion and the equatorward expansion of the auroral oval occur almost simultaneously in both MLT and UT, and then both the erosion and the expansion propagate westward and eastward. It is suggested that the plasmaspheric erosion and its MLT propagations are induced by the enhanced earthward plasma convection during substorm period, and the substorm dipolarization causes pitch-angle scattering of plasma sheet electrons and the resulting precipitation excites aurora emissions at the same time.

Deployment Reliability Test and Assessment for Landing Gear of Chang' E-3 Probe

Chang'E-3 probe incorporates four landing gears to assure the soft-landing,which are stowed while launching and deployed after separated from rocket. Deployment reliability is quite crucial for this mission. The deployment reliability test( DRT) method and assessment method were developed in this paper. Then DRT was conducted and the deployment reliability estimate of Chang'E-3probe was used to verify the proposed methods.

Data processing and preliminary results of the Chang'e-3 VIS/NIR Imaging Spectrometer in-situ analysis

The Chang＇e-3 Visible and Near-infrared Imaging Spectrometer （VNIS） is one of the four payloads on the Yutu rover. After traversing the landing site during the first two lunar days, four different areas are detected, and Level 2A and 2B ra- diance data have been released to the scientific community. The released data have been processed by dark current subtraction, correction for the effect of temperature, radiometric calibration and geometric calibration. We emphasize approaches for re- flectance analysis and mineral identification for in-situ analysis with VNIS. Then the preliminary spectral and mineralogical results from the landing site are derived. After comparing spectral data from VNIS with data collected by the Ma instrument and samples of mare that were returned from the Apollo program, all the reflectance data have been found to have similar absorption features near 1000 nm except lunar sample 71061. In addition, there is also a weak absorption feature between 1750-2400nm on VNIS, but the slopes of VNIS and Ma reflectance at longer wavelengths are lower than data taken from samples of lunar mare. Spectral parameters such as Band Centers and Integrated Band Depth Ratios are used to analyze mineralogical features. The results show that detection points E and N205 are mixtures of high-Ca pyroxene and olivine, and the composition of olivineat point N205 is higher than that at point E, but the compositions of detection points S3 and N203 are mainly olivine-rich. Since there are no obvious absorption features near 1250 nm, plagioclase is not directly identified at the landing site.

Development and calibration of the Moon-based EUV camera for Chang'e-3

The process of development and calibration for the first Moon-based ex- treme ultraviolet （EUV） camera to observe Earth＇s plasmasphere is introduced and the design, test and calibration results are presented. The EUV camera is composed of a multilayer film mirror, a thin film filter, a photon-counting imaging detector, a mech- anism that can adjust the direction in two dimensions, a protective cover, an electronic unit and a thermal control unit. The center wavelength of the EUV camera is 30.2 nm with a bandwidth of 4.6nm. The field of view is 14.7° with an angular resolution of 0.08°, and the sensitivity of the camera is 0.11 count s-1 Rayleigh-1. The geomet- ric calibration, the absolute photometric calibration and the relative photometric cal- ibration are carried out under different temperatures before launch to obtain a matrix that can correct geometric distortion and a matrix for relative photometric correction, which are used for in-orbit correction of the images to ensure their accuracy.

Preface: The Chang'e-3 lander and rover mission to the Moon

The Chang＇e-3 （CE-3） lander and rover mission to the Moon was an in- termediate step in China＇s lunar exploration program, which will be followed by a sample return mission. The lander was equipped with a number of remote-sensing instruments including a pair of cameras （Landing Camera and Terrain Camera） for recording the landing process and surveying terrain, an extreme ultraviolet camera for monitoring activities in the Earth＇s plasmasphere, and a first-ever Moon-based ultravi- olet telescope for astronomical observations. The Yutu rover successfully carried out close-up observations with the Panoramic Camera, mineralogical investigations with the VIS-NIR Imaging Spectrometer, study of elemental abundances with the Active Particle-induced X-ray Spectrometer, and pioneering measurements of the lunar sub- surface with Lunar Penetrating Radar. This special issue provides a collection of key information on the instrumental designs, calibration methods and data processing pro- cedures used by these experiments with a perspective of facilitating further analyses of scientific data from CE-3 in preparation for future missions.

Nomenclature for lunar features at the Chang＇e-3 landing site

Nomenclatures for lunar features always accompany the progresses of human lunar exploration,which has an important dual meaning in culture and science. The naming of lunar features not only can commemorate the outstanding contributions of academics,masters in various fields, and popularize the traditional cultures of ethnic groups all over the world, but also have a critical function of providing accurate indicative information on features with special morphology, origin, nature and scientific value. However, nomenclature for features at the Chang'e-3 landing site, which has a more arbitrary form without many constrains posed by a uniformed system, is unlike the features for other morphological units.This paper originated from the actual needs for the description of scientific exploration activities, interpretation of scientific research and dissemination of scientific results. Some prominent morphological units with great scientific importance and identification purpose were chosen from the images taken by the terrain camera, panorama cameras and landing camera onboard the Chang'e lander and Yutu rover. A nomenclature system was established under the three enclosures, four quadrants and twenty-eight lunar lodges' system of the Chinese ancient sky division method. Finally, a standard feature names set waspublished after some necessary approval procedures by the International Astronomical Union.

Reliability Design for the Landing Gear of Chang'E-3 Probe

Landing gear is one of the important components of Chang'E-3 Probe.The device was used to absorb the impact energy of Chang'E-3 Probe during the landing process.After landing on the moon,it can support the lander steadily for a long time.In order to assure the reliability of the landing gear and deal with the extremely severe landing conditions,many reliability measures were adopted in the design procedure,such as selection of cushion materials,optimization of mechanism configuration,design of deployment mode,allocation of buffer force and control of its variation.The successful landing on the moon of Chang'E-3 Probe has completely verified the high reliability of the landing gear.

Data preprocessing and preliminary results of the Moon-based Ultraviolet Telescope on the CE-3 lander

The Moon-based Ultraviolet Telescope （MUVT） is one of the payloads on the Chang＇e-3 （CE-3） lunar lander. Because of the advantages of having no at- mospheric disturbances and the slow rotation of the Moon, we can make long-term continuous observations of a series of important celestial objects in the near ultra- violet band （245-340 nm）, and perform a sky survey of selected areas, which can- not be completed on Earth. We can find characteristic changes in celestial brightness with time by analyzing image data from the MUVT, and deduce the radiation mech- anism and physical properties of these celestial objects after comparing with a phys- ical model. In order to explain the scientific purposes of MUVT, this article analyzes the preprocessing of MUVT image data and makes a preliminary evaluation of data quality. The results demonstrate that the methods used for data collection and prepro- cessing are effective, and the Level 2A and 2B image data satisfy the requirements of follow-up scientific researches.

Technological advancements and promotion roles of Chang'e-3 lunar probe mission

The mission objective of Chang’e-3 lunar probe is to achieve our first soft-landing and roving exploration on celestial bodies beyond Earth.On the basis of analyzing technological characteristics in the probe development,key technology breakthroughs and technological promoting roles of Chang’e-3 are both described.

High precision landing site mapping and rover localization for Chang'e-3 mission

This paper presents the comprehensive results of landing site topographic mapping and rover localization in Chang’e-3 mission.High-precision topographic products of the landing site with extremely high resolutions(up to 0.05 m)were generated from descent images and registered to CE-2 DOM.Local DEM and DOM with 0.02 m resolution were produced routinely at each waypoint along the rover traverse.The lander location was determined to be(19.51256°W,44.11884°N,-2615.451 m)using a method of DOM matching.In order to reduce error accumulation caused by wheel slippage and IMU drift in dead reckoning,cross-site visual localization and DOM matching localization methods were developed to localize the rover at waypoints;the overall traveled distance from the lander is 114.8 m from cross-site visual localization and 111.2 m from DOM matching localization.The latter is of highest accuracy and has been verified using a LRO NAC image where the rover trajeactory is directly identifiable.During CE-3 mission operations,landing site mapping and rover localization products including DEMs and DOMs,traverse maps,vertical traverse profiles were generated timely to support teleoperation tasks such as obstacle avoidance and rover path planning.

Subsurface Structures at the Chang'e-3 Landing Site: Interpretations from Orbital and In-Situ Imagery Data

The Chang＇e-3（CE-3） spacecraft successfully landed on one of the youngest mare surfaces on the Moon in December 2013. The Yutu rover carried by CE-3 was equipped with a radar system that could reveal subsurface structures in unprecedented details, which would facilitate understanding regional and global evolutionary history of the Moon. Based on regional geology, cratering scaling, and morphological study, here we quantify the subsurface structures of the landing site using high-resolution orbital and in-situ imagery data. Three layers of lunar regolith, two layers of basalt units, and one layer of ejecta deposits are recognized at the subsurface of the landing site, and their thicknesses are deduced based on the imagery data. These results could serve as essential references for the on-going interpretation of the CE-3 radar data. The ability to validate our theoretical subsurface structure using CE-3 in-situ radar observations will improve the methods for quantifying lunar subsurface structure using crater morphologies and scaling.

The preliminary processing and analysis of LPR Channel-2B data from Chang'E-3

The Lunar Penetrating Radar(LPR)carried by Chang’E-3 has imaged the shallow subsurface of the landing site at the northern Mare Imbrium.The antenna B of the Channel-2 onboard the LPR(LPR Channel-2B)has collected more than 2000 traces of usable raw data.Because of the low resolution and noise of the raw data,only a few shallow geological structures are visible.To improve the resolution and the signal-to-noise ratio of the LPR data,we processed the LPR data including amplitude compensation,filtering,and deconvolution processes.The processing results reveal that the data processing in this study not only improves the signal-to-noise ratio of the LPR Channel-2B data but also makes the geological structures vivid.The processing results will lay the foundation for the subsequent geological interpretation and physical property inversion of lunar materials.

New high-accuracy spacecraft VLBI tracking using high data-rate signal:A demonstration with Chang'E-3

As the scientific data volume in deep-space exploration rapidly grows,spacecraft heavily relies on high data-rate signals that span several megahertz to transmit data back to Earth.Employing high data-rate signals for high-accuracy radiometric interferometry can simultaneously deal with data transmission and spacecraft navigation.We demonstrate very long baseline interferometry(VLBI)tracking of the Chang’E-3 lander and rover to determine their relative lunar-surface position using downlink high data-rate signals.A new method based on the VLBI phase-referencing technique is proposed to obtain the differential phase delay,which is much more accurate than the differential group delay acquired by conventional VLBI approaches.The systemic errors among different signal channels have been well calibrated using the new method.The data from the Chang’E-3mission were then processed,and meter-level accuracy positions of the rover with respect to the lander have been obtained.This demonstration shows the feasibility of high-accuracy radiometric interferometry using high data-rate signals.The method proposed in this paper can also be applied to future deep-space navigation.

基于地基无线电测量的月面目标精确定位技术研究

2013年嫦娥三号将实施月面软着陆,对月面着陆点以及月面巡视器进行定位是月面目标导航中的一个重要环节。在复杂的月面环境下,需要以探测器作为基准,其定位精度直接影响到整个探测任务的执行效果和导航定位的性能。基于统计学原理,建立了基于地基无线电测量的月面目标定位方案和软件,使用地面手段对探测器在月面各阶段的测量方式进行仿真计算,分析了多种条件定位能力。计算表明,在当前测控条件下基于地基无线电测量的月面目标定位精度优于百米量级,该精度可以为月面软着陆任务提供借鉴和支持。

热开关热管在月面探测光学设备中的应用

在月面-180^+90℃的极端高低温环境下,月面探测光学设备的月昼远距离散热和月夜保温矛盾异常突出。针对设备热耗的传输、排散,以及月夜生存时的热能存留问题,利用热管工质的汽、液、固相变特性,提出一种无源热开关热管作为设备和散热面间长距离传热手段,即依据设备温度指标选择具有合适凝固点和传热能力的工质,当月昼工作期间通过热管内工质两相传热实现热量的高效收集和传输,到月夜期间冻结热管内全部工质,完全切断热管与散热面间的两相传热,维持设备温度。地面试验和在轨飞行数据表明,热开关热管凝固点附近热导比达30以上。热管工作时,7℃时传热能力大于15W,传热温差小于4℃,且能够适应着陆器±15°的倾斜,确保了嫦娥三号着陆器月基光学望远镜在轨的高性能工作。

嫦娥三号极紫外相机几何定位方法及其应用

针对嫦娥三号极紫外相机影像由于缺少控制点约束而无法沿用地球遥感影像几何定位方法的现状,研究了极紫外相机的工作原理、涉及的坐标系统及其转换关系,提出了一种基于星上遥测参数和严格坐标转换关系的几何定位方法,进行了影像数据几何定位及定位精度分析.研究结果表明,该方法能够解算影像拍摄时刻极紫外相机光轴在太阳磁层坐标系中的指向,以及着陆器在该坐标系中的位置,精确定位影像中地球质心的位置,校正相机光轴指向在原始影像中对应的位置,确保极紫外相机探测数据的科学应用价值,实现嫦娥三号空间环境探测的科学目标.

基于辐射传输模型的月表铁镁质矿物定量反演:以嫦娥三号着陆区为例

我国嫦娥三号着陆于雨海北部的年轻玄武岩熔岩平原上,该区域的物质成分和矿物组成对于理解月球年轻的火山活动具有重要研究价值。月球全球勘探者(Lunar Prospector,LP)探测的元素数据揭示着陆区附近岩石类型主要为高铁中钛玄武岩(19.5%FeO;5.2%TiO_2)。本研究利用月球矿物绘图仪(Moon Mineralogy Mapper,M^3)获取的嫦娥三号着陆区附近的新鲜撞击坑高光谱数据,采用Hapke辐射传输模型和修正高斯模型(MGM)联合分析,对其年轻月海玄武岩铁镁质矿物进行了定量反演。研究表明该区域玄武岩中矿物组成以单斜辉石矿物为主,存在较高比例的橄榄石。基于光谱库匹配方法和MGM优化分析,我们反演出单斜辉石,斜方辉石,橄榄石和钛铁矿四种矿物的相对体积比为57.6:18.0:15.3:9.1,这一研究结果有待于与嫦娥三号玉兔号月球车上搭栽的红外成像光谱仪数据进行比对,以期从遥感和就位探测两个角度获得对于该地区矿物和岩石类型的全面认识。

嫦娥三号姿轨控过程中GRAIL重力场模型的应用

嫦娥三号(CE-3)利用发动机力偶模式下喷气进行姿态控制,这对轨道的影响具有累积效应。GRAIL(Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory,重力恢复与内部实验室)月球重力场模型是美国国家航空航天局进行GRAIL探月计划的科学成果。为与LP(Lunar Prospector,月球勘探者)等月球重力场模型的定轨精度进行比较,利用重叠弧段法,分别选取CE-3环月段100km×100km圆轨道及100km×15km椭圆轨道各约1d的重叠弧段,使用LP重力场模型及GRAIL重力场模型进行定轨分析,比较重叠弧段精度。结果表明:使用GRAIL重力场模型可以明显降低定轨测距残差RMS(Root Mean Square,均方根)值,同时可以使重叠弧段精度提高1个量级。

月面热环境的反演研究

以嫦娥三号巡视器月面日食期间非稳态的温度遥测数据为基础,通过建立月壤及巡视器的传热模型,反演了日食期间月面温度的变化,并给出了符合巡视器温度遥测的月壤热物性参数取值范围。在此基础上,对月面热环境进行了分析研究。结果表明,本文反演的月壤平均导热系数大于常见取值,而比热却明显小于常见取值。采用反演的热物性值计算的月表温度与之前认识相符,但对月壤内部热环境有新发现,其温度梯度相对减小而恒温层厚度则明显增大。