Exploration of the Moon: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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The [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] philosopher [[Anaxagoras]], whose non-religious view of the heavens was one cause for his imprisonment and eventual exile,<ref>{{cite web | last = O'Connor | first = J.J. |author2=Robertson, E.F. |date=February 1999 | url = http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Anaxagoras.html | title = Anaxagoras of Clazomenae | publisher = University of St Andrews | access-date = 2007-04-12}}</ref> reasoned that the Sun and Moon were both giant spherical rocks, and that the latter reflected the light of the former. [[Plutarch]], in his book ''On the Face in the Moon's Orb'', suggested that the Moon had deep recesses in which the light of the Sun did not reach and that the spots are nothing but the shadows of rivers or deep chasms. He also entertained the possibility that the Moon was inhabited. [[Aristarchus of Samos|Aristarchus]] [[Aristarchus On the Sizes and Distances|attempted to compute]] the Moon's size and distance from Earth, although his estimated distance of 20 times [[Earth's radius]] (which had been accurately determined by his contemporary [[Eratosthenes]]) proved to be about a third the actual average distance.

Chinese philosophers of the [[Han Dynastydynasty]] believed the Moon to be energy equated to ''[[qi]]'' but recognized that the light of the Moon was a reflection of the Sun.<ref name=Needham>{{cite book | last=Needham | first=Joseph | year=1986 | series=Science and Civilization in China | volume=3 | title=Mathematics and the Sciences of the Heavens and Earth | place=Taipei | publisher=Caves Books | page=227; 411–416 | isbn=978-0-521-05801-8}}</ref> Mathematician and astrologer [[Jing Fang]] noted the sphericity of the Moon.<ref name=Needham/> [[Shen Kuo]] of the [[Song Dynastydynasty]] created an allegory equating the waxing and waning of the Moon to a round ball of reflective silver that, when doused with white powder and viewed from the side, would appear to be a crescent.<ref name=Needham/>

Indian astronomer [[Aryabhata]] stated in his fifth-century text ''[[Aryabhatiya]]'' that reflected sunlight is what causes the Moon to shine.<ref name="Hayashi08Aryabhata">Hayashi (2008), ''Aryabhata I.''</ref>

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In 1753, the Croatian Jesuit and astronomer [[Roger Joseph Boscovich]] discovered the absence of atmosphere on the Moon. In 1824, [[Franz von Paula Gruithuisen]] explained the formation of craters as a result of [[meteorite]] strikes.<ref>{{cite book | title =Энциклопедия для детей (астрономия)| publisher =Аванта+ | year = 1998| location = Москва| isbn = 978-5-89501-016-7}}</ref>

The now disproven possibility that the Moon contains vegetation and is inhabited by [[Moon_in_science_fictionMoon in science fiction#Life_on_the_MoonLife on the Moon|selenites]] was seriously considered by major astronomers of the early modern period even into the first decades of the 19th century. In 1834–1836, [[Wilhelm Beer]] and [[Johann Heinrich Mädler]] published their four-volume {{lang|la|Mappa Selenographica}} and the book {{lang|de|Der Mond}} in 1837, which firmly established the conclusion that the Moon has no bodies of water nor any appreciable atmosphere.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Robens |first=Erich |author2=Stanislaw Halas |date=16 February 2009 |title=Study on the Possible Existence of Water on the Moon |url=http://www.geochronometria.pl/pdf/geo_33/Geo33_04.pdf |journal=Geochronometria |volume=33 |issue=–1 |pages=23–31 |bibcode=2009Gchrm..33...23R |doi=10.2478/v10003-009-0008-2 |access-date=April 9, 2023}}</ref>

[[File:John W Draper-The first Moon Photograph 1840.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The earliest surviving [[daguerrotype]] of the Moon by John W. Draper (1840)]]

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China planned to conduct a [[sample return mission]] with its [[Chang'e 5]] spacecraft in 2017, but that mission was postponed<ref>{{cite news|last1=Nowakowski|first1=Tomasz|title=China Eyes Manned Lunar Landing by 2036|url=http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/china-national-space-administration/china-eyes-manned-lunar-landing-2036/|access-date=17 August 2017|date=9 August 2017|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112013557/https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/china-national-space-administration/china-eyes-manned-lunar-landing-2036/|url-status=dead}}</ref> due to the failure of the [[Long March 5]] [[launch vehicle]].<ref name="foust">{{cite web |author1=Foust |first=Jeff |date=25 September 2017 |title=Long March 5 failure to postpone China's lunar exploration program |url=http://spacenews.com/long-march-5-failure-to-postpone-chinas-lunar-exploration-program/ |access-date=17 December 2017 |publisher=SpaceNews}}</ref> However, after a successful return of flight by the Long March 5 rocket in late December 2019, China targeted its [[Chang'e 5]] sample return mission for late 2020.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Andrew |url=https://spacenews.com/china-targets-late-2020-for-lunar-sample-return-mission/ |title=China targets late 2020 for lunar sample return mission |work=[[SpaceNews]] |date=1 November 2019 |access-date=26 January 2020}}</ref> China completed this mission on December 16, 2020, with the return of approximately 2 kilograms of lunar sample.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-12-16|title=China's Chang'e-5 mission returns Moon samples|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55323176|access-date=2020-12-16}}</ref>

China sent [[Chang'e 6]] on 3 May 2024, which conducted the first lunar sample return from [[Apollo (crater)|Apollo Basin]] on the [[far side of the Moon]].<ref name="AJ_FI-20230425">{{cite tweet |number=1650832520978526208 |user=AJ_FI |title=China's Chang'e-6 sample return mission (a first ever lunar far side sample-return) is scheduled to launch in May 2024, and expected to take 53 days from launch to return module touchdown. Targeting southern area of Apollo basin (~43º S, 154º W) |author=Andrew Jones |date=25 April 2023}}</ref> This is China's second lunar sample return mission, the first was achieved by [[Chang'e 5]] from the lunar near side four years earlier.<ref name="Jones">{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Andrew |url=https://spacenews.com/chinas-change-6-probe-arrives-at-spaceport-for-first-ever-lunar-far-side-sample-mission/ |title=China's Chang'e-6 probe arrives at spaceport for first-ever lunar far side sample mission |work=[[SpaceNews]] |date=10 January 2024 |access-date=10 January 2024}}</ref> It also carried a Chinese rover called ''Jinchan'' to conduct [[Absorption spectroscopy|infrared spectroscopy]] of lunar surface and imaged Chang'e 6 lander on lunar surface.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Andrew |title=China's Chang'e-6 is carrying a surprise rover to the moon |url=https://spacenews.com/chinas-change-6-is-carrying-a-surprise-rover-to-the-moon/ |website=SpaceNews |access-date=8 May 2024 |date=6 May 2024 |archive-date=8 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508193233/https://spacenews.com/chinas-change-6-is-carrying-a-surprise-rover-to-the-moon/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The lander-ascender-rover combination was separated with the orbiter and returner before landing on 1 June 2024 at 22:23 UTC. It landed on the Moon's surface on 1 June 2024.<ref name="AJ_FI-20240601">{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Andrew |url=https://spacenews.com/change-6-lands-on-far-side-of-the-moon-to-collect-unique-lunar-samples/ |title=Chang'e-6 lands on far side of the moon to collect unique lunar samples |work=[[SpaceNews]] |date=1 June 2024 |access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref><ref name="segeryu240602">{{cite tweet | author= Seger Yu | user= SegerYu | number= 1797042217804337307 | title= 落月时刻 2024-06-02 06:23:15.861 | language= zh }}</ref> The ascender was launched back to lunar orbit on 3 June 2024 at 23:38 UTC, carrying samples collected by the lander, and later completed another robotic rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit. The sample container was then transferred to the returner, which landed on [[Inner Mongolia]] on 25 June 2024, completing China's far side extraterrestrial sample return mission.

===India===

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{{Main|Artemis program}}

The [[Ballistic Missile Defense Organization]] and NASA launched the [[Clementine mission]] in 1994, and [[Lunar Prospector]] in 1998.

[[File:Animation of Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter trajectory.gif |thumb |right |Animation of [[Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter]]{{'s}} trajectory from June 23, 2009, to June 30, 2009<br />{{legend2|magenta| [[Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter]]}}{{·}}{{legend2| DarkGoldenrod|[[Moon]]}}]]

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===South Korea===

South Korea launched the lunar orbiter [[Danuri]] on 4 August, 2022, and it arrived at the Moon on 16 December 2022. This is the first phase of South Korea's lunar exploration program, with plans to launch another lunar lander and probe.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Danuri, South Korea's first Moon mission |url=https://www.planetary.org/space-missions/kplo |website=The Planetary Society}}</ref>

===Pakistan===

[[Pakistan]] sent a lunar orbiter called [[ICUBE-Q]] along with Chang'e 6.<ref>{{cite web |lastname="Jones |first=Andrew |url=https://spacenews.com/chinas-change-6-probe-arrives-at-spaceport-for-first-ever-lunar-far-side-sample-mission/ |title=China's Chang'e-6 probe arrives at spaceport for first-ever lunar far side sample mission |work=[[SpaceNews]] |date=10 January 2024 |access-date=10 January 2024}}<"/ref>

===Commercial missions===