China published the first picture of the moon captured by
Chang'e-1 on Monday morning, marking the success of the country's
first lunar probe project.
The framed black-and-white photo was unveiled by Chinese Premier
Wen Jiabao at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center. The image
showed a rough moon surface with scattered round craters both big
and small.
The area covered by the picture, about 460 kilometers in length
and 280 km in width, is located within a 54 to 70 degrees south
latitude and 57 to 83 degrees east longitude, according to BACC
sources.
The area pictured is part of the moon's highland and is mainly
composed of plagioclase, a common rock-forming element. On the
surface are craters of different sizes, shapes, structures and
ages, the sources said.
"The dark patch in the picture's upper right side shows the
surface blanketed by basalt, a hard and dense volcanic rock," the
sources said.
The picture was pieced together by 19 images, each covering a
width of 60 kilometers on the moon's surface. The far right of the
picture was the first area to be captured by the CCD camera aboard
Chang'e-1.
All the image data was collected on Nov. 20 and Nov. 21 and
processed into a three-dimensional picture in several days after
being transmitted back to Earth.
"Chinese people's dream of flying to the moon for more than 1,000
years has started to materialize," said Wen in a passionate speech.
He hailed China as one of the few world powers capable of
conducting a deep-space probe.
The premier said that the lunar probe was the third milestone in
China's space exploration, following the success of man-made
satellites and manned space flights.
The success, he said, not only manifested China's rising national
strength and technical innovation capability, but also elevated the
country's international status and cemented national cohesion.
"It showcases eloquently that the Chinese people have the will,
the ambition and the capability to compose more shining new
chapters while ascending the science and technology summit," he
said.
(Xinhua News Agency November 26, 2007)
