                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2020 November 27

                          Chang'e 5 Mission Launch
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Dai (TWAN)

   Explanation: This Long March-5 rocket blasted off from the Wenchang
   launch site in southernmost Hainan province on Tuesday November 24, at
   4:30 am Beijing Time, carrying China's Chang'e-5 mission to the Moon.
   The lunar landing mission is named for the ancient Chinese goddess of
   the moon. Its goal is to collect about 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of
   lunar material from the surface and return it to planet Earth, the
   first robotic sample return mission to the Moon since the Soviet
   Union's Luna 24 mission in 1976. The complex Chang'e-5 mission landing
   target is in the Oceanus Procellarum (Ocean of Storms). The smooth
   volcanic plain was also visited by the Apollo 12 mission in 1969.
   Chang'e-5's lander is solar-powered and scheduled to operate on the
   lunar surface during its location's lunar daylight, which will last
   about two Earth weeks, beginning around November 27. A capsule with the
   lunar sample on board would return to Earth in mid-December.

                      Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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