Dear readers, on May 3, 2024, the Chang'e-6 lunar exploration satellite was successfully launched from the Wenchang Rocket Launch Site in Hainan Province, and the Long March 5 carrier rocket carried out the mission.
According to official information, the entire process of Chang'e-6 from landing on the moon to returning to Earth took 53 days. In contrast, the U.S. Apollo 11 landed on the moon and returned in just eight days. Why is there such a huge time gap between the two?
Let's first understand the composition of Chang'e-6. It is composed of four parts: the ascender, the lander, the returner and the orbiter, just like the various organs of the human body, each performing its own duties. The orbiter is responsible for completing the transfer from the Earth to the Moon, the circumnavigation of the Moon, and the transfer from the Moon to the Earth; The lander is responsible for lunar landing, collecting materials and conducting scientific exploration. The duty of the ascender is to safely transfer lunar material from the lunar surface to orbit around the moon and then hand it over to the returner; Finally, the returner will take these precious lunar samples and embark on a journey back to Earth.
Next, let's take a look at the structure of Apollo 11. On July 16, 1969, the U.S. Apollo 11 spacecraft lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center and completed the first human mission to the moon. The launch mission was undertaken by the Saturn V rocket launcher.
As you can see, the Apollo XI probe is located on top of the rocket, while the lower part of the rocket is mainly used to store fuel. Apollo 11 is mainly composed of three parts: the service module, the command module and the lunar module. Although it is not as flashy as in science fiction movies, it has extremely high utility. For example, the lunar module is designed to resemble a spider, with rough edges and a surface covered with folded metal foil.
To sum up, whether it is Chang'e-6 or Apollo 11, they are both great feats of human exploration of the universe. Although they differ in their construction, they all embody human ingenuity and courage.