Preliminary Scientific Results of Chang E-1 Lunar Orbiter:Based on Payloads Detection Data in the First Phase

Chang'E-1 lunar Orbiter was launched by Long March 3A rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 18:05 BT (Beijing Time) Oct. 24, 2007. It is the first step of its ambitious three-stage moon program, a new milestone in the Chinese space exploration history. The primary science objectives of Chang'E-1 lunar orbiter are to obtain three-Dimension (3D) stereo images of the lunar surface, to analyze the distribution and abundance of elements on the surface, to investigate the thickness of lunar soil, evaluate helium-3 resources and other characteristics, and to detect the space environment around the moon. To achieve the above four mission objectives, eight sets of scientific instruments are chosen as the payloads of the lunar orbiter, including a CCD stereo camera (CCD), a Sagnac-based interferometer spectrometer (IIM), a Laser Altimeter (LAM), a Microwave Radiometer (MRM), a Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS), an X-ray spectrometer (XRS), a High-Energy Particle Detector (HPD), and two Solar Wind Ion Detectors (SWID). The detected data of the payloads show that all payloads work well. This paper introduces the status of payloads in the first phase and preliminary scientific results.