(ORDO NEWS) — China plans to build a full-fledged lunar research station. One of the first steps in this process is to figure out where to place it best.
A group of scientists conducted a study and came to the conclusion that the south pole would be the best solution.
Chinese scientists, developing criteria for evaluating places for construction, took into account scientific and engineering limitations.
Engineering constraints evaluate the illumination of a site, its general slope, and the ease with which researchers can access other parts of the lunar landscape.
Scientific limitations consider the presence of water ice, the abundance of hydrogen, and temperature.
Thus, the south pole seems to be an ideal location, given the relative flatness of the surface and the constant temperature in the shaded areas of some of its craters.
These craters are also likely to contain deposits of frozen water, access to which is a priority for any permanent base.
There is also one of the oldest pools on the Moon – the South Pole – Aitken. Many questions about the early formation of the Moon and the Solar System could be answered by examining the soil in it.
To further study the region, China is going to send a group of research robots, continuing the Chang’e program.
It is planned that Chang’e-6 will bring back a soil sample from the south pole, Chang’e-7 will provide a comprehensive survey of the south polar region, and Chang’e-8 will serve as a mission to test technologies that will be vital in the construction of a lunar base.
At the end of the program, the China National Space Administration will have sufficient information to carry out its plan to launch an international lunar research station.
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