Horizon：Lunar exploration in recent years
【明報專訊】The Mid-Autumn Festival will be on the 29th of September this year. This festival is linked to the beautiful myth of Chang'e flying to the Moon. Since the American Spacecraft Apollo 11 first landed humans on the Moon in 1969, other countries have been doing research on the Moon or even trying to fly to there!
● Grammar Booster
as ... as
When the items we are comparing are somewhat equal, we can use ''as + adjective/adverb + as'' to show similarity.
E.g. Eason is as nosy as my cockapoo.
E.g. You need to speak as loudly as you can, or I cannot hear you.
◆China
The first Chinese astronauts will land on the Moon before 2030
On the 12th of July, 2023, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced a preliminary plan for Moon landing. Chinese researchers are developing the Long March 10 rocket. They are planning to launch two carrier rockets to space with manned spacecraft and other equipment, and after the spacecraft lands on the Moon, the astronauts will carry out scientific investigation and sample collection. It is hoped that the first Chinese astronauts will return to the earth safely with valuable samples.
◆Russia
An attempt to land on the south pole of the Moon turned out to be a failure
Russia launched a rocket carrying the ''Luna-25'' unmanned probe on the 11th of August, 2023. It has been Russia's first Moon landing mission since the former Soviet Union in 1976, but the probe has crashed on the Moon and ''no longer exists''.
Weighed 1.8 tons, ''Luna-25'' was equipped with a robotic arm that could collect lunar soil as deep as 30 centimetres. It was expected to land on the south pole of the Moon, and it would have been a feat in space technology if water ice had been discovered because it could have become a source of drinking water when exploring the Moon.
◆India
India has become the first country to land a probe on the south pole of the Moon
India's unmanned lunar probe ''Chandrayann-3'' sucessfully landed near the south pole of the Moon on the 23rd of August, 2023, becoming the first country to land an unmanned probe on this region, and also the fourth country to land on the Moon after the United States, Russia and China. Carried by ''Chandrayann-3'', the 26-kg and six-wheel rover ''Pragyan'' will conduct a 14-day research on the complex geological structure of the region.
■Glossary
exploration (n) 探索
preliminary (adj) 初步的
investigation (n) 偵查
probe (n) 探測器
(Criticisms on this publication, if any, are aimed at pointing out the errors or defects of certain systems or policies with a view to rectifying or eradicating such errors or defects, as well as prompting improvement or remedy for them via lawful means. There is absolutely no intention of inciting hatred, discontent or hostility towards the government or other classes of the community.)
[Smarties' Power English 第383期]
