[Chang’e 5 series #2] No second chance for the lunar sampling!

^{(Reference: China`s Chang e 4 lunar probe landed on the surface of the moon.)}

Talking about the challenges of the Chang'e 5 project, Professor YUNG Kai-leung, Sir Sze-yuen Chung Professor in Precision Engineering, Chair Professor of Precision Engineering and Associate Head of Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) said, “As our system needed to operate on the sun-facing side of the Moon where the ground temperatures could be as high as 110 degree Celsius, this innovation had to be highly sophisticated and capable of functioning under extremely high temperatures. It also needed to withstand the extreme space environment during travel to and landing on the Moon which meant enduring impact and shock during lift-offs and landings, high vacuum on the moon, exposure to solar wind and cosmic rays, as well as high-speed re-entry to Earth’s atmosphere.”

“To meet the limited payload requirement, we had to be innovative in our mechanism design and be stringent in weight control. For example, the two samplers are more than a tool to acquire lunar regolith. They are also used to pick up and move the sample container from the lander to the ascender atop,” Professor Yung continued.

(The video is broadcasted in Cantonese)

For details about PolyU-made space instruments complete lunar sampling for Chang’e 5, please visit the PolyU website.

(Content and video of this story are provided by the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau's Facebook Page, click here for more stories)

Know more about Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University

PolyU ISE (Industrial and Systems Engineering)
https://www.polyu.edu.hk/ise

BEng (Hons) Scheme in Product and Industrial Engineering (JUPAS Code: JS3557)
https://www.polyu.edu.hk/ise/pie

BSc (Hons) Scheme in Logistics and Enterprise Engineering (JUPAS Code: JS3571)
https://www.polyu.edu.hk/ise/lee