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China Plans Moonbase
jfruhlinger writes: "According to this BBC news article, the Chinese government plans to put a human on the moon by 2010, with the long-term goal of 'set[ting] up a base on the moon and min[ing] its riches for the benefit of humanity.' The article seems to think that the program is more for the benefit of China's defense and aerospace industry. D'ya think they can pull it off?"
Moon unit alpha, or moon unit zappa?
Our long-term goal is to set up a base on the Moon and mine its riches for the benefit of humanity.
I guess the Chinese will have all the market share for selling green cheese to the world.
Attention all planets of the Solar Federation! We have assumed control! - Neil Peart
Land at the apolo sites and prove once and for all wether the americans managed to land there first?
I've see the pictures and they look a bit dodgy to me
So in 2011 we can look forward to people claiming that the Chinese Moon mission pictures are fake, then?
"Of course the Marco Polo trip was fake. You expect me to believe humans could cross the Gobi Desert? This whole "China" thing sounds a bit dodgy to me..." -- 13th century conspiracy theorist
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Benjamin Coates
One wouldn't also have expected a socialist nation to occupy Tibet, for example.
Umm..., you mean German technology stolen 2nd hand.
Wait a minute, if China is the 3rd country to successfully put a human in orbit, doesn't that make the score Communism 2, Democracy 1?
If its one thing Amercan's can't stand, its communists on our Moon!
If they do land on the moon, they'll find the Brits have been there since the seventies, with a moonbase populated by gorgeous women in mauve wigs that shoot down UFO's.
Garg
Garg
Alumnus, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters
I hope so. Perhaps this is the start of the second space race?
reminds me of an old joke: "Hey Mr. President, the chinese have painted the moon red!" "No Problem, send some of our guys up to write 'Coke' on it"
You mean they fell for that backlot footage of us landing on the moon?
Neck_of_the_Woods
#/usr/local/surf/glassy/overhead
I don't think the moon's resources will justify the proposed Chinese effort, but it's a symptom of the failures of central planning (as if we needed another) that they're trying to dictate what the market will be, rather than letting it happen naturally.
IOW, the US government should "stand by" and do nothing (whether they will resist the urge to waste taxe$ in space is another question). Let's look at how space-commerce (the voluntary, non-government-supported kind) is going in the real world, right now:
So far, it's ALL rich people, and all "tourism." 100%! No exceptions!!
This was to be expected, but think ten years (and maybe 100 orders of magnitude cheaper) down the road...Space-tourism is going to evolve toward one thing, and it's a thing that governments (of any sort) don't seem to want to consider:
SEX tourism. Couples are going to want to have intercourse without gravity (and without annoying swimming pools, scuba gear, etc.). Many honeymooners will want to, uh...start out with a bang (sorry! Couldn't resist).
This will happen naturally, I'm sure of it. Ultimately, all this sex will be the main thing supporting science up there, but no central planning bureaucrat (Chinese or US) will anticipate this, it'll just happen. I only wish that I could find some way to make money off my prediction when it comes to pass...
JMR
(My own opinions, nobody else seems to want them.)
Try e-gold - (contact me). I'm NOT e-
After watching the video of the moon rover driving around and kicking up dust as it went... and then seeing the video of the Lunar Lander rocketing off the moon's surface without stiring up any dust at all????? The only way I could see the smaller force of the rover kicking up more dust than the larger force of the rocking pod not able to moving ANY dust at all is if the laws of physics are not constant on the moon.
Not going to get into the issues of trying to pass through the Van Allen Belts wearing suits of 7 layers of 'glass like' material for protection. Nor the number of photos with uneven hash marks (they must have just slid back and forth across the lense as I'm sure they were designed to do for various reasons of National Security). Nor even to get involved with the infamous 'lost report' blasting Nasa's legs out over the whole thing and actually having everyone who's tried to bring it to light die in freak accidents...I mean..these things must happen all the time to all sorts of reports. The president goes through many speak writers each month from being hit by trains, plains, and Logger Head Turtles...
No I just want someone to explain why a rocketing pod failed to create enough power to kick up any dust at all while lifting a pretty heavy pod out of the moons gravite. That's what made me believe the states have never been there. Anyone? (please, no blanket reply/dismissal...if you can't anwser the question please just move along)
Oh..and I did try to make an account..but it seams not to be responding right now...or else doesn't work for Opera 6...whichever..
Eloi are stupid, throw morlocks at them!