China Outlines Moon Project Goals

Kulic writes "SpaceDaily.com is reporting that China has announced 4 scientific goals for their Moon project. There are three general goals - orbiting the Moon, docking spacecraft with one another in lunar orbit, and returning moon rock samples to Earth. Each step is outlined, with a detailed description of what they hope to accomplish during the orbiting stage. It looks like China is serious about their space program, and is taking an incremental approach."

Comments

Prior art?

[GMontag]

There are three general goals - orbiting the Moon, docking spacecraft with one another in lunar orbit, and returning moon rock samples to Earth. Each step is outlined, with a detailed description of what they hope to accomplish during the orbiting stage.

Yea, I saw this outline before, in the 1960's. It was called the Apollo program. If the Chinese "outline" were a college paper (in the days before uncreativity was rewarded) it would be submitted to the academic dishonisty board under the charge of a big word that begins with 'p' and ends in 'lagiarism'

Please see the NASA website for the origonal.

Re:Prior art?

[GMontag]

The US didnt do anything useful on the moon except for some geology research.

Well, yea, that was the stated purpose. I suppose you would go against the flow of the Slashbots and join me in wishing Bechtel and Haliburton had Moon mining contracts by 1975?

Re:Prior art?

[GMontag]

Well, they did add to technology a great deal, including how to make stuff that will last on the Moon for ages, plus how to make BF rockets and keep the weight down. Don't forget the "deep space" communications network.

Plenty was accomplished in addition to geology.

Certainly I would be happier if more commercial uses had been included, but watch out for the mods here! As soon as a non-Communist wants to use a resource it becomes a bad /. thing.

Re:Stop being so myopic and xenophobic...

[WIAKywbfatw]

thank you wu chin... anybody who doesn`t think thier are chinese spys in america well i think this guy makes a good example...

Ah, yet another xenophobe. At least this one has the sense to hide his racism and ignorance (or is that lacks the courage of his convictions) and posts as an AC.

1. I'm not chinese, never have been, don't plan to be, and I have no connection with China whatsoever. I do, admittedly, have a love of chinese food but I can also say the same for italian, indian and japanese cuisine. If you can condemn a man for his culinary choices then I stand guilty before you, but the last time I checked, loving aromatic crispy duck and singapore fried noodles wasn't a crime.

2. You, sir, surely aren't an advert for the fine American education system. Perhaps you can point out to me where the words "thier" and "spys" are in the dictionary? Perhaps at the same time you can tell me when capitalisation of proper nouns was dropped from the english language too?

Face it, you're just a ignorant, arrogant fool. Being proud of your country for what it has acheived is admiral, but being proud of your country just because its your country - pride for pride's sake - is the height of folly. Similarly, dismissing a foreign nation simply because its not your best buddy is the kind of childish politics that gave us freedom fries.

Re:There are none so blind...

[WIAKywbfatw]

I'm not anti-American, I'm anti-stupidity, which is exactly what all the crap that got us to freedom fries, etc is about.

One great way of looking at any argument is to turn it on its head, which is exactly what I did when the original poster that I replied to basically said that China should worry about its people being mainly peasants (farmers) rather than a space programme. Well, I turned that on its head and pointed out that's like saying that the US should worry about the glaring weaknesses in its society rather than spend billions on what most people believe is an unneccessary war.

It's amazing how many people take offense at the latter comment but don't bat an eyelid at the former one. In most civilised societies, telling someone what's wrong with their house when your own house is less than perfect is called hypocrisy.