China to Land on Moon Around 2017

smooth wombat writes "China has announced that it plans to land on the moon around the year 2017. They also plan to set up a moon-based astronomical telescope, measure the thickness of the moon's soil as well as the amount of helium-3 on the moon. Helium-3 is regarded by some researchers as the perfect non-polluting fuel source. China's first lunar orbiter could blast off as early as 2007, coinciding with its third manned space trip in which possibly three men would orbit Earth in Shenzhou VII and conduct a space walk."

Comments

Re:Mine the moon screw up the environment

[Eightyford]

Let's just mine the moon of it's natural resources. It won't affect the earth in any way or will it... If we take off any sizable chuck of the moon it will affect the tides.

That may be the dumbest fucking thing that I have ever heard... but of course, your'e joking!

Democracies helping dictatorships take over

[Anonymous Bullard]

The actual worth of America's massive debt to the People's Republic of China is a secondary consideration to the CCP leadership. What matters to them is how that control of America's finances can be used to knock the USA off its sole superpower perch so that the People's Republic of China (aka the Middle Kingdom to which all other nations are historically subservient) can reassume their role as the most powerful nation.

Even if the value of the US currency would go down, it'd just make it more attractive for the Chinese to buy up US-based assets considered strategic to their objectives. Unlike the cash-rich Japanese in the 80's, the Chinese wouldn't care much about the largely symbolic real estate but would go for targets which would allow them to gain control of the US economy and production.

All in all, it's strange how the ruling classes of America (large corporations and their political friends) seem to doing everything in their considerable power to help an expansionist and aggressive dictatorship to grow into an uncontrollable behemoth. Tibetans, Uighurs and ("Inner", huh) Mongolians are left to their own devices to cope with the sinister sinization of their lands while the Taiwanese live under the constant fear of invasion by the CCP's military arm, the euphemistically titled "People's Liberation Army".

Bush, Blair & Co tout their invasion and occupation of Iraq as a "moral duty" while they're bending over backwards to roll out the red carpet to China's totalitarian rulers. Blair, who refused to even meet the exiled leader of the Tibetans last year will be kissing Chairman Hu's butt next week, hell-bent on resuming the sale of military technology to the aggressive dictatorship! They're trying hard to reach Putinist Russia's high moral standards apparently.

How is this all related to PRC's ambitious space program? Well, were we rejoicing when monsieurs Hitler and Stalin made progress on their respective paramilitary programs while building up ultranationalist fervour among their under-critical populations?

If this was about a peaceful and democratic China which wasn't committing genocide against its defenseless neighbours or oppressing its own people over "thought crimes" I'd be happy as a clam. I know there are good people in China; I've met such people myself. But too many, especially of those with knowledge of english and access to the 'net, are ultranationalistic stooges supporting their unelected regime with total disregard to the crimes they've committed.