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China Launches First Moon Orbiter
hey0you0guy writes "China has launched its first lunar orbiter, on a planned year-long exploration mission to the Moon. Analysts say it is a key step towards China's aim of putting a man on the Moon by 2020, in the latest stage of an Asian space race with Japan and India. Earlier this month, a Japanese lunar probe entered orbit around the Moon. India is planning a lunar mission for April next year."
Soon all the crap at WalMart will say "Made in Little China, Moon"
Did China actually launch a moon orbiter, or do they just SAY they launched one. I can easily see China doing this for internal propoganda more than anything else, as well as turn around and claim they were first there and the moon belongs to them because of the Great People's Lunar All-Glorious China Expedition or somesuch.
At which point the G-Go Nippon Blast Power Rocket Screaming Moon Blasto! shoots it out of the sky with its Super Mega Blast Power Gun-shoot and takes half the moon with it.
I ain't sayin...I'm just sayin.
That reminds me. Send a thankyou note to the religious fundamentalists in your country.
Their hostility to any form of reason has destroyed the decision cycle in your government, because when ideology and populism trumps evidence you can't possibly react correctly to changing circumstances. This can only be good news for the rest of the world, which currently must either cooperate with that government or have bombs dropped on their children in the name of peacekeeping or spreading democracy.
If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we shoot people for Apollo-related non-sequiturs?
spoiled? really? Are you that much of a hippie-pinko envirofag that leaving a flag and a golf ball on a hunk of rock is "spoiling" it?
Get a job.
Nah, we're not slipping. China's just doing this now because they have someone to copy. It's not like they'd spend all their time and money actually doing R&D on something "new". =P
If you listen hard enough, you can hear a "golf clap" from the 1960's.
Color me un-impressed. The largest Country on the planet, has access to how it was done numerous times throughout recent history, the ability to use current computer, chemistry, machining and manufacturing technology, and it takes them over 40 years to duplicate it?
Maybe this is part of some bigger plan... The US comes up with the idea for a new technological advancement that "accidentally" falls into the hands of Chinese spies. The Chinese spend billions of yuan designing, developing, and testing this new technology. Once successfully deployed, the US just steals it back - thereby outsourcing burden of development and cost to China.
Unless oil is discovered on the moon, it's unlikely that the USA will have further interest.
But they did plant a flag there . . .
"Well, if you could do something 40 or 50 years ago, and you can't do it now, that, by definition is slipping."
Um, no. And frankly, that's pretty ridiculous.
With that in mind I stopped reading, and I'm sure it was a good decision.
I only go to buffets for the unlimited soft serve.