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China Successfully Launches Second Moon Probe
China launched its second unmanned Moon mission on Friday, sending the Chang'e II probe on a five-day journey to reach lunar orbit. "The probe plans to test technology in preparation for an unmanned moon landing in 2012, with a possible manned lunar mission to follow in 2017. China's other space plans include the launch of the first module of a future space station next year followed by the dispatch of manned spacecraft to dock with it. ... After its six-month mission, Chang'e II will either land on the moon as an experiment for future probes, fly further into outer space, or change its course and begin orbiting the Earth, Xinhua cited chief designer Huang Jiangchuan as saying." The Planetary Society blog has pictures and video of the launch.
Yes, what annoys me is that the US news media keeps talking about China's plans to put humans on the Moon but they never provide any references. It's never "the Minister Of Space said," or some other quote from a respectable source, it's just stated as fact.
Whenever official Chinese sources are quoted as talking about a human spaceflight program they say their plans are to build their own LEO space station, not lunar missions. As far as I'm aware there has never been any official statement of a human lunar program - and currently they simply don't have the boosters to do it and so far they haven't announced any plans to build launch vehicles capable of taking humans to the Moon.
There's simply no Asian space race to the Moon, despite how much the US media wants one.
How we know is more important than what we know.
Before this thread is filled with vile racist posts, let me first congratulate China on the launch of its 2nd moon surveyor, Chang Er 2.
I know that this message will be modded down because a lot of people hate China for some reasons.
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
Manned mission to the Moon? A new space station? Even if these are just rumors I'm sure it should make the US a bit uneasy. Come on guys I want to see another space race!
I'd like to live long enough to see a manned mission to moon or maybe mars. I don't care who does it, as long as they will share the experience with the rest of the world.
With perfecting automatic rendezvouz, one doesn't really need large/rarely used/exceedingly expensive (vs. almost assembly-line manufactured, efficient in "kg to LEO per cost", not launch) booster. Also, chief scientist of their lunar exploration program is an outspoken supporter of manned exploration.
One that hath name thou can not otter
[citation needed]
While there may be no official word. The fact that they created a copy of the Vehicle Assembly Building indicates that they are prepared to work on lunar capable, Saturn V sized boosters when the need arises.
I am becoming gerund, destroyer of verbs.
Good for China for picking up the slack. As a space addict, I'll get my heroin anywhere I can. It's sad though that we still don't have a true international space agency. I like to fantasize sometimes about all the nations coming together to pool all their resources into a single collective of cooperation. Hmm does that make me a communist.
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