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China Launches Dark Matter Space Probe (nature.com)

Posted by samzenpus on from the to-the-stars-and-beyond dept.

hackingbear writes: China's Dark Matter Particle Explorer Satellite Wukong, named after the fictional character Monkey King, was successfully launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province on Thursday. The probe will be in service for three years to observe the direction, energy and electric charge of high-energy particles in space in search of dark matter. Two further missions will blast off next year: the world's first quantum-communications satellite and an X-ray telescope observing in a unique energy band. Together, these missions mark a new start for space science in China which previously focused on non-science missions, says Wu Ji, director-general of the National Space Science Centre (NSSC).

2 of 71 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Keep losing it by ITRambo · · Score: 4, Interesting

    We think that we do know where some dark matter proably is. A scientist at NASA's jet propulsion lab has calculated that dark matter strands lie past the moons orbit. Here's a link http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/n...

  2. Re: taking China's word for it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It's so funny that people really believe that foreign countries are inherently evil because they are not your own. Don't you think it's more logical that their government really is trying to do what is best for their people? Sure, there are dictatorships and there are probably alot of countries that are lead for more selfish means.