Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

China Targets 2018 For Landing Probe On Far Side of Moon (reuters.com)

Posted by Soulskill on from the do-you-have-any-water-in-the-back? dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Despite all the time we've spent studying the moon, nobody has ever deployed a probe to its far side. Now, China has announced that it plans to land a probe there in 2018. The craft they plan to send is similar to the Chang'e-3 probe with its Jade Rabbit rover. They plan to study the geologic conditions on the far side of the moon. "China insists that its space program is for peaceful purposes. However, the U.S. Defense Department has highlighted China's increasing space capabilities, saying it was pursuing activities aimed at preventing its adversaries from using space-based assets during a crisis. In March, the Chinese government said it would open up its lunar exploration program to companies rather than simply relying on the state-owned sector as before, hoping to boost technological breakthroughs."

5 of 101 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Good thing about landing on far side of Moon by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Informative

    Nope. The "outer" side of the moon NEVER faces Earth. That's the whole reason why it's being called "dark side of the moon". Not because it's perpetually night there (why would it be, the Earth is not what illuminates the moon) but that we have NEVER seen it before we sent something behind the moon.

    It's tidally locked to us. Anything on the backside of the moon we will never see from here.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  2. Re:Good thing about landing on far side of Moon by Deadstick · · Score: 4, Informative

    Partially correct. We get to see 59% of the Moon's surface at various times, but not all at the same time.

  3. Re:Would make sense for a military base. by shione · · Score: 3, Informative

    It's easy to forget this which happened 1 year after the 2007 test.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    You got this right though, "Nothing peaceful about blowing up satellites."

  4. Re:Best place to fake a landing these days... by mbone · · Score: 3, Informative

    Uh, we have the LRO, which can image any location on either side of the Moon with 10 cm resolution.

  5. Re:Would make sense for a military base. by RoverDaddy · · Score: 3, Informative

    The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter was launched in 2009 and as far as I can tell it is still orbiting the moon. Its science mission may be finished though. In any case, keeping satellites in permanent orbit near the moon isn't simple, because of gravitational anomalies of the moon:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    --
    RETURN without GOSUB in line 1050