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Chinese, European Space Agencies In Talks To Build a Moon Base (techcrunch.com)
ESA's Pal Hvistendahl has confirmed via Bloomberg that Chinese and European space agencies are talking with one another about plans to build a base on the moon. The discussions "involve working together to build a human-occupied 'moon village' from which both agencies can potentially launch Mars missions, conduct research, and possibly explore commercial mining and tourism projects," reports TechCrunch. From the report: China's upcoming projects in space include a mission to collect samples from the moon via an uncrewed craft by the end of this year, and to also launch an exploratory mission to the far side of the moon next year, with the similar aim of returning samples for study. The ESA's collaboration with China thus far include participating in the study of those returned samples, and potentially sending a European astronaut to the Chinese space station (which is currently unoccupied) at some future date.
There has been a slow, but steadily increasing approach between China and Europe for the last couple of decades, in many ways: trade agreements, Chinese interest in European education and scientific development, even what could be the first, tenuous signs of political alignment. One of the reasons, in my view, is simply that Europe isn't the US - America has for many years employed a very aggressive rhetoric against China, where Europe has been more moderate, and it does seem to have left a lasting impression. On that background, I don't think it is at all surprising that they will build a Moon base together. I think it is great that China shows leadership and determination in this hugely important area; sure, it stings a bit that we in the West aren't in the lead, but I'm sure the Chinese will allow America to take part, when they are ready to commit to it.
Obviously!!! They need to kill the Nazis that have been there since 1945 first.
Sure, but how about some whataboutism for you?
US courts doesn't give a flying fuck about foreign IP so there is outright theft of IP going that way too.
The US tortures political prisoners too.
Religious persecution is being ramped up in the US at the moment with Trumps hate against Muslims.
It is also not very hard to find plenty of countries both in South America and in the Middle East where the US have acted pretty bad.
Now of course this is all just the Government that did it. If you look at average Joe in either country they are all pretty much the same.
What sets the Chinese government aside is that while they aren't exactly democratic and use very strong handed methods to prevent political opposition, unlike other non-democratic countries, they appear to want to make things better for their people.
The same can't be said for the current US government.
Like gunpowder?
The Moon on the other hand is 2 weeks away.
And yet Apollo made it there in 2 & a bit days!
Well duh! That was 50 years years ago. Traffic is hell these days.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
i'm not impressed with Trump, but come on. In less than 100 days he's responsible for NASA not having a vision or funding and not doing manned missions outside of LEO since Apollo? Other countries have goals in space, they've come to the realization that meeting those goals no longer HAS to involve NASA expertise. That's not a situation of Trump's making. I think you can find plenty to pin on him, but not this.
Twenty year ago the Chinese beating us back to the moon would have seemed like a joke to me. Now I'm hoping they make it. Really we have been squatting on this moon pot for far too long. Time to shit or get off the pot, as my grandmother would say.
I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.