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China Set To Launch First-Ever Spacecraft to the Far Side of the Moon, Will Attempt To Grow Plant There (scientificamerican.com)
AmiMoJo writes: Later this week, China plans to launch its Chang'e-4 spacecraft to the far side of the lunar surface. The aim is to land a rover on the dark side of the moon for the first time. Blocked from direct communication with the Earth, the lander and rover will depend on China's Queqiao communication satellite launched in May. If the landing is successful, the mission's main job will be to investigate this side of the lunar surface, which is peppered with many small craters. The lander will also conduct the first radio astronomy experiments from the far side of the Moon -- and the first investigations to see whether plants will grow in the low-gravity lunar environment.
The ultimate goal of the China National Space Administration (CNSA) is to create a Moon base for future human exploration there, although it has not announced when that might happen. Chang'e-4 will be the country's second craft to 'soft' land on the lunar surface, following Chang'e-3's touchdown in 2013.
The ultimate goal of the China National Space Administration (CNSA) is to create a Moon base for future human exploration there, although it has not announced when that might happen. Chang'e-4 will be the country's second craft to 'soft' land on the lunar surface, following Chang'e-3's touchdown in 2013.
No way they'll succeed. The secret moon base on the far side of the moon will blow up that spacecraft before it gets close. Gotta make it look like an accident though!
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Actually, the dark side of the moon gets more sunlight than the side that faces Earth.
Politics; n. : A religion whereby man is god.
The "dark" side of the moon is the one that's tidally locked to point away from the earth. It gets the same amount of direct sunlight (although less total light, because it doesn't get reflected earth light.) It has more small craters because it gets hit more often (although the earth doesn't shield it that much) by meteorites.
TL;DR dark meaning unknown or mysterious, not dim.
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Thank you! It should be called "The Far Side of the Moon". The moon's day is 29 days, 12 hours and 44 minutes long, which is how long it takes to circle the earth and end up in the same position with respect to the sun. Note: It's longer than a lunar month because in that time the earth travels almost 1/12 of the way around the sun and the moon has to make up that distance.
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Hopefully this will start a new space race, and focus the US on kicking ass in space. We're the only ones to successfully land on Mars, but we shouldn't get lazy and stop boldly going where... Dammit. ST:TNG marathon is what I'll be doing now.
Being that, from time to time, the Earth blocks light from the sun to the moon (a lunar eclipse), the other side gets more light.
I don't think so. Lunar eclipses occur so infrequently that the total amount of light blocked is inconsequential.
Meanwhile, the nearside gets "earthshine": reflected sunlight from the earth. The earth is much bigger than the moon, and the albedo of earth's clouds is much higher than lunar regolith, so earthshine on the moon is much brighter than moonshine on the earth.
Ergo, the nearside gets more light.
There are easier places on Earth to grow pot.
There's an International agreement in place for a long time now 'preventing' such a thing from happening, but that only works if every nation on Earth continues to honor it, it's not like it's a binding agreement in any way shape or form.
Considering the way China behaves overall, I wouldn't put it past them, though, to establish a 'colony' (read as: fortified military base) on the Moon, then try to claim the entire Moon as Chinese territory.
Then why is it dark?
Perhaps because it only faces the sun at night.
Technically it's not "dark side" but "far side", just people's habits are hard to change and it's not like the only language imprecision out there.
Remind me how many far away lands with no historical Chinese identity China has laid claim to, compared to say the USA or UK. China has shown little interest in being even a global military power, their interests are simply the South China Sea and Taiwan and other small islands they've long laid claim to but not had the power to assert the claim before.
If there were a reason to militarize space, you can bet the USA as the world's arms dealer would've done it already. The reason there's no military installation in space is that it makes no tactical sense. It makes your weapons more visible than they are on the ground, and it takes a hell of a lot longer for the weapon to hit the Earth target if you launch it from the moon than if you launch an ICBM from your home country.
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It will be harder for anyone to spy on a base on the far side of the moon and doing so would come at a higher cost.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
Ask Tibet! When the Chinese arrive in your country they don't tend to leave.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
If you made alcohol on the Moon using an illegal still, would the product be called "earthshine"?
Actually, the dark side of the moon gets more sunlight than the side that faces Earth.
Then why is it dark?
Perhaps because it only faces the sun at night.
It's dark, as in unknown.
Anyway, in the sun would instantly fry the plant without tremendous cooling, so shadow with heater and artificial light is needed.
Testing growth in low gravity is largely pointless. Of far greater interest is how much nutrient needs to be added for successful growth in lunar soil (in above containment unit.)
For that matter, will plants grown in lunar soil be hopelessly impregnated with millions of micro shards, all very sharp like glass, which never got worn down by erosion, unlike on Earth?
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.