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China Successfully Lands Spacecraft On Far Side of the Moon (cnbc.com)
State news agency Xinhua reports that China has successfully landed its Chang'e 4 spacecraft on the far side of the moon on Thursday morning, Beijing time, becoming the first country in history to touch the lunar surface unseen by those on Earth. CNBC reports: The Chang'e 4 mission launched in early December. It took the spacecraft three days to travel to the moon, where it spent the last few weeks in orbit preparing for touch down on the Von Karman crater. The crater is a relatively flat spot on the moon's far side. "China's Chang'e-4 probe softlands on Moon's far side," the state news agency tweeted on Thursday. Citing the China National Space Administration, Xinhua said the space probe, made up of a lander and a rover, "landed at the preselected landing area on the far side of the moon at 10:26 a.m. Beijing Time."
Landing on the far side is a technical challenge, as there is no direct way to communicate with the spacecraft as it nears its target. China put a relay satellite in orbit around the moon in May to overcome that communication challenge. The far side of the moon has been seen and mapped before, even by astronauts of the Apollo missions. But the successful landing of Chang'e 4 represents the first time any spacecraft has touched down on the moon's far side.
Landing on the far side is a technical challenge, as there is no direct way to communicate with the spacecraft as it nears its target. China put a relay satellite in orbit around the moon in May to overcome that communication challenge. The far side of the moon has been seen and mapped before, even by astronauts of the Apollo missions. But the successful landing of Chang'e 4 represents the first time any spacecraft has touched down on the moon's far side.
Be gracious, lad. This is an achievement worthy of a admiration.
Radio telescope without all of the interference from earth. Freedom from satellite surveillance... plenty of reasons
But,.. did they really land on the far side of the moon or are they still shooting the landing sequence in a hanger in Beijing?
It looks like something from Kerbal Space Program... or like it was built in someone's garage. But as long as it accomplishes its mission, what does it matter?
If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
The crater is named for Theodore von Kármán a prominent early rocket scientist who is better known for the Karman Line, the notional point at which the atmosphere becomes too thin to support aeronautical flight. This is also referred to as the point at which space begins and is defined by the FAI at 100km, although the USAF and NASA award outer space badges at 80km and the actual point will vary depending on atmospheric conditions. In that light, it seems quite likely that KSP named their character as a nod to both von Kármán and Werner von Braun, so yes, there is a relation of sorts.
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
If by affirmative action, you mean putting science-denying, religiously-bigoted, morally-bankrupted low-brows on the congressional science funding committees, then yes, affirmative action is more than likely responsible for the USA sliding into decline.
Debate is a form of harassment. Do not question my truth.
The 18th Apollo mission was planned to land on the dark side of the moon.
But according to Senator William Proxmire, supporting Wisconsin cheese farmers was more important, so it got cancelled.
I very much doubt that lunar cheese mines could have competed with Wisconsin, due to the high cost of transport, Grommit.
Jinping: Flunky, we will invade and occupy uninhabited space rocks for the glory of me....errrr...the Chinese Communist Party.
Flunky: Sure thing, Boss-Guy, shall I ready our invasion fleet?
Ping: No, we'll need them for Taiwan, I hear there are free Chinese there and we cannot be having any of that. there's my ego to consider.
Flunky: Boss-Guy? Beijing University suspects there may be free Chinese on space rocks.
Ping: Holy Cow! Taiwan is replicating, I knew it. Get our military on Super Secret High Alert, we must prepare to be boarded.
Flunky: Oh....Beijing University says they are not building any Western do-dads.
Ping: Okay Flunky, cancel the Taiwan thing for now, but threaten them a bit, I feel a bit irritated this morning.
Americans take on big challenges, because they are big challenges. For example, Americans were the first to fly around the world, the first to fly around the world non-stop, the first to fly around the world in a balloon, etc. Why? What's the urgent practical need to do these things?
There is no practical need. As Kennedy said, we do these things because they are hard. China doesn't. That's not part of Chinese culture. China is known for making a million copies of something that the US designed a decade before. Americans traditionally look at something that "can't be done" and try to figure out how to do it. Chinese study the company procedure to see exactly how a task is done, in detail.
The most important thing here is not that Chia succeeded in this attempt, but that they attempted it. There is no immediate need to do this, they did it simply because it is hard. That demonstrates a new attitude in China. It shows the "American spirit", the spirit of bold adventure, in China.
Americans drive to "to boldly go where no one has gone before" has been significant factor in their success over the last hundred years, a differentiator from from most nation's. (Though partly inherited from Europe, then grown and expanded in the US). To see that in China means things are changing. China is getting something that used to be one of the great advantages of the United States.
what did you find...? Missing somthing...?
Pink Floyd. They were irate since they've been waiting there for us since the 70s and were wondering if we would ever show.
> Look at that bundle of wires that will chaff on the sharp aluminum edge.
So I'm not the only one that noticed that and questioned the logic.