China's Chang'E 2 Succeeds In Thrilling Asteroid Flyby

Zothecula writes "China has now joined the very select group of countries to have succeeded in carrying out an interplanetary probe mission. According to reports from China's official news agency Xinhua, the Chang'E 2 probe passed a mere 3.2 km (2 miles) from the near-Earth asteroid Toutatis at 8:30:09 GMT on December 13, making it the closest asteroid flyby to date ... and resulting in some remarkable photographs."

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

This was done better and cheaper than the USA could have accomplished.

Don't forget, this is the Chinese with a history of faking scientific discoveries and other things.

When it's independently verified, then I'll believe it.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

But has it been confirmed by Netcraft?

Re:

[K. S. Kyosuke]

Why would you want Netcraft to prove that the Chinese probe is dying?

Re:

[Talderas]

Well. Since the summary states this is an interplanetary probe and since I didn't RTFA to verify that is the statement that China issued. I must assume that China is lying since asteroids are not planets and thus this is not a valid interplanetary target.

Re:All hail our new Chinese overlords

[tgd]

This was done better and cheaper than the USA could have accomplished.

Don't forget, this is the Chinese with a history of faking scientific discoveries and other things.

When it's independently verified, then I'll believe it.

Astronomers have been tracking it for months... There's no faking going on.

What they didn't mention --

[Andy Prough]

North Korea's spaceship was doing donuts around the asteroid by the time the Chinese got there. Glorious Leader's spaceship is much faster and more agile than anything the Chinese could come up with.

Re:

[K. S. Kyosuke]

North Korea's spaceship was doing donuts around the asteroid by the time the Chinese got there. Glorious Leader's spaceship is much faster and more agile than anything the Chinese could come up with.

And obviously, it has even better stealth capability than a Chinese teapot in the same orbit.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

This was done better and cheaper than the USA could have accomplished.

Don't forget, this is the Chinese with a history of faking scientific discoveries and other things.

When it's independently verified, then I'll believe it.

Its "faked" because no one likes the fact the chinese do most everything better than everyone else and the "fakes" are usually discovered by americans who need to always prove they are the best country on the planet. Whether it be faking having proof other countries fake stuff so they can feel superior, or rolling in the military to a under forced nation which is like mike tyson in a school yard.

You just have fallen for propoganda is all and yet another mindless drone marching to someone elses drum because

Re:All hail our new Chinese overlords

[medcalf]

China is an interesting problem, and I don't just mean geopolitically. On the one hand, China indisputably has been making incredible strides on applied science and engineering in space and in military matters, as well as economic progress and progress in controlling diseases. On the other hand, they've also lied through their teeth about each of these things, and so it's very hard to trust Chinese assertions without independent verification. Thinking about how far China has come since beginning liberalization just a scant couple of decades ago, the potential is enormous, and overall likely quite positive for mankind as a whole. In order to get there, though, China's self-confidence will have to improve to allow them to admit mistakes, and to get over some of the racial tics they have. I think, too, that it's likely that somewhere in the next thirty years, the Communist Party will lose its monopoly on power. That has to happen as they transition to a relatively free market, which is a path they are already on. In essence, I see China now as basically S. Korea in the 1970s, in political and socio-economic terms. Once they get to where S. Korea was in the 1990s, it's going to be amazing to see what China can do.

Re:

[Squidlips]

Not like South Korea at all. More like an oppressive capitalist dictatorship. There is nothing Communist left except for Stalinist paranoia and control.

Re:All hail our new Chinese overlords

[medcalf]

South Korea in the 1970s was an oppressive capitalist dictatorship (specifically, a right-wing, military one).

Re:

[DRJlaw]

South Korea in the 1970s was an oppressive capitalist dictatorship (specifically, a right-wing, military one).

So you appear to be agreeing that China is really quite similar...

Re:

[Squidlips]

And that is why in the 70's the populace of South Korea migrated in doves to North Korea to get away from the oppressive dictators and flock to the worker's paradise of North Korea. In fact that is why North Korea has all that barbed wire along the border, to keep out the South Korean fleeing their oppressive government...

Re:

[Hognoxious]

You're saying that they invented a load of clever stuff as Europe was collapsing into the dark ages and then sat on their arses pretending to be dumb as shit until the last couple of decades, and this was all a cunning plan?

Re:

[MichaelSmith]

When it's independently verified, then I'll believe it.

NASA released a radar image [nasa.gov] which agrees with the visuals.

Re:

[Colonel Korn]

This was done better and cheaper than the USA could have accomplished.

Citation needed.

Re:

[Squidlips]

Sure when you can steal and copy all the technology it is easy... Also since when did the Chinese open up their launches and mission control to the international press?

Closest?

[Anonymous Coward]

How can 3.2km be the closest asteroid flyby when Hayabusa returned a sample from an asteroid?
http://www.space.com/9538-asteroid-dust-successfully-returned-japanese-space-probe.html
I guess I'll have to RTFA...

Re:

[DNS-and-BIND]

Because China is always better than Japan.

Quick test: ask any Chinese who beat Japan in WWII. The island-hopping campaign, the atom bombs, and the Soviet invasion of Manchuria had nothing to do with it. Nope, Mao Zedong all the way. Despite the fact that he fought the Japanese, like, twice during the whole war.

Re:

[tgd]

How can 3.2km be the closest asteroid flyby when Hayabusa returned a sample from an asteroid?
http://www.space.com/9538-asteroid-dust-successfully-returned-japanese-space-probe.html [space.com]
I guess I'll have to RTFA...

Arguably that's a fly-to, not a fly-by.

Re:

[IndustrialComplex]

More than that though:

1. Fly-to
2. Fly-hi!
3. Fly-bye!

Re:

[MichaelSmith]

Maybe they are pointing to the impressive guidance needed to pass an object at 3.2km range and 10 km/s speed.

Re:

[FhnuZoag]

Well, Hayabusa was a specific asteroid probe sent on a seven year mission to an asteroid in its orbit. Chang'E 2 was a lunar orbital probe launched in 2010 that was redirected from its parking orbit in April to approach Toutatis at the last minute when the asteroid happened to come close to Earth. The two are very different types of missions.

Re:

[Thiez]

Do you have a point? Because it sounds like you're fishing (somewhat desperately) for a rather far-fetched doom-scenario just to get a chance to call China irresponsible.

Guess what, asteroids don't make any sudden movements, so there isn't any real danger of crashing into it unless you're completely incompetent, which the Chinese are not (despite many slashdotters baseless assertions to the contrary). Besides, it's a 50000000000000 kg rock, a collision with a small probe won't even make it blink.

Re:

[MichaelSmith]

Would a crashing satellite have enough energy to fling it out of its orbit and make it deviate towards earth or moon?

No it would be like an extra air molecule hitting a truck.

Pah

[polyp2000]

It just a piece of Ginger Root scaled at different sizes!

N

Re:

[Tablizer]

Hell, even our big conspiracies are now Made in China!

Artist's conception of an angry starfish

[Impy the Impiuos Imp]

Another damned link that talks about photos, MOTHER FUCKER THEY'RE AMAZING PHOTOS!!!!, and then doesn't provide them.

It does provide an artist's conception...of the spacecraft.

Re:

[thereitis]

If this thrilling flyby is real, their PR department should be fired.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Its here: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/photo/2012-12/16/c_132043872_6.htm
They only linked to this in TFA, so you are right, but this time its easy to find it.

Re:

[ColdWetDog]

Hell, I've got one of those in my refrigerator.

Re:

[19thNervousBreakdown]

Speaking of the photos, you'd think that a rag called "gizmag" would know that the usage is "cum" and not "come" as it appears in the caption. I'd give a link, but ... well, I'll let someone else search for "cum" at work.

Re:

[Alex Belits]

I dare you to produce a list of things around you, cool or otherwise, that do not contain something made in China.

Location of photos... WTF

[HockeyPuck]

Ok.. so I went to the article and saw the link to the Chinese site with the pics... http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/photo/2012-12/16/c_132043872_6.htm [xinhuanet.com]

All I can say is WTF... while the picture of the asteroid is interesting. There's a dozen photo galleries below it with photos that I would NOT want to be shared with friends and family...

For example... an "Underwear Show" "Top Bikini babes..." "Contortionist..."

Time to find another site without the BS...

Re:

[Old Wolf]

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/Toutatis-Revealed-by-Chinese-Spacecraft-183673171.html [skyandtelescope.com]

Re:

[ygtai]

That's also what amazed me and gave me the doubt of credibility at first. However, Xinhua Net is one of China's official news agency...

Re:

[_merlin]

Cultural hangups. In China that's all completely harmless. Your mum would be more worried if she didn't catch you checking out photos of underwear shows.

Re:

[iggymanz]

I for one welcome our new lingerie clad nubile asian minx overlords

How is this "the closest asteroid flyby to date"?

[runeghost]

Chang'E's flyby of 4179 Toutatis is certainly an impressive feat. But, given that Hayabusa took samples while several meters above the surface of 25143 Itokawa, and that NEAR-Shoemaker actually landed on 433 Eros, I don't see how the term "closest" (which the article uses as well as the summary) can apply. Unless they mean "the asteroid flyby mission that took place nearest to Earth," which, while interesting, doesn't seem to be how this is being presented.

Re:

[Colonel Korn]

Chang'E's flyby of 4179 Toutatis is certainly an impressive feat. But, given that Hayabusa took samples while several meters above the surface of 25143 Itokawa, and that NEAR-Shoemaker actually landed on 433 Eros, I don't see how the term "closest" (which the article uses as well as the summary) can apply. Unless they mean "the asteroid flyby mission that took place nearest to Earth," which, while interesting, doesn't seem to be how this is being presented.

Some of the source articles from which Gizmag stole this story referred to this being the closest flyby of this particular asteroid. The wording was such that when I first skimmed one of them even I thought the claim was that this was the closest approach to any asteroid. When I went back and parsed the whole sentence it became much clearer - Gizmag must never have read their sources carefully.

Re:

[Squidlips]

Well I am sure that some of the new agencies and their reporters there at Chinese mission control, such as Reuters and AP, could clear this up...oh wait....this was a Stalinist mission and closed to press. And I am sure that the only reason we are getting any information from these paranoid nut jobs is that the mission was successful.

Re:

[Bomazi]

You can't compare the two scenarios.

In a flyby the probe is moving really fast relative to the asteroid. It thus can't produce enough delta-v for a last minute avoidance maneuver. The trajectory is determined well before the encounter. How close you can safely get depends on how accurately you can predict the asteroid path. A few kilometers at close approach with a reasonably low risk of collision is pretty good.

If you enter orbit first the situation is completely different. You can gradually lower the orbi

Re:

[Bomazi]

I realize I should have just said that a flyby and an orbit are two different things, and that the article is therefore correct. Explaining why it is easier to get close to an object when you are orbiting around it than when you are flying past it is irrelevant.

P.S.
I hope that the reason /. doesn't have an edit button is because Bezos patented it. Seriously guys, it is 2012.

Re:

[Hognoxious]

A small village in Gaul that's holding out against the might of Rome.

Dupe

[hackertourist]

one [slashdot.org]

two [slashdot.org]

in the other news...

[hackingbear]

Slashdot editors' memory is getting really short. This is essentially the same story already post just two days ago! And nothing new in this one.

Using stolen technology

[Squidlips]

Before you anoint our Chinese overlords, be aware that most of this technology was stolen from NASA/JPL. There is a reason China was (basically) kicked out of NASA

Re:

[Squidlips]

So then you agree that China stole the technology for this mission. It is indeed pretty obvious. Your masters in the Chinese Water Army will not be happy. But the mission is impressive in that it is not easy to steal this information and clone the technology. But before we get too excited, let's see the Chinese open these missions to the world press....HA!

Re:

[cusco]

kicked out of NASA

Considering your other ignorant and racist comments in the thread I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you're unaware NASA isn't a multi-national organization. That first 'N' in the name? It stands for 'National'. China was never a 'member' of NASA that could be kicked out, no other country ever was.

Re:

[Squidlips]

No. I was referring to: "Congress Bans Scientific Collaboration with China, Cites High Espionage Risks" http://www.forbes.com/sites/williampentland/2011/05/07/congress-bans-scientific-collaboration-with-china-cites-high-espionage-risks/ [forbes.com] If China continues to be a closed society that prohibits access by the free press to its space ventures (and everything else), why the heck should we give them free access to NASA technology?

Re:

[Squidlips]

Nice try taking it out of context. That is why I said "basically". Here is the background: "Congress Bans NASA from Collaborating with China, Citing Espionage Concerns" http://www.geekosystem.com/congress-bans-china-science-collaboration/ [geekosystem.com]

Thrilling Asteroid Flyby; Engrish Funny

[Ol Biscuitbarrel]

"China has now joined the select group of countries have been successful interplanetary exploration missions. According to China's official news agency, Xinhua News Agency reported, Chang'e II detector by only 3.2 km (2 miles) from near Toutatisat 8:30:09 on December 13 GMT Earth asteroid, it is the closest asteroid flying over ... as well as the resulting photos. "

A pock of lips

[Tablizer]

on December 13, making it the closest asteroid flyby to date

A record to be shattered on the 21st...
   

They were probably aiming for it

[Hamsterdan]

And when they find the probe, there's gonna be a *made in china* sticker on it :p

gravitational push

[MrKaos]

It was just a little gravitational push that the probe exerted on this asteroid. I wonder how much closer to the earth it will be when it comes around in 145 years time?

Re:

[MrKaos]

Less than the size of your dick.

So you're thinking of my dick near your asteroid, hmmmm, yes, that is quite a huge mass to move.