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China EU Moon Communications Earth Space

Chinese, European Space Agencies In Talks To Build a Moon Base (techcrunch.com) 88

Posted by BeauHD from the takes-two-to-tango dept.
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.
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Chinese, European Space Agencies In Talks To Build a Moon Base More

Chinese, European Space Agencies In Talks To Build a Moon Base

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  • Duh! (Score:2)

    by ls671 ( 1122017 )

    Seriously?

    It seems obvious that will come one day or the other. Just watch 2001: A Space Odyssey

  • There needs to be more of this (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Space exploration is both dangerous and expensive. By working together it will save on costs and reduce the dangers inherent with building 2 separate things. The americans stuffed up by not letting the chinese work with them on the ISS.... but at the same time they allowed the russians... wtf?

    Interestingly, while the chinese and americans don't cooperate on the ISS, the chinese can dock with the ISS because the interlocks were built by the russians for their Soyuz rockets which the chinese use too so who kn

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      The Chinese can't dock with the Russians because of the Russians building anything. They can dock (and the Americans could too when we were flying the Shuttle) because they all use the same standard design. This was actually part of the justification for the Apollo-Soyuz test program way, back in the day. Aside from Detente, the program also proved that the USSR and the USA could build hatches to the same standard and successfully dock.

      In other words, the docking ability is no happy coincidence based on

  • Chinese-European partnership (Score:5, Interesting)

    by jandersen ( 462034 ) on Thursday April 27, 2017 @03:53AM (#54311331)

    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.

    • This is true. The US has burned some bridges with it's foreign policy regarding China. But, before we lament what that means for future opportunities, it's worth recalling why; from the outright theft of IP, to humanitarian concerns regarding political prisoners, religious persecution, Tibet, freedom of navigation in the Global Commons that is the South China Sea, and including their tolerance for the North Korean situation. China may become a player in space exploration, that's unavoidable at this point,

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward

        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

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by jez9999 ( 618189 )

          Religious persecution is being ramped up in the US at the moment with Trumps hate against Muslims.

          Muslims' ideology is despicable. Do you have a problem with hate against Nazis?

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      "There has been a slow, but steadily increasing approach between China and Europe for the last couple of decades" -- you can say that about China and the USA just as readily, no news there. The trade agreement breakthrough for China was entrance in to the World Trade Organization in 2001, not anything special to Europe (or the USA).

    • wait until you increase your trade with them. You will be sorry.

  • US may end up being the one out on a limb (Score:2)

    by Anonymous Coward

    The US has spent decades keeping China closed out from space. The "International Space Station" is really the "Anyone except China Space Station".

    Its possible that this new development may end up turning that on its head -- the US won't work with China in Space, but just as much as China can't join any US-led project, it also means that the US will not be able to join in any Chinese project. If the Europeans and others are joining those projects, the US is going to find themselves out in the cold.

    The US has

    • NASA specifically is not playing with China, its an official policy, that was caused by China nicking quite a bit of defense related know-how.

      • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

        by Anonymous Coward

        Like gunpowder?

  • Predictions (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Europe doesn't like Chinese taking control, so they quit

  • still enjoy that old game

  • On the moon we're going to build a YMCA!!!!!!! He he he; exclaimed the hardhat guy.

  • Before they start throwing rocks at us.

  • We are so far away from a "moon base" it is ridiculous. Simply supplying it would be a nightmare. Never might actually getting there, never mind actually constructing something, never mind about a million other things... I don't see it happening in my lifetime.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jez9999 ( 618189 )

      That's how the US got to the moon! That's how we invented velcro! With a "no can do" attitude. Keep going, man.

    • Getting stuff there, i.e. habituate and keeping it supplied, is probably the least difficult part of it. It's a fairly shallow gravity well that puts the costs at not much more (less than twice) that of putting a satellite in Geostationary orbit.

      Getting the actual people there (and back) is the costly part. "Stuff" doesn't require four or five levels of fail-safe. "Stuff" doesn't need to take a shit or get sick or argue about politics.

      I do see it happening in my lifetime, and I'm pretty fucking old

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by Jeremi ( 14640 )

        Getting the actual people there (and back) is the costly part. "Stuff" doesn't require four or five levels of fail-safe. "Stuff" doesn't need to take a shit or get sick or argue about politics.

        Then the solution seems pretty straightforward: send only "stuff" up there for the first few years.

        Once the "stuff" has organized itself (because robots) and is looking pretty good, then send up some human beings, if you still want to. They can walk right into to their prefab moon-hotel.

  • They figure out how to deal with the abrasive moon dust? What are the advantages of a moon base vs an orbiting space station?

    • Well, the Moon gives you gravity. Not a lot, but it's still far better than free fall. You drop something, you pick it up off the floor instead of worrying about another piece of space junk in proximity to your craft. It also gives you a support structure on which to build stuff (though that's really only important because of the gravity, I suppose). And it could be a supply of materials so you don't have to haul everything from Earth. And if you build your base in a polar crater, you can get more or l

  • At least the EU and the PRC are putting all that money they saved on the International (sic) Space Station that the US paid the lion share for and are putting it to good use.

  • All Your Bases Are Belong to Us!

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