China Launches Ambitious Mission To Land On Moon and Return Samples To Earth (cbsnews.com) 65
BeerFartMoron shares a report from CBS News: China launched its most ambitious moon mission yet Monday: a robotic spacecraft expected to land on the lunar surface by the end of the week. The spacecraft is expected to collect about four pounds of rock and soil samples, and return them to Earth next month for laboratory analysis. If successful, the Chang'e 5 mission will make China only the third nation, after the United States and the former Soviet Union, to bring moon rocks back to Earth. It will also be the first to attempt the feat since Russia's Luna 24 in 1976.
The 8,335-pound Chang'e 5 spacecraft, named after the mythical Chinese goddess of the moon, is made up of four major components: a lunar orbiter, a sample return craft, a lander carrying science instruments and sample collection equipment, and a small ascent vehicle mounted atop the lander to carry the collected surface samples back up to orbit. The Chang'e 5 lander features multiple cameras, a spectrometer to assess the composition of the soil near the spacecraft and a ground-penetrating radar. A robot arm is equipped with a percussive drill and scoop to pick up excavated rock and soil. Working by remote control from Earth, engineers will use the arm to move collected samples up to the ascent vehicle, which then will blast off, rendezvous with the Chang'e 5 orbiter and transfer the sample to the return craft for the trip back to Earth. Landing in Inner Mongolia is expected around December 16. From there, the samples will be transferred to specially equipped laboratories for analysis.
The 8,335-pound Chang'e 5 spacecraft, named after the mythical Chinese goddess of the moon, is made up of four major components: a lunar orbiter, a sample return craft, a lander carrying science instruments and sample collection equipment, and a small ascent vehicle mounted atop the lander to carry the collected surface samples back up to orbit. The Chang'e 5 lander features multiple cameras, a spectrometer to assess the composition of the soil near the spacecraft and a ground-penetrating radar. A robot arm is equipped with a percussive drill and scoop to pick up excavated rock and soil. Working by remote control from Earth, engineers will use the arm to move collected samples up to the ascent vehicle, which then will blast off, rendezvous with the Chang'e 5 orbiter and transfer the sample to the return craft for the trip back to Earth. Landing in Inner Mongolia is expected around December 16. From there, the samples will be transferred to specially equipped laboratories for analysis.
Beware! (Score:5, Funny)
They are stealing the moon and selling it by the gram on AliExpress!
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Cool, I want some moon! Go China!
You'd think... (Score:2)
...that they'd pick the Tranquility Base site so that they could have the amazing propaganda coup of proving the American landings didn't actually happen.
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Oh, and please think for 30 seconds before modding that to obscurity...
Re:You didn't think... (Score:2)
My neighbor's barber has a son stationed in Area 51 that said they were cordoning off a large area near Groom Lake so the Chinese can land there at night and pretend to scoop up lunar soil, just to keep the whole Moon Landing conspiracy secret. The whole thing will be filmed in slow motion to simulate the difference in gravity.
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Truer than you might think. NASA put out a statement saying that they hope the Chinese will share whatever knowledge and material they collect with them, but of course NASA has been forced to block the Chinese from participation in things like the ISS.
NASA may have to just buy the journals and samples like everyone else, unless the Chinese feel like taking the moral high ground on this one.
*Yawn*... (Score:1)
It's a small step for a robot, and a giant big-there-done-that nonevent for robotkind.
Forward progress (Score:2)
And one of many valuable steppings stone on the 23-nation ISECG roadmap to putting a moon base and proof-of-concept oxygen refinery on the moon by 2035.
Best summary I've found: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
Makes sense (Score:1)
Re: Makes sense (Score:1)
Re: Makes sense (Score:1)
Re: Makes sense (Score:1)
Re: Makes sense (Score:1)
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Given what they've done to both the people of earth, and the earth itself ...
Per capita, China produces less than half the pollution that America does.
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The real problem is that America and most of the west continues to drop, while China continues to grow theirs. This year, America should be in the 14s, POSSIBLY, 13s. China will be in the 9s, possibly higher.
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The US has peaked and is on the down side of the curve. China is still developing rapidly and on the up side of the curve.
The important thing is that China's agreed target is to peak lower than the US did and to fall back faster. It's unrealistic to expect China to forgo development and not bring standards of living up to Western ones, but it is reasonable to ask them to not repeat our mistakes and to plan for a sustainable future.
China's goals are quite aggressive and they are on track to meet them.
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And China IS a developed nation.
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Per capita, China produces less than half the pollution that America does.
Per-capita makes no difference to the outcome, and rewards countries for over-population.
Emissions per sq.km of arable land would be a better metric.
Aside from city states like Hong Kong and Singapore, and the gulf states, I think Lebanon might be the worst offender on earth.
Re: Makes sense (Score:1)
citation needed
Re: Makes sense (Score:2)
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China should focus on Quality Assurance (Score:3)
They should have a new cultural revolution. Might take 25 years. Focus on changing engineering culture. They should not do this everywhere but just have a strong movement for at least 10% of production. Quality Assurance is about not taking peoples words or promises but rather rigorous testing. The cultural change they need to enact is one of accountability, pride, and the dishonor of those that cheat. They need an Elite. Further they need to change how they deal with trademarks and counterfeiting.Nothing wrong with knockoffs but you can't pretend it's the genuine article. You have to compete with performance. The Chinese if they wanted to could easily match the Japaneese and even the Germans in quality. But it would require a cultural change to their work philosophy.
Otherwise any other achievement is a joke. What good is building a thousand missiles if only 50 make it to the target.
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Naomi Wu [wikipedia.org] seems to have the proper mindset, if what she says in her videos is really what she thinks. She's ashamed and annoyed about low-quality Chinese products, for example.
Re: China should focus on Quality Assurance (Score:1)
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Re: China should focus on Quality Assurance (Score:2)
Exactly. Check out Fully Charged on YouTube where Robert Llewellyn reviews the new MG5.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=... [youtube.com]
Re: China should focus on Quality Assurance (Score:2)
They already have good quality in some areas like electric cars, but in general also have poor quality since there is demand for the lower cost.
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They have already done this. Do you think iPhones are low quality because they are made in China? Of course not, the Chinese will happily engineer things to the highest standards if you are willing to pay.
Gamer's Nexus did a series of videos on Chinese and Taiwanese factories. They are well worth watching. Those guys are very professional and they go into detail about the amount of QA they do for companies that want quality products. I remember being particularly impressed by one of the PSU makers that OEMs
But we said we wouldn't (Score:2)
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"First come first served, like hamberders. China can find their own moon, I did. Stealing moons is for total losers. They put The Virus on it also, the underhanded infected sh*thole cheaters! It's ours! Git off! #MMGA!"
Five bucks (Score:2)
Re: Five bucks (Score:3)
You obviously have no faith in your own opinion if you're only going to put 5 bucks on it.
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Re: Five bucks (Score:2)
Back at ya.
50 years ago (Score:4, Informative)
You have to hand it to the Russians for doing this in the early 1970's. It's not something the US has achieved yet. (We were focused on sending people at the time.)
Kinda weird no? (Score:2)
Re:50 years ago (Score:4, Interesting)
Well, let's see. The Soviet-era Luna probes returned around 300g of soil and dust (between three missions). So this'll bring back 6x as much. So that's a bit more impressive. ...Of course, the Apollo missions brought back over 1000x as much, so they have a way to go.
Why? (Score:1)
It would appear that 1969-1972 were the golden years for men on the moon. This is the 21st century. What gives? Shouldn't there have been a woman on the moon by now?
Did aliens on Star Trek TOS scare people so much that we abandoned exploring strange new worlds?
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why does a biological female on the moon have to be a goal? what does that get scientific progress? sounds like a political agenda.
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why does a biological female on the moon have to be a goal?
How about first interracial lesbian kiss on the moon?
Bonus points for green and/or blue skin.
what does that get scientific progress? sounds like a political agenda.
Think of the ratings!
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I think kirk and uhura already took care of this.
No... Kirk and Uhura had the first heterosexual interracial kiss (unless you consider Kirk to be a pussy).
According to William Shatner's Star Trek Memories [goodreads.com], it wasn't even a real kiss - it was a Hollywood illusion.
Shatner also admits in his book that many cast members (including himself) were regularly under the influence of LSD while filming the series.
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Doesn't matter if "stage kiss", which is as old a plays.
The kiss was in the story, and was first for TV.
Funny (Score:2)