China Lands On Moon

Now the Chineese are faking moon landings, jeez how original we did that fifty years ago.
 
Geico266 said:
Sad really. The US has no space program to speak of anymore.
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If you exclude still active or still en route missions of:

  • New Horizons en route to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt
  • Juno en route to Jupiter
  • MAVEN en route to Mars
  • Cassini orbiter around Saturn
  • Mars Odyssey
  • Messenger studying Mercury
  • Opportunity Rover on Mars
  • Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
  • Dawn, studied asteroid Vesta, now en route to asteroid/dwarf planet Ceres
  • Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
  • ARTEMIS P1 and P2 in lunar orbit
  • Curiosity rover on Mars
  • LADEE in lunar orbit

then yes, the U.S. has no space program to speak of. :rolleyes2:
 
What's the big deal? We've got rovers on other planets. We've made multiple manned trips to the moon with technology that's ancient and crude by modern standards. Having more space junk with "Made in China" on it doesn't really bother me in the least.
 
Some of us have never seen a man walk on the moon, besides for recordings.

America has a great space program! There's 2 Americans in Space right now. It's so routine that private companies do it.

I would welcome more American space program though.

Let the second great space race begin!
 
"what's the big deal"?

<sigh> some people have absolutely no vision.
 
So what?

US put a man there with 1960th technology, and brought him back. How hard can it be to send a robot there on a one way trip almost 45 years later?
 
ClimbnSink said:
With Chinese made junk? :rofl:
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:rofl: Maybe that is an accomplishment.

On second thoughts I doubt it's their own technology. They probably copied it from the russians....who successfully sent robots to the moon in the 60th.
 
What if they really meant to do a manned mission and their lander just splattered all over the surface ? In a typical face saving move they at least claim the landing !
 
kyleb said:
Yeah, Mars Rovers and missions to Comets just don't stack up...
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They just don't stand up to manned space flight. Flying drones is all the rage, but manned space flight is special to me. The Gemini and Appollo space programs were "The Right Stuff" .
 
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China repeating a feat we accomplished 40 years ago really doesn't bother me in the slightest. We stopped because there was really no good reason to do it. They'll likely stop for the same reason. The things we are doing we do for very good reason, and perhaps the Chinese will also do those, time will tell.
 
steingar said:
China repeating a feat we accomplished 40 years ago really doesn't bother me in the slightest. We stopped because there was really no good reason to do it. They'll likely stop for the same reason. The things we are doing we do for very good reason, and perhaps the Chinese will also do those, time will tell.
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Exactly, why go to the Moon anymore? Right now it serves no purpose, it would just be more wasteful spending propping up the Military Industrial Complex, pork that we have hundreds of threads complaining about. There is no new knowledge to be gained, there is no economic exploit to be had. Been there, done that, everything to be gained by it has been already gained.
 
Kind of funny how some of the same people that will tell us on other threads that the Federal government can't do anything right and aught to be shut down, are here bemoaning the fact that we don't have astronauts exploring the cosmos for what? Entertainment back home? We now have robotic machines that can do the exploring for us at a fraction the cost and risk and accomplish everything the astronaut could have done and more. The new space program is an example of how the Federal government can do what it needs to do, but more efficiently. All you ultra conservative types should be thrilled we don't have guys out there walking around on Mars at tremendous expense for no real good reason.

The only reason to send people to the Moon, or Mars, or some Jovian Moon is just to show we can. Nothing else. The Apollo program was nothing but a technological show of force to intimidate the Soviets. A side benefit was it was a wonderful distraction for those of us in the US, so we didn't have to think about Viet Nam, or civil unrest, or the imminent threat of nuclear annihilation.

Having said all that, I am a huge fan of NASA and space exploration. I too am impressed with the Apollo program and I would love to see us on course to put men on Mars. Not because it would accomplish a damn thing, but rather just because we can. Our country could use a bit of "can do" attitude and a positive distraction right now and it would be far better than Shock and Awe with yet another dumb ass little country occupied.

I am conservative, but I am not one of those that believes the Federal government can't do anything right and that it should be abolished. The space program is exactly the sort of thing the Federal government is for. There was no State, nor were there any private enterprises that would have ever put men on the Moon. None.
 
ClimbnSink said:
The theme park on the moon from Futurama looks fun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60BjkUtqxPE
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Sure, when Disney gets around to building a park on the moon and running a space cruise there and back, then there will be a reason. Until then, not so much so... Let private industry colonize space, they are the only ones who know how to do anything, right?
 
For the people who think the only reason to go to the moon, mars, or into space is to show we can... you just don't get it, you have no imagination.
 
Henning said:
Sure, when Disney gets around to building a park on the moon and running a space cruise there and back, then there will be a reason. Until then, not so much so... Let private industry colonize space, they are the only ones who know how to do anything, right?
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Commercial space tourism might be the best way to revitalize space exploration. Build a golf course and a decent hotel on the moon, market lunar vacations to the obscenely wealthy, and use their money to further space exploration.

-Rich
 
RJM62 said:
Commercial space tourism might be the best way to revitalize space exploration. Build a golf course and a decent hotel on the moon, market lunar vacations to the obscenely wealthy, and use their money to further space exploration.

-Rich
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Golf course on the moon would be the ticket, golfers have money and are self absorbed enough to want bragging right to 'driving the ball a mile'.:rofl:
 
Americans should take this as a warning to the technology ability of China. Satellite landing on the moon more difficult than ICBM in your back yard.
 
Bob Noel said:
For the people who think the only reason to go to the moon, mars, or into space is to show we can... you just don't get it, you have no imagination.
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Really? What am I missing? What can an astronaut walking around on the surface of the Moon do that a robot can't, other than cost a factor of 10 higher, have to go home soon and potentially die due to the devastating environment?

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for manned space exploration, but we need to be realistic about it. It really serves little benefit at this point and time other than to inspire and entertain people back home. I think we need that now. We need to have something to show the kids that science is cool and we're not just a corrupt, inept, dying empire. We need something that nearly everyone can be proud of. It's all good, just don't claim that sending people on long range space missions is good for science at this point in time. Robots are far more effective at the hard science.
 
steingar said:
China repeating a feat we accomplished 40 years ago really doesn't bother me in the slightest. We stopped because there was really no good reason to do it. They'll likely stop for the same reason. The things we are doing we do for very good reason, and perhaps the Chinese will also do those, time will tell.
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We still house and feed a few hundred people (tax free I might add) at McMurdo Station, of which maybe three or four do anything useful for our society.

And who knows how many other useless things on borrowed money.

Don't think "uselessness" is going to fly as a sound reason for not doing something, with the current bumper-crop of politicians who **** money away like it's dirt.

There are a number of studies showing significant "uselessness" in continuing to fund higher Ed. You for cutting the government umbilical on that?

(Generally I'm fine with cutting all of it. I'm just pointing out that you're playing favorites with a reasoning that can be applied to government across the board. Why pick on only manned space flight? Be an equal opportunity "uselessness" cutter! ;) )
 
Dav8or said:
Really? What am I missing? What can an astronaut walking around on the surface of the Moon do that a robot can't, other than cost a factor of 10 higher, have to go home soon and potentially die due to the devastating environment?
.
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Missing? exploration.

Why bother actually visiting the Grand Canyon? you can just see pictures and videos. etc etc.
 
Bob Noel said:
Missing? exploration.

Why bother actually visiting the Grand Canyon? you can just see pictures and videos. etc etc.
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That was Bob Ballards realization. He had a marine biologist on the bottom of the ocean in that little sub and the guy was watching the video monitor instead of looking out the window.
 
Bob Noel said:
Missing? exploration.

Why bother actually visiting the Grand Canyon? you can just see pictures and videos. etc etc.
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What's left to explore on the Moon, and why do we need to send a human at hugely exaggerated costs to do it? The reality is that the video monitor can show us more than our eyes can ever see in spectrums that are invisible to us. Human exploration of the moon has already been done, if there was something to exploit, private industry would do that, right? Reality is we haven't found anything within our reach in space that is economically exploitable.
 
Henning said:
What's left to explore on the Moon, and why do we need to send a human at hugely exaggerated costs to do it? The reality is that the video monitor can show us more than our eyes can ever see in spectrums that are invisible to us. Human exploration of the moon has already been done, if there was something to exploit, private industry would do that, right? Reality is we haven't found anything within our reach in space that is economically exploitable.
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...yet.

But I would argue that manned exploration and colonization of other worlds is our eventual path if we want to continue to advance ourselves as a species. Because of that, I believe it is the most worthwhile thing we as a people can put our time and resources into.

The moon and mars will just be practice areas and jumping off points for the real adventure ahead. Probably not in our lifetimes... but maybe our children's... maybe...
 
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