SCI/TECH: China to Moon in 2007

Yeah but you forget, a few things;

1. The USA has such a massive GNP it can afford a very well funded space program.
   
2. We've been playing this game for a lot longer, so we've got expirience.
   
3. We've actually landed on the moon. (Don't tell me those were fake, thats another conspiracy)
   
4. We've got quite a few friends of our own, like the Europeans.
   
5. Zap!!!
   

Either way it would be a pretty close race, which means both sides would go very far in a very short amount of time. Probably second only to aliens just throwing technology at us.

It would be like a Dominoe effect. one country pushes another, that country pushes another, and on and on. hopefully we can have what I guess you could call World Space Race 1. Hmm... doesn't sound as good as World War 1, but still. If we could have a world-wide Space-race... that would just be awesome. I have a feeling, though, that some countries like Tonga won't make it very far.

Lol, well Tonga has to start somewhere.

A world wide space race would be flat out awesome. Hmm... heres an idea. We divide the worlds nations into teams, led by the worlds leading technological nations. For example; Canada, Mexico and a few others would be on a team led by the US. Then say Uzebekistan, Ukraine and Poland could be on a team led by Russia, and so on.

And the winner gets a shiny new medal, along with ownership of say, half the moon.

I'd rather have Winner gets dibs on Mars... Second gets the Moon... and third is just SOL.

bush is liable to attack China just to stop them from going there.

Daedalus3
India's also got a lunar orbital mission planned for around the same time frame..

Nasa is sending there moon orbiter in 2008, called lunar reconnaissance orbiter (LRO).

Esa has one there now called SMART-1.

Jaxa is sending theres up in 2006 called Selene.

Over the coming years we will see the moon in a whole new light.

and the whole "Global Space Race" thing wouldn't be bad...but I think (and hope) that between now and the coming decades that public space flight starts to "outshine" the big dogs like Nasa, Esa, Jaxa, etc.

[edit on 18-8-2005 by Murcielago]

Originally posted by cyberdude78

We've actually landed on the moon. (Don't tell me those were fake, thats another conspiracy)

Oh that reminds me. A few months back SMART-1 was supposed to be photographing the Apollo landing sites which would squash the conspiracy theories once and for all. Where are the photos ? I looked on ESA but couldn't find any nor any explanation of why there weren't any. Anyone any ideas as to what happened?

Originally posted by malcr

Originally posted by cyberdude78

We've actually landed on the moon. (Don't tell me those were fake, thats another conspiracy)

Oh that reminds me. A few months back SMART-1 was supposed to be photographing the Apollo landing sites which would squash the conspiracy theories once and for all. Where are the photos ? I looked on ESA but couldn't find any nor any explanation of why there weren't any. Anyone any ideas as to what happened?

lol, that suprises you!?

I've being keeping tabs on SMART-1...and what a disapointment. Does ESA know how to update there website?! I mean COME ON, the dam thing has been orbiting the moon for nearly a year and all they have posted is 4 damn pictures! The mission is well underway, and yet still they have more renderings to show off then actual photo's.

[edit on 18-8-2005 by Murcielago]

As in to Science and Astronomy... I'm VERY surprised I had no idea the ESA had a satellite studying the moon. Maybe they found something we shouldn't know about so don't post pictures. Who knows.

Originally posted by DarkHelmet
As in to Science and Astronomy... I'm VERY surprised I had no idea the ESA had a satellite studying the moon. Maybe they found something we shouldn't know about so don't post pictures. Who knows.

I dont think there would be any point in trying to hide something...since it would inevitably be revealed soon enough, in the coming years that is.

I'm just not a fan of ESA, With nasa you can watch all the events unfold over Nasa TV, and tons of pictures are release, you get to see exactly what they see at the same time, not recorded and played back the next day. Cassini has took thousands of great pictures, Esa's Titan probe took a couple, and where bad quality and very few of them, the best thing Esa has done so far is the orbiter called Mars Express.

I originally typed that with the little after it. I don't think they really found anything to hide... For some reason it didn't post it along with it.

Originally posted by DarkHelmet
I originally typed that with the little

after it. I don't think they really found anything to hide... For some reason it didn't post it along with it.

ahhhhhh.......The wink says it all.

Originally posted by highgroundsys0p
The mission sounds like it's looking for something... to bring back - besides rock - maybe Helium 3? It'd be worth a fortune to the big-physics crowd.

I'll be damned, I figured H3 to be awhile off yet, but it turns our Russia is planning on producing it!

Russia plans on getting H3 from the moon

OK guys, there's a time for space exploration, and there is a time to be honest with yourselves.

You want a space race so you can be proud of your country for something.

It's not going to happen,might as well start cheering the Chinese.

And yes, Americans WOULD approve of threatening China, if they were trying to get to the moon, and went ahead with their "manned weaponisation of earth's orbit". Americans would be all over that.

Seriously, solve the problems IN the country, before you start sending your 'practically limitless' GDP into space. Empty space!

Personally, I don't think the way ahead is with any government agency in any country. Let the various govt. space agencies continue to do science, but let the entrepeneurs of the world have a go at doing some exploitation for a change. Their goal is profit and glory and they will make advances faster than the government can. Encourage them, give them tax breaks, whatever, but get out of their way.

Seriously, solve the problems IN the country, before you start sending your 'practically limitless' GDP into space. Empty space!

Look at Murcs post just above your's. The Moon ain't so empty. How bout we stop killing each other off and all consentrate on colonization? That's just as legitamate as solving domestic problems. More legitimate actually because if the Ruskies can manage to produce a self-sustaining Fusion Reaction with Helium-3 then all our Energy woes will be over. Then we can study ways to fix some of the problems that plauge our world. Since access to clean water is being worked on right now, by the time the Russians or American's or even Chinese do sample return missions from the moon(for He-3) we will be in a much better position to do positive things on earth. Allot of what we do in space will affect us on earth.

Of course if you don't think things like Water Purification and Solar Panels are not worth the small price(compared to the Social Welthfare programs and the Military Budget) of admission, you're free to be ignorant of reality. It is bliss you know. The Weaponization of space in inevitable too if China is going to establish a permanent presence in space. Anyone who thinks otherwise is serously naive.

[edit on 21-8-2005 by sardion2000]

What would be China's purpose of going to the moon? I would be skepical in saying that it would be for exploration and the benefit of the human race.

The moon should foolw the same treaties that Antartica has in place. No nation should claim it as their own.

The moon may provide a valuable source of energy. What we see on the surface is just a dead planet, but what lies underneath is yet to be discovered.

I would hope that all nations would observe a peaceful exploration of not only the moon, but all planets.

First of all, we must learn to get along with each other here.

IntelEarthling
What would be China's purpose of going to the moon? I would be skepical in saying that it would be for exploration and the benefit of the human race.

I think it would just be for pride. But I to am suspicious of them, mainly because there space exploration is funded by there military, and its not civilian like Nasa, Jaxa, Esa.

Originally posted by Murcielago

IntelEarthling
What would be China's purpose of going to the moon? I would be skepical in saying that it would be for exploration and the benefit of the human race.

I think it would just be for pride. But I to am suspicious of them, mainly because there space exploration is funded by there military, and its not civilian like Nasa, Jaxa, Esa.

Jaxa?

Its the Japanese Space Agency




[edit on 22-8-2005 by Murcielago]