China to one-up the U.S. by mining the Moon!

A top Chinese official has confirmed that the world's most populous nation plans to send robots to the moon.

China to launch lunar rover, mine moon for nuclear fuel
Why China is fixated on the Moon

According to scientists, it will probably take the Chinese until 2020—25 to achieve this goal, but it is indeed feasible. The Moon is meant to be rich in Helium and other nuclear fuels, so there is legitimate incentive to do more than just hop around and plant fake-looking flags up there.

This is to say nothing of the political prestige and nationalist pride China would effectively steal from the U.S. if it were to be the second nation to land on the Moon and then to actually do something meaningful there. After all, it's a free-for-all in space, so no "WMD's" kibosh can be placed on anything being done up there. Once China ensconce themselves on the lunar surface, they'll dig in like the proverbial Alabama tick!

This would also smear copious egg on the space science scrooges in Congress who vetoed information and technology sharing between NASA and China.

Could this be the new frontier of superpower sabre rattling—lunar domination? I mean, as an extreme hypothetical, if the world were to one day nuke itself to shít over land disputes, resources and superstition, the only representatives of our species left would be on... the Moon! And they'd be... Chinese!!

reply to post by iLemming


If you go to the Chinese defense web sight and look under the aviation section of the web sight there is one small sentence included about their space efforts that says: (suggest you have a good anti-virus program if you plan on the visit.)

As of now, China has manifested itself into the world’s most advanced aerospace and aeronautical research centers. Efforts are on to build a fleet of space soldiers as well. Developing crafts that will be able to handle tough weathers and can fly in the dark are other areas of focus of the Chinese air force.

www.chinesedefence.com...
You can do allot of things if you have the financial ability and the intestinal fortitude to proceed. Have to wonder what the mission of Space Soldiers would be ?

reply to post by iLemming


China is hilarious. They get ripped by corporations like Starbucks and GM. China can fund plan and execute whatever space missions they want. When their missions fail they will have wasted ridiculous amounts of money and defund their space programs or go bankrupt trying to conquer the unknown.

Space technology that works comes from NASA and technological innovation comes from America its not a game were gonna be one upped on anytime soon.

China looks good on paper but they don't have nearly the real world resources of America and American innovation. Good luck mining the Moon. Laughable.

reply to post by iLemming


Don't think the inhabitants of the moon are going to appreciate chinese diggers rolling about their lawns.

reply to post by iLemming


As of right now with our current tech, I don't see any feasible way to turn a profit from mining the moon. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the cost of transporting Lunar the resources to/from earth would far outweigh value of any mined resources. Maybe in the future, but with the known tech we have now, I don't see it happening, even in 2025, unless there's some major tech breakthrough.

In my opinion, the only way I could see that happening in 2020-2025 with no major tech innovation, is if there are highly valuable resources that we aren't told about somewhere within the Moon.

reply to post by iLemming

so no "WMD's" kibosh can be placed on anything being done up there

Your are clearly out of the loop... didn't you ever hear the expression "the ultimate higher ground" in reference to space ?!?

reply to post by SasquatchHunter


Spoken like a true Merycan... Dude your an idiot if you think the chinese are not gonna best you in 10 years max...
nobody trust americans anymore and youve become fat, lazy and stupid in just a couple of decades... Man your screwed!!

If this is true, it's wonderful news.

Should China look like it's making any positive headway in realizing this goal, it'll make for excellent incentive to catch up and gain ground to come up on equal or better footing.

The cold war space race competition got man on the moon once before.

A race for resource exploitation and a whole new round of flag planting in staking claim to resource sites might just be the thing to get us back out beyond LEO.

How do you turn a profit mining the moon?

reply to post by kx12x

...is if there are highly valuable resources that we aren't told about somewhere within the Moon.

There is. Helium3.

Helium3 = fusion reactors = free energy.

reply to post by SasquatchHunter

China is hilarious. They get ripped by corporations like Starbucks and GM.

If anything I find China sad (a sad example of humanity not that the the US is a shiny example of something better)... As for the corporations abusing China I fear that they are taking more that they can dish out, this time the Chinese took precautions... The criminals that let China enter the WTO (the US delegation primarily) those are the ones that should pay for the general crap we are into now...

reply to post by CJCrawley


Correct. It's the 21st century black gold. We should have been doing this decades ago.

Iqarus
reply to post by SasquatchHunter

 

Spoken like a true Merycan... Dude your an idiot if you think the chinese are not gonna best you in 10 years max...
nobody trust americans anymore and youve become fat, lazy and stupid in just a couple of decades... Man your screwed!!

And you think the world will trust the Chinese of all governments with open arms?

kx12x
reply to post by iLemming

 

As of right now with our current tech, I don't see any feasible way to turn a profit from mining the moon. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the cost of transporting Lunar the resources to/from earth would far outweigh value of any mined resources. Maybe in the future, but with the known tech we have now, I don't see it happening, even in 2025, unless there's some major tech breakthrough.

In my opinion, the only way I could see that happening in 2020-2025 with no major tech innovation, is if there are highly valuable resources that we aren't told about somewhere within the Moon.

I wouldn't think the optimal goal would be to transport resources FROM the Moon back to Earth.
That would indeed likely be cost ineffective.

Mining resources on the moon to build and fabricate more resources, which in turn over time can fabricate an entire mechanized facility for churning out any number of items that would be much more costly to heavy lift from Earth could establish China a very firm and advantageous foothold in the future.

Gains wouldn't be immediate. In fact, there'd be substantial investment over time, but, in the long run, in the longer game, China could do quite well.

Western thought tends to follow goals with immediate profit/gain.
Eastern thought may very well be better suited to longer term goals Western thought hasn't exhibited a historical precedent for following.



We all know the stereotypes applied to Asians and robots.
Mechanized assembly lines on the Moon churning out kinetic weapons, for one, could be a game changer.
Less Doomy, The Chinese could build spaceships on the scale of Science Fiction sizes without the constraints of the heavy gravity well here on Earth, or the tremendous cost of lifting it all out of Earth's gravity well.
An army of robots could build and outfit moon colonies as well.

1Providence1

Iqarus
reply to post by SasquatchHunter

 

Spoken like a true Merycan... Dude your an idiot if you think the chinese are not gonna best you in 10 years max...
nobody trust americans anymore and youve become fat, lazy and stupid in just a couple of decades... Man your screwed!!

And you think the world will trust the Chinese of all governments with open arms?

If history is an indication: Those who have the high ground and are willing or known to use force of arms then it does not matter if there is trust or love. Do as they say or prepare to die.
Rather dramatic, but for some reason it made sense to me and worthy of a line or two.

Iqarus
reply to post by SasquatchHunter

 

Spoken like a true Merycan... Dude your an idiot if you think the chinese are not gonna best you in 10 years max...
nobody trust americans anymore and youve become fat, lazy and stupid in just a couple of decades... Man your screwed!!

Best us in what? The exploration of space takes technology. The space programs today stand on the shoulders of technology invented by NASA innovated and funded by Americans.

You don't know what your talking about your just slandering America, without using facts logic or reason. Do you have any idea how much fuel costs to fire rockets off into space? Do you have any idea how much planning and testing it takes?

I have history and real world facts to back up what I'm saying. America makes quality technology that works is tried and tested and proven. Everything from military tech, space tech, computer tech. We have a population that is free to pursue careers in the exploration of space out of love for what they do.

I guess its not enough for you that China is trying to claim dominance in a space race 50 yrs too late.

SasquatchHunter
reply to post by iLemming

 

China is hilarious. They get ripped by corporations like Starbucks and GM. China can fund plan and execute whatever space missions they want. When their missions fail they will have wasted ridiculous amounts of money and defund their space programs or go bankrupt trying to conquer the unknown.

Space technology that works comes from NASA and technological innovation comes from America its not a game were gonna be one upped on anytime soon.

China looks good on paper but they don't have nearly the real world resources of America and American innovation. Good luck mining the Moon. Laughable.

German technology got America to the moon.
Chinese robot technology is the best in the world
Just throwing this out there

SecretKnowledge

SasquatchHunter
reply to post by iLemming

 

China is hilarious. They get ripped by corporations like Starbucks and GM. China can fund plan and execute whatever space missions they want. When their missions fail they will have wasted ridiculous amounts of money and defund their space programs or go bankrupt trying to conquer the unknown.

Space technology that works comes from NASA and technological innovation comes from America its not a game were gonna be one upped on anytime soon.

China looks good on paper but they don't have nearly the real world resources of America and American innovation. Good luck mining the Moon. Laughable.

German technology got America to the moon.
Chinese robot technology is the best in the world
Just throwing this out there

Did German technology really get us to the moon? Who funded that technology? Who made it work?

China can make all the most advanced robots in the world on paper. What's their real world application? Are their robots exploring and mapping the earth and ocean floors and space and the universe?

Someone drawing with a pencil and someone using Photoshop can produce the same drawings. Technology isn't always the bottleneck just as much as drawing is not as much the technology of an artist but their skill in using that technology.

SasquatchHunter

SecretKnowledge

SasquatchHunter
reply to post by iLemming

 

China is hilarious. They get ripped by corporations like Starbucks and GM. China can fund plan and execute whatever space missions they want. When their missions fail they will have wasted ridiculous amounts of money and defund their space programs or go bankrupt trying to conquer the unknown.

Space technology that works comes from NASA and technological innovation comes from America its not a game were gonna be one upped on anytime soon.

China looks good on paper but they don't have nearly the real world resources of America and American innovation. Good luck mining the Moon. Laughable.

German technology got America to the moon.
Chinese robot technology is the best in the world
Just throwing this out there

Did German technology really get us to the moon? Who funded that technology? Who made it work?

China can make all the most advanced robots in the world on paper. What's their real world application? Are their robots exploring and mapping the earth and ocean floors and space and the universe?

Someone drawing with a pencil and someone using Photoshop can produce the same drawings. Technology isn't always the bottleneck just as much as drawing is not as much the technology of an artist but their skill in using that technology.

Does'nt really matter who funded it, you were talking about the technology.

oh this is strange news. there is an international treaty that states that all countries own outer space, so no single country can benefit from resources in space.