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Moon Exploration: Manned Missions & Moon Bases

I expect the aliens will soon scare them off, like they did with the Americans.... :D
 
I'm actually very surprised about the small reaction this has got. I had to search through the BBC news website to find it and it was tucked away at the bottom of the asia/pacific catergory... I thought this would headline news! China buiding bases on the moon... is there something I'm missing here??
 
Cheese!

...or more seriously, there might be stuff worth mining, it could be used as a starting point for getting to more distant places like Mars, it could be interesting to just have a base there in the same way as having the ISS, and so on :)
 
Oh my, I didn't know they had actually had anything in orbit. But I guess they have one advantage, they don't need as much space as the americans. You can probbaly get two chinese up there for the prize of one american.
 
It would be cool if they went to the site of the Apollo landing and found nothing there. I imagine they would keep their mouths shut about it so they could blackmail the US for fancy weapon tech.
 
Xanatic said:
Oh my, I didn't know they had actually had anything in orbit. But I guess they have one advantage, they don't need as much space as the americans. You can probbaly get two chinese up there for the prize of one american.

they have been very active in space for years... even contracted to launch other countries satalites. They just dont tell the world everytime they let off a rocket....
 
However, those in the know say that they haven't got a snowball's chance in hell of meeting the timetable they've proposed. They just haven't got the right hardware foundations yet.

It's one thing to put satellites into orbit, it's quite another to send people to the moon and bring them back alive, let alone cart up the wherewithall to construct a viable base where people can live and work for a lengthy period.
 
Okay, I didn't know they had had living organisms in orbit is what I meant. Did they get them down again?
 
According to the BBC they've changed their minds:

'China will not be launching a manned mission to the Moon in the foreseeable future, according to Ouyang Ziyuan, chief scientist of China's Moon exploration programme.
In an exclusive interview with BBC News Online he said he wanted to clarify news reports in the Chinese media that Beijing would be putting a man on the Moon by 2010 with the establishment of a Moonbase soon afterwards.

"We will explore the Moon certainly," he said from his office in Beijing, "but with unmanned spacecraft."

"One of our goals is to bring lunar samples back to China for analysis. We are interested in the minerals on the Moon. We will prepare an unmanned spacecraft to do this..."

"Our aim is a space station not later than 2005," he said. He was unable to say whether China would be putting a man into space before 2005. Western experts believe that China could stage a brief manned mission as early as next year.'
 
So the chinese have chickened out of going to the moon in person

Bah the Yellow Bellied........

Apologies for the crap joke...
 
Rather surprisingly, issue 71 of the Federation of Astronomical Societies' newsletter has as its main article the story about the voyage of Zheng-He.

But it makes a connection with space exploration. After the 7th voyage, a new Emperor forbade further exploration, and China turned inward upon itself, leaving European nations to explore and colonise the world. In China this has led to a sense of grievance to this day.

In space, America sent 7 voyages to the moon, but a new administration eventually cancelled the program, and man has not returned to the moon for decades now.

China is now on the brink of its own manned space program. The writer of the article, Dr. Michael Martin-Smith, says he would not be surprised to see a return to the moon around 2019 - the 50th anniversary of the Apollo missions and the 600th of the voyages of Zheng-He. "In going into space, China could once again be the most advanced and pioneering civilization on Earth"

(How sad that the West now is spending vast amounts on military adventures rather than space exploration.)

[Past issues of the newsletter are archived in full at http://www.fedastro.freeserve.co.uk/newsletter/index.html, but so far they only go up to issue 69.]
 
China heads for space; first, cosmonauts, then astronauts, a

It looks like China is going to be the third nation to start their own manned space program.

Here:
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994169

China nears first human space flight


13:35 16 September 03

NewScientist.com news service

A month-long countdown to the launch of China's first astronaut began on Monday, according to reports

Unnamed space program officials told the Hong Kong newspaper Wen Wei Po that the historic flight would take place shortly after the week-long celebrations that mark the anniversary of communist rule. These begin on 1 October. The exact date will not be decided until about a week before the launch, the officials said.

They also disclosed that the Shenzhou spacecraft will carry a single Chinese astronaut into space. The chosen "taikonaut" will be selected from a group of three candidates shortly before launch.

China has so far launched four uncrewed Shenzhou spacecraft in preparation for its first crewed mission. Both Shenzhou V and the Long March 2F rocket that will carry it into space have been installed at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Gansu, northwest China,

If successful, the mission would make China only the third nation to launch humans into space, after Russia and the United States. The first taikonaut in space will become a national hero. The Chinese government believes the feat will be a source of great international prestige and also bring technological and industrial benefits.

Following the Columbia space shuttle disaster in February, in which all seven crew were lost, Chinese officials have stressed that every possible safety measure will be taken for the flight.

However, a Brazilian rocket accident, which killed 21 launch pad personnel in August, has re-emphasised how dangerous and difficult building a space program can be.

Long Lehao, deputy director of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, told Wen Wei Po on Monday: "Our rocket development started earlier [than Brazil's] and so we have more experience and relatively newer techniques. Our launch success rate has reached that of world levels."


Will Knight
 
Re: China heads for space; first, cosmonauts, then astronaut

Timble said:
It looks like China is going to be the third nation to start their own manned space program.
The Chinese Space program has always been about putting a Chinese national in space. They just haven't been rushing headlong into it the way the US and the Soviets did. And once they get there, they won't be just waving their red flag a bit and then coming back home with a smug look on their national face.

The 3rd Plateau will belong to China... :imo:
 
Hurrah!!... let's hope it sparks a new space race. Does Europe (ESA) have any plans for independently maned missions?

last one to Mars is a rotten egg!!
 
Stimpy said:
Does Europe (ESA) have any plans for independently maned missions?
They used to. There was a miniature shuttle type craft called Hermes that would have sat on the top of an Ariane. Sadly that one folded and I'm not aware of any real plans to develop a manned launcher.

There's a lot of stuff on Hermes here...
http://www.astronautix.com/craft/hermes.htm
 
Now China's boldy gone:

At: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3192330.stm

China puts its first man in space


The rocket blasted off from Jiuquan in the Gobi desert
China's first manned spacecraft has entered orbit, making it the third country to send a human into space.

A Long March 2F rocket blasted off from the Gobi desert launch pad at 0900 (0100GMT), and the Shenzhou V spacecraft was orbiting Earth 10 minutes later.
The craft, carrying a single astronaut Yang Liwei, is expected to orbit 14 times, returning to Earth in about 21 hours' time.

President Hu Jintao was present for the launch, and said it was "the glory of our great motherland and a mark for the initial victory of the country's first manned space flight".


"I feel good, see you tomorrow," Yang Liwei told mission control from space.

The launch was to have been shown live on national television, but Chinese state television decided it would only show it later.


However, programmes were interrupted to announce the successful launch.

The English-language channel CCTV-9 echoed the words of American Neil Armstrong when he became the first man to walk on the moon.

"If these were small steps, then now we are taking a giant leap into space," the announcer said.

National prestige


Yang Liwei, a 38-year-old lieutenant in the People's Liberation Army, was only publicly confirmed as the astronaut as the flight began.

He was boarded the capsule almost three hours before blast-off, cheered by a group of balloon-waving children.

Once aloft, he was said to be "reading a flight manual in the capsule of the Shenzhou V spacecraft and looked composed and at ease".

State television said he would be eating freeze-dried shredded pork with garlic sauce and fried rice during his flight, and drinking tea.

The Shenzhou design is based on the Russian Soyuz three-person space capsule, although the Chinese space programme has made wide-ranging changes.

The project has become a matter of national prestige, with Shenzhou described in the official media as "China's self-designed manned spaceship".

"I will not disappoint the motherland," Yang Liwei said before boarding the capsule.

"I will complete each movement with total concentration. And I will gain honour for the People's Liberation Army and for the Chinese nation."

The area around the Jiuquan launch site had been sealed off, with soldiers stopping all vehicles 35km (20 miles) from the Jiuquan launch centre.

From early on Wednesday morning, people were reported to be driving out of Jiuquan city, over 200km (125 miles) to the south, to try to catch sight of the launch.
 
BBCi News: Chinese Put Man In Space

As China puts, Yang Liwei, their first 'Taikonaut,' in Earth orbit, the question is, how long before the red flag of the People's Republic of China is planted on the Moon?

How will the US like them lychees?
 
If they have sense they'll head sraight for Mars I think, or at least make a film in a studio pretending to be there... thats one way to really show your country means buisness.

I know this is a little off topic but I was wondering if anyone else thinks it odd that whereas the first part of the word used in each language for spacemen is in that countrys language (astro, cosmo or taiko) the end of the word is always 'naut'. Why?:confused:
 
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They ought to establish a base on the Moon; it has a lot of things going for it, plently of silicon to make photovoltaic solar power cells, He3 to use in fusion rockets to colonise the rest of the solar system quickly; there is oxygen in the rocks, too.
with a base on the moon the rest of the solar system is much nearer.

Our satellite is deficient in hydrogen and carbon, however...
so water and food would be expensive.

if the Chinese were serious about colonising the Moon and using it as a stepping stone to the Solar system, they would need to dismantle a comet or something similar before a large population of humans could live up there.
 
Since the Chinese spacecraft is basically a Russian design I doubt they will be reaching the moon any time soon.
 
at about 3 this morning i was disappointed to learn on radio 5 live that Chinese space craft never did have a wooden element to their heat shields (specifically said to be oak)... apparently it stems for a copy of Flight international that relied on a dodgy translation of an original work.
 
Chinese astronaut admits he couldn't see Great Wall


China's first astronaut has blown a myth by admitting the Great Wall of China cannot be seen from space.

There was only one question on the lips of journalists after Lieutenant-Colonel Yang Liwei emerged from his capsule, reports The Times.

"Is it true that you can see the Great Wall of China from space?" asked an eager television interviewer.

Yang answered: "Erm, no."

With those two words, he dispelled the myth that the 1,500 mile wall is the only man-made structure visible from space.

But his answer came as no surprise to Nasa, whose astronauts have said for decades that all can be seen is the white of clouds, the blue of the oceans, the yellow of deserts and a few green patches of vegetation.


Story filed: 08:42 Friday 17th October 2003

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_829585.html?menu=news.quirkies
 
Emperor said:
"Is it true that you can see the Great Wall of China from space?" asked an eager television interviewer.

Yang answered: "Erm, no."

Cynical I know but, I'm quite surprised that the Chinese authorities didn't either make sure he wasn't asked this or instruct him to answer yes.

Perhaps it's a good sign that they didn't.

Saying that, if we're talking about a layer or two of translation here, "Can you [personally] see the Great Wall?" is not that far removed from "Can you [as in 'can one'] see the Great Wall?".

Just thinking aloud.
 
From World wide Words newsletter:

With China successfully launching its first manned space flight
this week, there have been some differences of opinion in English-
language reports about what to call the pilot, Colonel Yang Liwei.
Ever since the start of space travel we've had two words for a
space traveller, "cosmonaut" from the old USSR and the more common
US term "astronaut". A third began to appear about 1999 in
reference to the Chinese space programme: "taikonaut", a cross-bred
offspring of the Chinese term "tai kong", space, with the "-naut"
ending of the other terms (which derives from Greek "nautes", a
sailor). "Taikonaut" seems to have been invented by amateur space
enthusiasts and taken up by journalists.

However, the usual Chinese term is "yuhangyuan", which has been
used for many years to refer to participants in the American and
Russian space programmes. This has been borrowed by English-
language newspapers in the last couple of months or so in reports
of the Chinese project. It's a transliteration of Chinese words
that literally mean "universe travel worker", an individual paid to
go into space. Knowing that somehow takes the mystery out of it.

Since "astronaut" is available, why English-language writers are
bothering with the Chinese word isn't clear (especially when the
China Daily and the South China Morning Post both use "astronaut"
in their English-language reports). Perhaps it's just the restless
journalistic quest for novelty. If so, "yuhangyuan" is likely soon
to vanish from English again.
 
We are going back to the moon

Bush Wants Mission to the Moon

Thursday, December 04, 2003
By Brian Blomquist


WASHINGTON — President Bush wants to send Americans back to the moon — and may leave a permanent presence there — in a bold new vision for space exploration, administration officials said yesterday.



The return to the moon would be for the purpose of technological advancements in technology, including energy exploration and testing a military rocket engine.

And a permanent presence likely will include robots and communication satellites.

But beyond the nuts and bolts, Bush's call for a return to space would give Americans something new to hope for - amid a period of permanent anxiety about terrorism. It would also help move NASA beyond last February's space shuttle Columbia disaster.

Sources said the president may also give the go-ahead to pursue a manned trip to Mars - a long range goal.

NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe told an advisory council yesterday that 2004 will be a "seminal time" for the agency.

"There's an effort under way that will focus the administration's view very prominently on options we can consider. We are looking at some significant changes," O'Keefe said.

Bush could spell out his new plan for space travel on the 100-year anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first flight, Dec. 17, officials said.

The White House refused to comment on Bush's future plans for NASA, saying the president hasn't yet made a decision about what he'll announce.

But high-level meetings involving the White House and NASA have been going on for months.

Sources says Vice President Dick Cheney recently went up to Capitol Hill to meet with Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) and other key congressmen to discuss space exploration. They discussed resuming manned trips to the Moon, and even the idea of establishing a permanent station on the Moon, sources said.

If the president does announce his new space vision on Dec. 17, it would be 100 years after the Wright Brothers first set an airplane in flight in Kitty Hawk, N.C., and it would be two days before the 30th anniversary of the last manned lunar landing.

Two Texas Republican senators recently sent Bush a letter saying America's space program has been floundering.

"We urge you to elevate the priority of the space program and develop a bold and coherent national mission for NASA," wrote Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,104800,00.html

Dubya does know NASA are talking about the moon and not Moon, Nebraska doesn't he?

Emps
 
It's probably the fact that the Chinese have set their sights on it, too.

Mind you, don't expect to see any serious funding, any time soon.
 
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