Moon landing 2013 (Chang'e 3)

[frizzank]

Awesome can not wait to see images from the lunar surface!

[czokletmuss]

Awesome can not wait to see images from the lunar surface!

I'm counting on HD video. Plus if Chang'e 3 lands here:

It means it can take pictures of Earth too - imagine it centering the view on our planet and then zooming in!

Mind-blowing video and a giant Chinese "Take that!" to USA

[Karriz]

I really hope there will be a video livestream of the landing, and some roving around. That would certainly increase the public interest in space, seeing an actual HD video from the Moon.

LADEE didn't take any pictures, did it? It has really been quiet in mainstream media. The thing is, that people like pretty pictures. It makes things more concrete.

Of course I understand that the payload weight has to be taken into account when designing a spacecraft.

[Pixel of Life]

Launch is tomorrow at 17:30 GMT if everything goes well. Touchdown should happen about 10 days later. Watch it live at http://english.cntv.cn/live/

[mdatspace]

snip

That is a nice place to land, unlike most of our Mun.

Go China.

[Omicron314]

Has anyone else seen this animation yet?

Man, the Chinese know how to make one good cinematic. North Korea could learn a thing or two from them.

[tetryds]

Has anyone else seen this animation yet?

*snip*

Man, the Chinese know how to make one good cinematic. North Korea could learn a thing or two from them.

the probe deorbited and landed at the moon without any extra stages?

what an efficient fuel

[Jenteb07]

Interesting way of lowering the rover itself, I hope it is tested thoroughly

[czokletmuss]

Interesting map from "Nature":

Source: http://www.nature.com/news/china-aims-for-the-moon-1.14243

[3_bit]

It would be amazing if they had a 24/7 live feed from the rover's cams when it gets there.

Who wouldn't want to pay several hundred thousand dollars, plus a massive deposit, to rent a Moon rover?

3:20 made me think the Chinese had stolen our Sojouner rover plans...

Edited November 30, 2013 by 3_bit

[magnemoe]

the probe deorbited and landed at the moon without any extra stages?

what an efficient fuel

Think all deorbit and land in one stage. The planned manned Soviet moon landing is the only exception I know about.

Interesting way of lowering the rover itself, I hope it is tested thoroughly

Yes it was special, the lifting of the rover before it drove out on the ramp was strangest, why lift it? or was it just an bad animation of the suspension extending?

For the ramp/ lift, probably better to drive the rover onto it than launch on the lift as the lift has to stand launch stress.

[The Jedi Master]

I bet that there will be a Chinese flag on the moon by the end of the decade at this rate.

[Lohan2008]

I bet that there will be a Chinese flag on the moon by the end of the decade at this rate.

Why ? The Chinese could launch 100 probes for the cost of taking 3 countrymen to the Moon...

People forget that USA wasted 10 years of their national budget just getting there.

[Kryten]

I bet that there will be a Chinese flag on the moon by the end of the decade at this rate.

There's no Chinese plan for crewed landings, the manned space program is focused on space stations for the forseeable future.

[koshelenkovv]

Has anyone else seen this animation yet?

Man, the Chinese know how to make one good cinematic. North Korea could learn a thing or two from them.

Looks like a coffin on trundles X)

Edited November 30, 2013 by koshelenkovv

[Lohan2008]

China is taking their own baby steps, currently they are sending up craft to practise their docking techniques.

Ditto on the space stations; it far more profitable to develop drug, exotic materials and science research in LEO.

Hopefully the Chinese will start renting space on ISS.

Edited November 30, 2013 by Lohan2008

[Tiberion]

Can you say Admiral Sulu ?

...

George Takei is American (and of Japanese heritage) and the fictional character Sulu was born in San Francisco and is also of Japenese heritage.

For penance, please look up a Picard facepalm image and view it regretfully for 2 minutes.

(and in case you didn't know, the Japanese are full partners in the ISS, have their own modules complete with a ground command center, and are one of the primary re-suppliers for it.)

[Lohan2008]

...

George Takei is American (and of Japanese heritage) and the fictional character Sulu was born in San Francisco and is also of Japenese heritage.

For penance, please look up a Picard facepalm image and view it regretfully for 2 minutes.

.)

[czokletmuss]

Hopefully the Chinese will start renting space on ISS.

Not really. They are going to have their own space station:

http://en.cmse.gov.cn/list.php?catid=64

In 15 years, when ISS remains will lay on the sea floor of the Pacific Ocean, it may be the only space station up there.

[Tiberion]

Not really. They are going to have their own space station:

http://en.cmse.gov.cn/list.php?catid=64

In 15 years, when ISS remains will lay on the sea floor of the Pacific Ocean, it may be the only space station up there.

Or it may never exist, or the ISS may still exist, or some company may make their own, China might reform their foreign policies and be welcomed into the international science community, The US might give up and just start giving China their tech secrets in exchange for removal of debt instead of letting them steal it, either or both countries could collapse and be gone, or we could all be dead due to a rogue comet.

[czokletmuss]

Yes, it may happen - but what I'm saying is based on a current plans of NASA and CNSA. They may change ofcourse but for a forseeble future this is, err, the future

[Lohan2008]

The launch is to be delayed for a few more days. > dec2

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/technology/2013/11/30/13/35/china-to-launch-moon-rover-next-week

[Karriz]

I don't think that's an delay. The article stated that the launch will happen 04:30 AEDT on Dec 2, which is still 17:30 December 1 in GMT time.

That is the same time which was announced a coupe of days ago: http://spaceflightnow.com/tracking/

[Northstar1989]

It definitely has been Sci-Fi providing the inspiration. Most early rocket scientists were fans of Verne and Welles and made the link between imagination and reality.

One of the recent challenges to SF writers is to get away from the dystopias and back to the Big Ideas.

http://www.worldpolicy.org/journal/fall2011/innovation-starvation

AMAZING article. Glad I read it...

[Meithan]

Great article indeed. I kinda feel people like Elon Musk are trying to go against this stagnation. But the thing is he had (economic) success before he started taking big risks in innovation.