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from the To-the-moon,-Alice...-to-the-moon! dept.
Chinese space official seems unimpressed with NASA's lunar gateway
This week, the European and Chinese space agencies held a workshop in Amsterdam to discuss cooperation between Europe and China on lunar science missions. The meeting comes as Europe seems increasingly content to work with China on spaceflight programs.
Although the meeting is not being streamed online, space systems designer and lunar exploration enthusiast Angeliki Kapoglou has been providing some coverage of the meeting via Twitter. Among the most interesting things she has shared are slides from a presentation by Pei Zhaoyu, who is deputy director of the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration.
[...] Overall, Pei does not appear to be a fan of NASA's plan to build a deep space gateway, formally known as the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, at a near-rectilinear halo orbit. Whereas NASA will focus its activities on this gateway away from the Moon, Pei said China will focus on a "lunar scientific research station."
[...] So far, NASA has yet to finalize commitments with Europe, Russia, or other International Space Station partners on contributions to the gateway. While European officials are interested, it seems like they may also be willing to go along with China if that country has a more direct plan to land humans on the Moon.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 19 2018, @03:59AM (1 child)
I am thinking we might find some of their old structures and machinery. Probably by now covered by feet of dusts. Similar to our archaeological digs on Earth.
But little weathering or corrosion, and no plundering and "grave robbing" by the intermediate generations.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday July 19 2018, @02:11PM
Well, all I can say is, "Good luck with that." I can follow your thought processes. Lord knows there have been more than enough stories with some similar theme. But, I very strongly suspect that if there is evidence on the moon, it has been VERY thoroughly hidden. It won't be under a foot of moon dust, but under a half mile of rock.
The moons of the larger planets are far more likely candidates for that kind of thing.