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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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This Week in Space Pessimism: SLS, Mars, and Lunar Gateway
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday July 18 2018, @02:42AM (10 children)
The west builds in space, China builds on the moon. I see mutual support opportunities here. Why put all your eggs in one basket?
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday July 18 2018, @03:15AM (3 children)
Sure, why not.
I can't see any downside at all. Surely if the Indians, the Chinese, Europe, the US, and the Russians are all trying different stuff in space we will figure out what works best quicker.
Or maybe just do different things with different goals.
I am not sure how a Space Force helps however.
(Score: 4, Funny) by c0lo on Wednesday July 18 2018, @03:24AM
Umm... how 'bout: "someone will need to professionally grope those space tourists at the terminal"?
And if you pay them peanuts, at least let them have a fancy title.
(grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2, Troll) by realDonaldTrump on Wednesday July 18 2018, @03:24AM
Space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air & sea. Imagine we have a war in space but our military isn't out there. Probably we lose, right? Very badly. Which will be a DISASTER for our Country. Space Force is going to be the 6th branch of our great military. And it's vital to ensuring America continues to lead the way into the stars. Because we are spending a lot and we have a lot of private money coming in. TREMENDOUS!!!
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday July 18 2018, @02:45PM
Someone is going to have to make first contact with the aliens. Grunts with guns are usually first. And, they'll tell you that the aliens taste just like chicken!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Fluffeh on Wednesday July 18 2018, @03:34AM (5 children)
The problem that I see is that China will make a peaceful research station. Like the civilian research stations they built on pacific reefs. With no military stuff at all. Apart from those little rocket launching turrets that appear one night. Oh, yes, and the lasers that are used for peaceful purposes. Sharks may be added at a later date.
But yeah. Land first, claim rights. It's like early european colonisation all over, except in space and with the abilities for things to escalate into much larger confrontations in the space of minutes or hours.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 18 2018, @08:19AM (1 child)
I look forward to the Chinese exploring the moon's surface.... especially if they have no state religion involved and they are free to reveal what they find.
I have an ulterior motive - as I believe we are far older than we have record of, and I also believe its very likely we were seeded here by a far more highly technically advanced race than what we are now, but if so, the evidence of this will be on the moon. If America was to go there, I would be quite concerned that the findings would be "classified" so as to avoid upsetting the quite profitable apple carts of our local religions.
Nor do I think America has the drive to do anything like this anymore - doing stuff like this is so '60's for us. Its far more profitable for us to have someone else do it, and we give them permission to do it. For a fee, of course. Payable in the currency we print.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Freeman on Wednesday July 18 2018, @03:11PM
You watched the new Babylon series too, huh?
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday July 18 2018, @02:53PM (2 children)
Somehow, I think a lot of us have things a little skewed. After just a couple generations, maybe not even that long, there won't be nationalities among the people in space. If there are only a half dozen people within a quarter million miles, those half dozen are likely to view each other as the most important half dozen people in the universe. And, they will cultivate good feels, just as much as possible.
Given a thousand people, the same will hold true, just to a slightly lesser extent. 500 from western nations, and another 500 from eastern nations - they'll be more self-reliant, but they will still see themselves as neighbors, with no other neighbors close by to assist in time of need. A little inter-marrying, or just some hanky-panky now and then, there will be a "new race", or at least a "new nationality" establishing itself. Neither Chinese, nor Russian, nor French, nor American, or even African - they'll be spacers.
I recommend the books and/or the movies, 'The Expanse'. There will be new differences created among the spacers, but they will lose the old differences. Ultimately, there will be no earth nationalities in space. Not even 'Muricans.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Wednesday July 18 2018, @03:14PM (1 child)
The official statement from the first husband and wife team to spend time together in space:
"No Comment."
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 3, Funny) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday July 18 2018, @03:18PM
No comment my ass. You can bet anything that the little wife told all her girlfriends, in explicit detail.
Women can keep a secret just as well as men can, but it takes a lot more of them to do it.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Wednesday July 18 2018, @03:11PM
If China's station is occupied by any length of time its vacuum seal will be pierced.
However they could put the station underground. Much of the moon's surface is covered with dust, which would be easy to dig. All they would need is to launch at backhoe into an escape velocity trajectory.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday July 18 2018, @03:17PM (2 children)
Why? Do you have a time scale? We might presume that the moon arrived well after the seeding took place. We might even presume that the arrival of the moon threatened the seeding operation. Or, maybe the seeders placed the moon there. And, in any case, why would they leave evidence on the moon? You expect to find a Space Odyssey type monolith, explaining the meaning of it all - like a huge "42" imprinted on the moon?
We're more likely to stumble over an obscure trademark hidden somewhere, than a monolith out in plain sight.
(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.
(Score: 1) by CZB on Wednesday July 18 2018, @04:05PM
Practicalities aside, of course go to the moon! Why say our latest space explorers only got part way to the moon?
The men who explored the moon are great heros of the past generation. What nation wouldn't want to get their guys there?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 18 2018, @06:48PM
All that dust on the moon, just waiting for the taking! What untold riches lie on the lunar surface... if only we could see them from earth.