I haven’t written much about the Chinese lunar probe Chang’e 1, mostly because the Chinese haven’t said much about it. But I just learned that after a 16 month mapping mission, the probe was purposely dropped onto the lunar surface in a "controlled crash". According to Emily’s sources, it crashed in Mare Fecunditatis, very close to the lunar Equator.
The Chinese still have big plans for exploration, including a manned landing on the Moon. This was a small step for them.
I’ll note that Emily says there are three extant orbiters around the Moon now that Chang’e 1 has ditched: Kaguya, a mini-orbiter released by Kaguya, and Chadrayaan-1. See anything interesting? Yeah, two are Japanese and the other Indian. Anything by the U.S.? Bueller? Bueller?
LRO launches in May, the first U.S. lunar probe in many years. I certainly hope it’s the first of a renaissance in lunar exploration… so that we can join the rest of the world.
Tip o’ the spacesuit visor to kashmirGoat on Twitter.
March 1st, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Kind of a false comparison. How many deep space missions by other countries? How many Mars rovers? How many orbiting observatories? How many weather satellites? Yes, the moon missions have been short-changed, but what would you trade off for them?
March 1st, 2009 at 8:49 pm
How about about just adding a little extra money to the NASA budget and do all the things you mention.
March 1st, 2009 at 8:58 pm
The U.S. has been slackening off space exploration since early 1980s — NASA cancelled plans to send a probe to rendezvous with Halley’s comet, because of President Ronald Reagan’s budget cuts.
March 1st, 2009 at 9:02 pm
Phil: Shouldn’t that comment be ,,,REjoin the rest of the world. We used to be such a progressive part of it. So sad to have to sit here and watch such a great Notion decline into greedy obscurity.
Well, I hope Our Pres can get us back on the correct path,,,
GAry 7
March 1st, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Chang’e we can believe in.
March 1st, 2009 at 9:54 pm
See anything interesting? Yeah, two are Japanese and the other Indian. Anything by the U.S.? Bueller? Bueller?
Sorry Bueller can’t answer – he’s too busy with his creationist nonsense!
March 1st, 2009 at 10:05 pm
When I first read of this I thought we should file it along with the “planned” miss of Beagle 2, Mars polar lander and Mars climate orbiter.
March 1st, 2009 at 10:25 pm
The last I remember was the microwave radiometer searching for water on the moon; I can’t even remember if it was looking for ice or vapor. The mission also dropped a small capsule with some of Gene Shoemaker’s ashes. So BA, any plans to be toasted and spread on the asteroid named after you?
March 1st, 2009 at 11:59 pm
GT asked : (on March 1st, 2009 at 8:42 pm)
Yes, the [USA's] moon missions have been short-changed, but what would you trade off for them?
All the money wasted on funding, arming and supporting the racist apartheid theocracy of Israel would be my suggestion.
Also the colossal amounts of money wasted by the USA on threatening, bullying, bombing, invading and occupying other nations mostly in the Muslim or third world such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia.
Leave other countries the hell alone & U.S. Americans will be amazed at how much more money there’ll be to spend on worthwhile things like space exploration.
Of course for this to happen, the malign, unjustifiable destructive stranglehold of the extremist neo-con Jewish-Israeli lobby must be broken.
—–
Amalekites : A Semitic tribe that fell victim to a Jewish campaign of genocide against them. As the Jewish Encyclopaedia put it, “David waged a sacred war of extermination against the Amalekites,” who may have subsequently disappeared from history. King Saul was supposedly stripped of “Yahweh’s” favour and the Kingship for showing mercy and sparing an Amalekite’s life. The term has been used … to refer to certain types of enemies of Judaism … Jewish ultra-rightists compare the Palestineans to Amalekites. Eg. Rabbi Israel Hess claimed once that Palestineans are Amalekites. The concept has been used by hassidic rabbis (particularly the Baal Shem Tov) to represent the rejection of God, or Atheism.
Type my name into Wikipedia for more info. (Tried to post link here but would’nt let me – censorship???)
It is disgraceful of course that there are so many museums, movies, ad nauseam about the whole Shoah business with the Nazis failed attempt to exterminate jews (among a great many others incl. gypsies , German dissidents, Russians & more) yet so little about the Jews successful genocide against others. Where then are all the “Holocaust” museums for the Amalekites, Moabites, Jebusites, Canaanites & now Palestineans among other victims of genocide committed by the Jews against the rest of Humanity a.k.a. gentiles?
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:11 am
Okay looks like its worked that time. But I can’t sem to post links?
)
(Not even “awaiting mod” – just not appearing.
How long I wonder before the Israelofacists start screaming and carrying on launching ad hominem attacks and ignoring the irrefutable truthofd my arguments?
As well as, naturally, the reality that the defining belief of the Jewish religion is itself racist. Namely, that notion that God is a racist who chooses only one ethno-tribal grouping as the “Chosen People” awarding them somebody elses “Promised Land despite it already being owned and lived on by others.
Sadly, the ugly and unethical premises of Judaism have been a sacred cow (or should that be pig?) for far too long. Its well overdue that the tenets of the racial religion of Judiams were questioned, seen for the rubbish they are and rejected. Along with the USA’s support for the murderous military apartheid theocracy of Israel.
Think about it rationally with the jewish lobby blinkers off & you’ll agree with me.
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:13 am
I thought Bueller missed the creationism class when he skipped school that day.
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:25 am
GT asked : (on March 1st, 2009 at 8:42 pm)
“Yes, the [USA’s] moon missions have been short-changed, but what would you trade off for them?”
The International Space Station! What a colossal white elephant money sponge that thing is.
Tell me again how the ISS is doing something good for space exploration and getting people going boldly where we haven’t been before?
Tell me why the ISS is anything more than another Skylab / Mir and will accomplish more than they did?
If our international partners really want it let them pay for it while we go to Mars, the Moon and further instead.
Hey, you did ask! (Well GT did anyway.
)
Levi in NY says:
(March 1st, 2009 at 9:24 pm) Chang’e we can believe in.
Not anymore. Its dead Ji- ..uh Levi.
It also raises the issue: “Chang’e we could belive in?”
Hmm.. Could we?
Do you trust the people who faked the fireworks and who still lie about repressing Tibet &, for that matter, their own people ie. Tiananmin Square?
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:29 am
@ ND
“I thought Bueller missed the creationism class when he skipped school that day.”
Nah, the class he missed was biology. Bueller / Stein failed his test because of that – and that explains a lot!
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:33 am
@MadScientist
So BA, any plans to be toasted and spread on the asteroid named after you?
Better that than having the BA’s asteroid coming here and toasting *us* instead!
Ps. Yeah I know, asteroid philplait is a main belt asteroid & not a near-Earth one. But asteroid orbits can change & y’gotta admit it’d be kinda apt if asteroid philplait ends up bringing us all “Death from the skies!”
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:32 am
@Amalekite: Somehow the common OMG the evil JOOOOOOOS control everything blather reminded me of Mel Brook’s “Jews in Space”. I imagined a bunch of lunar rovers shaped like yamikahs.
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:34 am
Here goes China – polluting the surface of the moon just like they polluted planet Earth. They will land a man on the moon at all costs. Utter arrogance.
March 2nd, 2009 at 2:29 am
Russ, ignore it.
March 2nd, 2009 at 5:09 am
Bein’silly said:
Except Stein didn’t play Bueller – he played the teacher. And what a horrifying thought that is.
March 2nd, 2009 at 5:48 am
Three cheers to the Chinese, Indians, and Japanese for reaching out into space. Hopefully those will be other nations we can partner up with in doing future space exploration (well, Japan we work with already but I don’t think we have with the first two yet).
Economic trade and entanglement has a great benefit to cooperating nations – I think shared space exploration and scientific achievement are exactly in the same vein.
March 2nd, 2009 at 7:30 am
There is already a NASA instrument at the moon, on the Chandrayaan-1 (not to mention several instruments from other organizations). NASA is also supplying tracking stations to allow for 24 hour monitoring. And don’t forget the Lunar Science Institute. In some respects we have already joined in and are active members. Now we have to get our satellites there.
Oh, and if you want to see potential ways NASA and the ISRO are already thinking about collaborating when both satellites are there, check out:
http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/01/stories/2009030154660900.htm
March 2nd, 2009 at 8:01 am
Another mission in the growing bag.
That’s one small step for China, one giant leap for one fifth of mankind.
Yes, and surely you won’t give up on your American Dream?
March 2nd, 2009 at 8:30 am
I remember reading science fiction books about space travel back in the 70s and 80s and finding it odd that so many of the characters were Chinese or Indian. Silly me.
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:37 am
Just posted about this on my blog and came over here and here’s more! All the kool kids are posting about Chang’e we can believe in…
I think that the international flavor of lunar exploration could be a tasty one. And, for the poster who is griping about China crashing one on the lunar surface, as I recall, the US pranged a few (on purpose) back in the 60s. A little Google effort would tell you what, why, when, and how.
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:07 am
Amalekite’s rant doesn’t deserve a response. Boo-hISS, on the other hand, at least keeps to the topic. Good response, Boo. You identified one of the problems with the ISS, it’s as much a political statement as a scientific research platform and a very expensive political statement (that countries can/should cooperate for a common goal) at that.
March 2nd, 2009 at 2:46 pm
For some reason, I have been very curious for years about the Saturn S-IV stage impact sites. As far as I know none of the various imaging satellites have had quite the resolution to show the debris fields.
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Do you trust the people who faked the fireworks and who still lie about repressing Tibet &, for that matter, their own people ie. Tiananmin Square?
They haven’t faked anything they haven’t been caught out on. Chang’e would be harder to fake.