Posted on 12/01/2020 8:32:14 PM PST by BenLurkin
Its robotic Chang'e-5 mission touched down a short while ago with the aim of collecting samples of rock and dust to bring back to Earth.
The venture has targeted Mons Rümker, a high volcanic complex in a nearside region known as Oceanus Procellarum.
The lander is expected to spend the next couple of days examining its surroundings and gathering up surface materials.
It has a number of instruments to facilitate this, including a camera, spectrometer, radar, a scoop and a drill.
The intention is to package about 2kg of "soil", or regolith, to send up to an orbiting vehicle that can then transport the samples to Earth.
Unlike the launch of the mission a week ago, the landing was not covered live by Chinese TV channels.
Only after the touchdown was confirmed did they break into their programming to relay the news.
Images taken on the descent were quickly released with the final frame showing one of the probe's legs casting a shadow on to the dusty lunar surface.
The US space agency congratulated China. Nasa's top science official, Dr Thomas Zurbuchen, said he hoped the international research community would eventually get the chance to analyse any samples sent home.
A total of just under 400kg of rock and soil were retrieved by American Apollo astronauts and the Soviets' robotic Luna programme - the vast majority of these materials coming back with the crewed missions.
But all these samples were very old - more than three billion years in age. The Mons Rümker materials, on the other hand, promise to be no more than 1.2 or 1.3 billion years old.
The samples will also allow scientists to more precisely calibrate the "chronometer" they use to age surfaces on the inner Solar System planets.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
That is our moon. Did we give the communist Chinese permission?
Everybody laughed at them, saying they'd be burnt to ash before they got near.
They Polish laughed right back and said they'd be going at night.
Are they sure these new-fangled samples will be fully ripened? 1.2 billion years, seems like just a blink of the eye.
The Eye of God, that is...
Well...this is why. We could have owned the solar system by now. I was a senior in college during the first moon landing. “One small step...” - that one. But we gave it up. We had “problems” here in Earth, you see. So we spent trillions on these problems and what did we get? Riots this summer because of the still existing social problems.
Meanwhile, the Chicoms, who don’t care about social problems, are on the moon, and we have no present plans to go back.
It’s called surrender. Trump was a brief respite. But now we have Biden to carry the surrender torch.
Sorry, I’m just in a bad mood.
NASA is trying to tell folks what they can and cannot do on the moon:
The Chinese are probably laughing hysterically....”come and stop us”....
I can just see the lead scientist now, sampling a pinch of the Mons Rümker regolith, wrinkling his nose, and smugly intoning, "It's an impudent little vintage from the Copernican Period, lacking the maturity and balance of samples from the Late Heavy Bombardment."
Regards,
Not only does the CCP want our country, BUT THE MOON TOO?
They're setting up Dominion voting machines for the future elections that will be held there.
Yes, it is sad. I watched several Apollo launches in person as a child. What dreams and accomplishments we had. All lost since.
That didn’t happen. You can tell by the cast of that shadow.
Caplicorn One!
It’s a mining mission.
****** It has a number of instruments to facilitate this, including a camera, spectrometer, radar, a scoop and a drill*****
That’s it ?
No giant laser satellite killer ?
How many Biden ballots will this mission mine & return to earth?
NASA dropped the torch on manned spaceflight decades ago.
Fortunately, it’s been picked up by an eccentric billionaire from South Africa.
Now the price of Green Cream Cheese will go sky high. And you thought you were eating Tofu!!
now why would the Chinese put out this story, when they’ve supposedly had a moonbase on the darkside for a year or so now? Purpose of said moonbase to analyze moon rocks.
China benefited greatly from the Clinton administration allowing Loral to help them solve many of their problems when they were first starting up a serious space program.
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