Lunar eclipse: US retreat leaves China leading way in race to return to moon

[yuba]

sorry about last post end up sending applesauce post

 

[Parashuram1]

The Chinese space agency could land its first astronauts on the moon within a decade in a move that would mark the beginning of a new age of lunar exploration, experts said today.

The decision by the Obama administration to scrap Nasa's plans to return to the moon leave China well placed to become the second nation to land humans on the lunar surface. "The moon is an obvious target for China and they could be there in 2020," said Ken Pounds, professor of space science at Leicester University.

The US president's budget proposal, unveiled on Monday, lacked the funds to sustain Nasa's $81bn Constellation programme, the spaceships and rockets designed to put humans back on the moon by 2020. But the decision to scrap Nasa's plans for a permanent return has left the door open for other countries.

China has lifted astronauts into orbit and sent its first robotic missions to the moon. India found water on the surface with its first lunar mission last year, and plans to launch astronauts into Earth orbit in 2016. Japan, too, has sent a satellite to the moon, returning extraordinary HDTV video of the surface.

With the US space agency out of the running, the leading contender for a return to the moon is China. In 2004, government officials announced an unmanned lunar exploration programme that would put satellites in lunar orbit, touch down on the surface and finally bring home up to two kilograms of rock samples before 2020.

The second probe in the programme is expected to launch in October this year. It will scan the surface of the moon from an altitude of 60 miles and look for suitable landing sites for future missions.

The Chinese human spaceflight programme has progressed at speed on $2bn a year, roughly one tenth of the budget Nasa receives. After only four unmanned test flights, the first Chinese astronaut flew in Earth orbit in 2003. Five years later, China became only the third country to complete a spacewalk, paving the way for work on a space station.

Since then the Chinese space programme has grown to include plans to launch three space stations between 2011 and 2015 and, if funding permits, to send a crewed mission to the moon, perhaps as early as 2022. Development of the first Chinese lunar rover is under way and it is scheduled to launch on a three-month mission to the lunar equator in 2013.

Experts are waiting to see how the Chinese space agency reacts to Obama's plans for Nasa.

"China might rub their hands and think this is their chance to head for the moon, or they might see that the pressure is off and not rush things," said Pounds.

The former chief administrator at Nasa, Michael Griffin, has already criticised Obama's plans as an admission that Nasa will not be a significant player in human space flight for the foreseeable future.

Giving testimony to the Senate in 2007, he said it was likely that "China will be able to put people on the moon before we will be able to get back". He added: "I admire what they have done, but I am concerned that it will leave the United States in its wake." Pounds said: "The Americans are the only ones who can say 'we've been there, done that,' but the point is they are not there now.

"The moon is very visible and any proposition by another country to set up a permanent presence there would be unacceptable to the Americans."

A crewed mission to the moon in the 21st century will be a different beast from the Apollo programme. The blurred images would be replaced by colour HDTV footage. The communications would be clear and frequent. From a permanent base, astronauts would truly explore the moon instead of only scratching the surface. The venture could be commercial and scientific in ways that were not possible 40 years ago.

"The pictures from Apollo wouldn't compare with what we might get from Chinese rovers on the surface," said Pounds. "The Obama administration has made the decision as if they are the only ones doing human spaceflight. If they were, it might make sense to go on to an asteroid or one of the moons of Jupiter, but they're not. The moon is going to be a target for other countries and having a presence there is going to be a political issue."

Space races• China was the third country to launch its own manned space missions in 2003 and is now talking of a space station by 2020. Beijing is also in early stages of planning a lunar mission.

• India began satellite missions to the moon in 2008 and plans to send its own astronauts into space by 2016. Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian in orbit in 1984 on a Soviet mission.

• Russia will taxi US astronauts to the international space station when the space *shuttle programme ends. It plans a mission to Mars, but going to the moon seems a lower priority.

• The European Space Agency concentrates on partnership in the international space station and at present has an eight strong astronauts corps. It has recently – but before Obama's announcement – talked about grabbing a seat on someone else's moon mission.

• Brazil is behind in the space race but is hoping to relaunch an unmannned programme that has been on hold since a launchpad disaster killed 21 people in 2003. It also plans a new generation of satellites to monitor agriculture, territory, deforestation and mineral rescources.

Original Link:

Lunar eclipse: US retreat leaves China leading way in race to return to moon | Science | The Guardian

I don't agree with you, friend. Please remember that despite all the points that you stated above, no Asian (Chinese or Indian) or Latin American power could even come close to US levels and funds.

 

[yuba]

ISRO first need to send a manned mission to space first before worrying about sending man to the moon. Walk first before thinking about flying. But in this case, ISRO need to procur a suyoz first before thinking about sending someone to the space.

maybe the chinese should listen to that advice you not been to moon yet already you are saying you gonna build a base there.pot calling the kettle black

 

[no_name]

if you want to go the moon, whether it is from the Wenchang in Hainan or from the orbital space station, you've got a huge rocket(you have to launch the ship to the space) like the Saturn or Mars V with the capability to shoot 50t to the moon or 120t to the low earth orbit.

Alas, the CZ-3 series can bear no more than14t to the orbit. Even the CZ-5 which is under-construction and due to be deploy by 2015 bears no more than 20t(和阿丽亚娜5型类&#20284. And the development of that kind of large rocket is extremely expensive and needs years of hard work.

So we may not see the moon trip before 2020.(至于印度 没戏,真的没&#25103

Yes but that 20 tonnes could be a rocket engine or additional fuel pods. We can assemble it beside a dock on a space station of some sort. Reaching the moon from there would require less fuel since there is no atmosphere to work against. And also you can make the actual living area for astronauts bigger as a ratio to the fuel/engine.

well no harm with dreaming...

 

[pak-yes]

I think china has money and the will they only lack in technology but that is not a problem when you have the previous 2 things.

So instead of Moon they should now concentrate their efforts towards mars.

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Mars is technically a very challenging place to land it has the highest ratio of failed landing so man landing on mars is very hard but possible would be great to see Chinese land on Mars

 

[no_name]

Mars is technically a very challenging place to land it has the highest ratio of failed landing so man landing on mars is very hard but possible would be great to see Chinese land on Mars

I heard that trip to mars may take up to a year. Read before somewhere that russians have programs to test effect of long term isolation on astronauts on earth.

Any spaceship to mars would need to be large so they might as well establish some sort of permanent presence or at least set up the necessary facilities in their first couple of trips.

Maybe a moon base then launch mission to mars from moon.

If I were a astronaut on such mission I demand dedicated wireless internet connection.

 

[Sanchez]

China does not yet have high thrust rockets. The biggest one under development is 120 tons that may push up 25 tons of load.

 

[faithfulguy]

maybe the chinese should listen to that advice you not been to moon yet already you are saying you gonna build a base there.pot calling the kettle black

i never been to the moon yet. The first person that went to moon is Neil Armstrong and Buzz Adrian, who I seen in person before. In America, you see American heros.

Some Chinese do look ahead of what they can do. Which is a bad habit. But Chinese guys can't complete with Indians when it comes to looking ahead, at least in this forum.

 

[faithfulguy]

BTW, I* think Obama is an idiot that give up US technology lead to others. The likely hood of China catching up to the US is getting greater as Obama make more decision. He was doing well there by not doing anything. But as he start doing something, he is not doing as good.

 

[yuba]

i never been to the moon yet. The first person that went to moon is Neil Armstrong and Buzz Adrian, who I seen in person before. In America, you see American heros.

Some Chinese do look ahead of what they can do. Which is a bad habit. But Chinese guys can't complete with Indians when it comes to looking ahead, at least in this forum.

soon they gonna start saying the moon has always been part of china and its called north tibet

 

[no_name]

You forgot the moon goddess and that rabbit lol..

 

[DesiGuy]

i don't think china can take over NASA easily just by going on moon.
i mean NASA has studied so much about solar systems, universe, dark matter and energy, time and space, etc.. which other space agencies did not even thought about it.

of course NASA received some help from other European countries, but It IS the NASA who always do something first, and than other just follow, just like china, India are following.

 

[stax]

BTW, I* think Obama is an idiot that give up US technology lead to others. The likely hood of China catching up to the US is getting greater as Obama make more decision. He was doing well there by not doing anything. But as he start doing something, he is not doing as good.

You know that US don't have enough money. Obama just don't want to borrow money from foreign countries to implement such "Constellation Program".

 

[yuba]

i don't think china can take over NASA easily just by going on moon.
i mean NASA has studied so much about solar systems, universe, dark matter and energy, time and space, etc.. which other space agencies did not even thought about it.

of course NASA received some help from other European countries, but It IS the NASA who always do something first, and than other just follow, just like china, India are following.

spot on of course the us most advanced nation i dont think any sane person can deny that,and you will continue to be for many years yet despite what some people think