China to start Lunar program

[slapshot]

The Chinese government first announced that it was planning to carry out moon exploration and preliminary deep space research in its White Paper on China’s Space Activities published on 11 November 2000. The July 2004 edition of the Chinese aerospace magazine ‘Hangkong Zhishi’ provided more details of China’s lunar exploration programme, including a three-step plan.

According to the report, the first stage is a moon orbiting mission by 2007, using the DFH-3 satellite platform. The lunar orbitor will map the moon surface in three dimensions, analyse the content and distribution of useful elements on the lunar surface, measure the density of lunar soil, and monitor the near-moon space environment. During the second stage, an unmanned moon rover will make a soft landing on the moon surface and examine the moon soil. In the third stage, an unmanned probe will be sent to the moon and collect samples of the moon soil, and then return them to earth.

http://www.sinodefence.com/space/satellite/moonexploration.asp


What does everyone think of this very interesting development in China's ambitions to be a true world super power. The cost alone for an orbital space program is enormous, a lunar program is even more so as the Russians and Americans have found out. Is China's space program ready for a Lunar program?

 

[gf0012-aust]

Is China's space program ready for a Lunar program?

I think the bottomline is that if China intends doing it, then she will make it come to pass. maybe not in the timeframe expected - but they will get there.

 

[JCZS]

China's landing a man on the moon will do much to dispell the longstanding notion (held by many Chinese and non-Chinese alike) that China is inherently handicapped when it comes to competing with Europe and America. The real feat for China will not be landing a man on the moon, rather it will be the creation of a viable infrastructure for harnessing the talent of its people. Faced with rising unemployment, toxic environment and mass exodus of skilled engineers seeking opportunites elsewhere, the moon launch almost seems like window dressing.

 

[slapshot]

China is hadicapped in many respects. The great culturial revollution set China back for over 3 decades in terms of science and technologies. Yes China has taken great strides forward in the last 10 years to catch up but alot of there strides have come from reverse engineering. China is the new ecomomic super power of the world but that is because of the number of people they have not by there tech or science being a world leader. China will get to the moon, but I agree with gf 0012 there time frame is not realistic. You need specialized technology for a moon program which China can not produce on its own at the present time but perhaps Russia is a bigger partner than China wishes the world to know for political reasons.

 

[Cootamundra]

It will be very interesting to see what happens, certainly with their most recent launch all seemed to go well. Only problem is that they are only doing what the Mercury program did back in the late 50s early 60s.

Good point slapshot re; Russian help, Russia will continue to live off their tech for some time to come, that and their defence industry. I think I read somewhere that defence sales and rocket launches were one of the only real areas of the Russian economy that produced hard currency. Oil of course would be the other one...anyway we will wait and see.

 

[hesidu]

I think it's better late than none. Let time to prove this !

 

[Snayke]

slapshot - You can't just "create" a good economy from lots of people. If that were the case, why haven't they had a strong economy for at least a century?

 

[Capt. Picard]

Thats not what the Chinese have done. They are acquiring high technology and are very quickly learning how to compete with the best the west has to offer.

The reason they havn't had this sort of sucess before is that they have spent the last few centuries in political and social turmoil. Now that is not the case. I live in China right now, and I can assure you that people there are VERY happy with their lot and the political reforms that are talking place. Sure, there are some complaints but they are being addressed, in their own way.

The space program has 2 goals. One is to make the west think that they are modern and advanced. This is very important to them, they hate being seem as being poor and backward! The second is the same as the Americans, they want the public to have pride in what they can do.

 

[mach]

China has continuously been making significant strides for about 25 years and its government embrace the peace and development policy. There is no reason for us to neglect her role in the world.
Actually China has not enough capability to challenge the USA ,EU and Russia in the spaceflight field yet,but she is catching up slowly and steadily. I expect she can become more powerful and play an important role in world to keep the world more stable and peaceful.
China has gained the success of the Sheng Zhou program whereas her next goal should emphasize on her education problem instead of the lunar exploration program.There still remains a lot of potential threats for Cninese ,such as contamination,corruption,poverty and so on. It is more advisable for them to resolve these problem first.

 

[Snayke]

There is a growing middle class in China. I guess they are at least addressing the problem.

 

[KGB]

I can't see CHina's Lunar program as anything less than positive. I mean, It'll probably goad the west into doing something interesting, like a moon base or mars expedition. Everyone wins.

 

[Francois]

I can't see CHina's Lunar program as anything less than positive. I mean, It'll probably goad the west into doing something interesting, like a moon base or mars expedition. Everyone wins.

I will argue that!
The Cold war is finished, and the competition for space is over also.
Neither it is in the US nor in the EU plans to go to Mars or Saturn in a run before the another. If/when we send guys there, it will be an international issue in a scientific mission.
Priorities are elsewhere today, like the ISS and the like.
China is launching a huge space program for I don't know which purpose, but it will not be followed. They will just go and dit themselves.

I see far more important accomplishements these days (Hayabusa for example) that are not that much claimed all around or well known.
But again, western countries are not in need to boast their nationalism.

 

[hesidu]

I read from local news that India will start the manned space project next year. This's excellent ! I hope when we want a space journey in the future, we can take a india 'bus'.

BTW: why my posted thread about this has been deleted ? somebody give me a reason ?

 

[chinawhite]

If china achieves a moon base by that time it would be a big morale boast for china. The new and up and coming powers always have something big and i think this is going to be chinas big move.

Anyway space should be shared by the world and no bit of space should be in the hands of one nation