China's Mission to the Darkside of the Moon

This probably comes as no surprise to the ATS crowd but China, in its ambitious efforts to one-up the US in Space dominance has announced that it will have a mission to the dark-side of the Moon in 2018 to study the Geological conditions that exist there. No one has ever been to the Dark-side of the Moon, we are told so this will be a first.

China plans to land the first probe ever on the dark side of the moon in 2018, marking another milestone in its ambitious space program, the official Xinhua news agency reported. China has launched a new round of work focused on lunar exploration, coming about two years after it made the first "soft landing" on the moon since 1976 with the Chang'e-3 craft and its Jade Rabbit rover. Previous spacecraft have seen the far side of the moon, which is never visible from earth, but none has landed on it.

I gotta say that it's about time that someone went to the Dark-side of the Moon. Now we'll know for sure if there is anything there as some people claim. Maybe they'll find something. What says ATS?

www.nbcnews.com...

Nice. All space missions are steps forward for mankind regardless of the nation behind them. My one gripe is that this is an impossible mission as there is no "dark side" of the moon. But a trip to the far side is just as exciting.

a reply to: lostbook

You think that China would be more transparent than the US? Why?

I think they'd do exactly the same thing the USA did. Lie lie lie. We'll never know what truly happened there's just too much mystery surrounding it. I know they did go, for sure, but some things don't add up - mostly the secrecy from NASA and the astronauts strange demeanor.

But to answer your question in a fully exoteric manner, no they wont show us anything. They might find something, but they wont broadcast it. What would super interesting though is, if on their return China adopted the same style of governance that the US has. That would be cool, like an alien-led governmental system.

Did China just discover Pink Floyd?
This should be good

Sigh.......curse you Pink Floyd.....

Far side.

There is no "Dark Side"

Each side get's light and dark in a 28 day period. The side of the Moon we can't see from Earth is called the "Far Side".

originally posted by: Syphon
Nice. All space missions are steps forward for mankind regardless of the nation behind them. My one gripe is that this is an impossible mission as there is no "dark side" of the moon. But a trip to the far side is just as exciting.

There's a side that never faces the sun....therefore it's the Darkside. Darkside...Farside..it's all the same.

a reply to: lostbook

Now we'll know for sure if there is anything there as some people claim. Maybe they'll find something. What says ATS?

1) There is no darkside of the Moon.
2) There are very many images of the far side of the Moon.


Pretty cool plan though, to put a comm relay at the L2 point.

There's a side that never faces the sun

False.

originally posted by: lostbook

originally posted by: Syphon
Nice. All space missions are steps forward for mankind regardless of the nation behind them. My one gripe is that this is an impossible mission as there is no "dark side" of the moon. But a trip to the far side is just as exciting.

There's a side that never faces the sun....therefore it's the Darkside. Darkside...Farside..it's all the same.

Newp. Think of a solar eclipse and what that means for the "dark side" of the moon.

originally posted by: lostbook
There's a side that never faces the sun....therefore it's the Darkside.

Oh dear, in 2016 people still think that?

pathetic.

Finally people!

We will get to see where Megatron lives.

I'm stoked!

May be a tad off topic but someone I interviewed years ago (an experiencer) said, ONCE China, Japan or India (wasn't sure which country will get there first) lands on the back side of the Moon and reports what they see (and they will!), the world as we know it will change forever. And I think the breakdown of governments lately is further proof things are changing exponentially.

Just thought I'd share.................

originally posted by: eriktheawful
Sigh.......curse you Pink Floyd.....

Far side.

There is no "Dark Side"

Each side get's light and dark in a 28 day period. The side of the Moon we can't see from Earth is called the "Far Side".

The Moon is tidally locked with Earth, correct? Does the Moon rotate? If it does rotate then I can see how there is no real Darkside.

a reply to: lostbook

Does the Moon rotate?

Yes.
One rotation every 27.3 days.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: lostbook

Does the Moon rotate?

Yes.
One rotation every 27.3 days.

Ok, thanks for clearing up my ignorance, Phage. It will still be a great mission even with a rotating Moon.

Well at least somebody is still interested in the Moon .. So go China.

originally posted by: lostbook

originally posted by: eriktheawful
Sigh.......curse you Pink Floyd.....

Far side.

There is no "Dark Side"

Each side get's light and dark in a 28 day period. The side of the Moon we can't see from Earth is called the "Far Side".

The Moon is tidally locked with Earth, correct? Does the Moon rotate? If it does rotate then I can see how there is no real Darkside.

You seem to be thinking it is tidally locked to the Sun.

Maybe they will find that it is not a moon but a death star decommissioned billions of years ago after the battle that destroyed the planet between mars and Jupiter...

originally posted by: Cosmic4life
Well at least somebody is still interested in the Moon .. So go China.

Until they corner the market on He3.

Then the space wars are on.

Ok, my mistake about the Moon's rotation. However, the thread is about China going to the far-side of the Moon not about its rotation. Let's keep this ship on course...

originally posted by: hellobruce

originally posted by: lostbook
There's a side that never faces the sun....therefore it's the Darkside.

Oh dear, in 2016 people still think that?

pathetic.

I gave him the benefit of the doubt and assume he's vey young.

As for the mission. Fantastic. As someone said above me, every mission is a good thing. Good luck china.