China launches Moon mission

[pampango]

Source: BBC



A Chinese rocket carrying a probe destined for the Moon has blasted into space. The rocket will shoot the craft into the trans-lunar orbit, after which the satellite is expected to reach the Moon in about five days.

China says it will send a rover on its next mission, and it also has ambitions to put humans on the surface of the lunar body at some future date. The Xinhua News Agency said Chang'e-2 would circle just 15km (nine miles) above the rocky terrain in order to take photographs of possible landing locations.

It is China's second lunar probe - the first was launched in 2007. The craft stayed in space for 16 months before being intentionally crashed on to the Moon's surface. China launched its first manned flight into low-Earth orbit in 2003; and two more followed, with the most recent one in 2008.

So far, only three countries have managed to independently send humans into space: China, Russia and the US.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11453384

[rurallib]

1. Ruh-roh - Guess who no longer owns space?

[MellowDem]

21. We've been sharing it with the Soviets...

and many others for a while now.

[independent_voter]

2. space is the only thing there ISNT a shortage of

we need to quit worrying about 'symbolic acts or greatness' and worry about what's best for the citizens of our own country

[Plucketeer]

3. American dollars spewing from that rocket

Dollars borrowed to chase a handful of thugs thru the mountains of Afghanistan.

[liberation]

4. Not really...

... those are Chinese Yuans, since they are the ones borrowing money to the US, not the other way around.

What's this obsession that only Americans can do great stuff, and if another country does it... it must be because they either copied our stuff or are using our money to do so.

[Octafish]

5. It's because the BFEE sold them the technology.

Ever hear of MAGNEQUENCH?

Any guy who can outsource a company what makes special magnets needed for missiles and bombs is gotta be connected.

[Turborama]

19. So, Magnequench is a Chinese company that moved back to China? Interesting.

You know where the rare earth minerals/metals come from, right?

China Tightens Grip on Rare Minerals
By KEITH BRADSHER
Published: August 31, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/business/global/01minerals.html?_r=1

China’s Control Over Rare Minerals Troubles Pentagon
Wed Nov-18-09 12:52 PM Original message
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=7037854

China tightens stranglehold on rare earth minerals
China is to further tighten its stranglehold on the mining of rare earth metals essential for the manufacture of high-tech products from iPods to wind turbines and military missiles.
By Peter Foster in Beijing
Published: 11:35AM BST 02 Jun 2010
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/china-business/7797015/China-tightens-stranglehold-on-rare-earth-minerals.html

Rare Earth Metals: China's Death Grip on the Trade War
October 01, 2010
http://seekingalpha.com/article/227897-rare-earth-metals-china-s-death-grip-on-the-trade-war

[Octafish]

20. No, they were started by General Motors and sold to a company fronting for China.

GM sold Magnequench to Sextant Group, a company once headed by Archibald Cox, Jr, son of the fired Watergate Prosecutor. Cox Jr. acted as a beard for the true owners, a pair of companies owned by the Chinese government. It makes it easier for such transactions to get under the radar.

But, sheesh. Reading those links you provided just made my stomach fall through the floor. It's what I feared when I first read St. Clair's article in 2003.

"By controlling access to the magnets and the raw materials they are composed of, US industry can be held hostage to Chinese blackmail and extortion," Leitner told Insight magazine last year. "This highly concentrated control-one country, one government-will be the sole source of something critical to the US military and industrial base."

Thank you for the heads-up, Turborama. Interesting times, ours.

[Turborama]

22. Ah, just re-read it. Yeah, so Sextant bought it in 1995 and moved it to China in 2003

I suppose it's all moot considering that it wouldn't even exist without the rare earth minerals/metals.

You're welcome, little known facts about China's rare earth ownership. In fact, when I did some research last year for that OP I linked to above there were hardly any articles about it. That fascinating yet worrisome BBC show I linked to was the 1st I'd heard of it myself.

BTW I posted that last article as an OP in Editorials: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x562775

Thank you for posting the article that started this all off, it was a good reminder of the rare earth thing and who's really in charge.

[Octafish]

24. Authoritarians and Dictators are chums, no matter the party affiliation.

Stalin. Hitler. Mao. Dulles. Pinochet. Moon. Bush. Like cousins. From Guatemala to Vietnam to Brazil to Congo and China and everyplace else, they are like family and they are most un-democratic.

And that brings us back to DU. You are most welcome, my Friend. The only way we mice'll end the danger from the cat is to bell the darn thing.

What makes it dicey: They have the guns and the butter. About all we have is a sense of fair play and the truth.

[Plucketeer]

11. Well then!

Let's call in our chips and cripple these phonies!

[Turborama]

17. Woosh! They're the ones who own the 'chips' and can call them in.

That's the point liberation was making.

[saigon68]

12. A sad commentary =Propping Up Puppet Thugs and Hoodlums

To gain a monopoly over oil and gas

Using the children of the lower classes to fight Imperialist Wars and Using patriotism to hypnotize the "Sheep"

[TexasObserver]

6. If it's as crappy as everything else they make, it'll never get there.

[Pavulon]

8. The first one would be good to pass QA, then they go to shit over time..(nt)

[onehandle]

7. Prediction: China colonizes the Moon and puts people on Mars before us.

Kidding.

That's not a prediction, that's a certainty.

Learn Chinese kiddies.

[Pavulon]

9. If it does not implode first. Guy named Rob Gifford wrote a good book on china

it is worth reading.

[proteus_lives]

16. Yep.

It makes me laugh when people freak-out over China.

They won't last.

[jzodda]

10. Interesting timing as NASA lays off thousands of workers TODAY

I find that interesting at best, somewhat disturbing at worst.

[sonomak]

13. Would have been impressive if this was 1969

[HoraceX]

15. Actually 1959.

Luna 3 was the first moon satellite. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_3

[cbdo2007]

14. What the hell? What decade is this?

I thought we already did this like 50 years ago.

[DCBob]

18. Someone needs to tell them they can sell cheap crap there.

;)

[Blandocyte]

23. Walmart wants to sell moonrocks?

Hell, why not?

[lovuian]

25. Maybe they will send pictures of the US Flag and

Apollo Mission junk and our sign ....we were here first

Wonder what they will see?

[1776Forever]

26. And so it happens - We all knew it was only a short time period before they would go for it!

I still don't like the way the NASA budget was handled when it came to replacing the Shuttle! I think we should have been more proactive in the W years! I don't think it was Obama that defeated it because when he came in it was all ready too late!