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I tend to agree with you that China's space technology is not that developed -- their manned rocket and capsule is a scaled up Russian Soyuz design -- and I hav
by someperson 6y ago
I tend to agree with you that China's space technology is not that developed -- their manned rocket and capsule is a scaled up Russian Soyuz design -- and I have doubts about their ability to catchup without major technology transfer (whether through acquisition or theft). But we should still recognize that their previous moon mission (Chang'e-4) did do something no other nation has yet done: land on the far side of the moon. That is pushing the boundaries and just repeating the accomplishments of decades ago.
- aardvarkr 6y agoIs that really so impressive? The technical challenges remain the same as a near side landing except you’re in a communication blackout so signals have to bounce off a satellite in orbit. Even then that’s not novel because the Americans and Russians did the same thing, using their orbiting spacecraft to relay messages back to earth. The Chinese literally haven’t done anything novel in their space program. Even the words they said upon landing on that mission were a copy of the Americans. ‘"It's a small step for the rover, but one giant leap for the Chinese nation," Wu Weiren, the chief designer of the Lunar Exploration Project, told state broadcaster CCTV.’ The Chinese literally can’t do anything but copy and it’s embarrassing. https://phys.org/news/2019-01-chinese-rover-exploring-dark-side.amp https://phys.org/news/2019-01-chinese-rover-exploring-dark-s...
- someperson 6y agoWell I think landing a rover on the far side of the moon is impressive. It's definitely a first for humanity and the scientists and engineers behind that mission deserve praise for that, even if in the achievement isn't pushing forward space technology at all.