# Chinese rover soft-lands on the Moon **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 14, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-rover-soft-lands-on-the-moon/676310 "2013-12-14T16:46:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-rover-soft-lands-on-the-moon/676310/1 "2013-12-14T16:46:56Z")
Story [here](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/12/14/china-soft-landing-space-probe/4022707/). I don’t suppose it will discover anything new scientifically, at this date; but I think this is just a stage the Chinese think they need to go through to prepare for a manned landing. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-rover-soft-lands-on-the-moon/676310/2 "2013-12-14T18:06:52Z")
We’re going to go back! ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-rover-soft-lands-on-the-moon/676310/3 "2013-12-14T18:09:50Z")
Congratulations to China! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-rover-soft-lands-on-the-moon/676310/4 "2013-12-14T18:22:57Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > We’re going to go back! Weellll . . . remember, the reason “we” (humanity) haven’t **been** back since 1972 is that the Moon, on close inspection, is not much use for anything. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-rover-soft-lands-on-the-moon/676310/5 "2013-12-14T18:45:13Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Weellll . . . remember, the reason “we” (humanity) haven’t **been** back since 1972 is that the Moon, on close inspection, is not much use for anything. Lots of H3, but the shipping costs are killer. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-rover-soft-lands-on-the-moon/676310/6 "2013-12-14T19:55:54Z")
China Moon! ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-rover-soft-lands-on-the-moon/676310/7 "2013-12-14T20:00:38Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Story [here](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/12/14/china-soft-landing-space-probe/4022707/). I don’t suppose it will discover anything new scientifically, at this date; but I think this is just a stage the Chinese think they need to go through to prepare for a manned landing. They may learn some new stuff, the rover has ground penetrating radar and a few other instruments we have never sent there. It’s interesting, the Chinese are really focused on potential resources in their space program, not exlusivly science. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-rover-soft-lands-on-the-moon/676310/8 "2013-12-14T20:02:08Z")
Space, space, gotta go to space… ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-rover-soft-lands-on-the-moon/676310/9 "2013-12-14T20:19:19Z")
Has anyone yet suggested that they faked it? ---
**Author:** ![yawuntz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a5b964/32.png) [@yawuntz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yawuntz)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-rover-soft-lands-on-the-moon/676310/10 "2013-12-14T20:25:43Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Weellll . . . remember, the reason “we” (humanity) haven’t **been** back since 1972 is that the Moon, on close inspection,\*\* is not much use for anything.\*\* Just think how much garbage we could put there! ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-rover-soft-lands-on-the-moon/676310/11 "2013-12-14T20:57:50Z")
> [@Red\_Wiggler](#): > > Has anyone yet suggested that they faked it? Of course this landing is real. Why wouldn’t it be? But they _did_ go back in time and fake the American ones… ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-rover-soft-lands-on-the-moon/676310/12 "2013-12-14T21:05:35Z")
I wonder if they’re going to try to knock down the American flag there. Will they try to make it look like an accident? Or will they be all macho about it: “Ha ha ha!! F-u! F-u! And F your flag!!!”? ---
**Author:** ![randompattern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@randompattern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randompattern)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-rover-soft-lands-on-the-moon/676310/13 "2013-12-14T21:16:16Z")
What if they find no evidence of the US ever being there? Would it be true or just propaganda? Hmmmm ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-rover-soft-lands-on-the-moon/676310/14 "2013-12-14T21:34:56Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > Lots of H3, but the shipping costs are killer. And what use is H3? ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-rover-soft-lands-on-the-moon/676310/15 "2013-12-14T23:22:18Z")
Ho-hum, wake me when they do a manned landing. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-rover-soft-lands-on-the-moon/676310/16 "2013-12-14T23:26:57Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > I wonder if they’re going to try to knock down the American flag there. Will they try to make it look like an accident? Or will they be all macho about it: “Ha ha ha!! F-u! F-u! And F your flag!!!”? “All your moonbase are belong to us!” ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-rover-soft-lands-on-the-moon/676310/17 "2013-12-14T23:45:20Z")
> [@randompattern](#): > > What if they find no evidence of the US ever being there? Would it be true or just propaganda? Hmmmm The surface area of the Moon is larger than the entire surface area of China. I don’t think the Chinese are stupid enough to think their lander discovered the whole surface of the thing. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-rover-soft-lands-on-the-moon/676310/18 "2013-12-14T23:59:43Z")
Is that a real moon lander or just a cheap Chinese knockoff? ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-rover-soft-lands-on-the-moon/676310/19 "2013-12-15T02:08:17Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > I wonder if they’re going to try to knock down the American flag there. Will they try to make it look like an accident? Or will they be all macho about it: “Ha ha ha!! F-u! F-u! And F your flag!!!”? Didn’t the blast of the ascent stage of Apollo 11’s Eagle already knock down the flag they left. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-rover-soft-lands-on-the-moon/676310/20 "2013-12-15T02:10:41Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > And what use is H3? helium 3 is rare on Earth, but is useful in nuclear fusion [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-rover-soft-lands-on-the-moon/676310.md?page=2)