First Photos of the Moon From Chinese Probe

[Tuckerfan]

Somebody’d better get their ass in gear, or all our lead filled toys are going to be made on the Moon.

China published the first picture of the moon captured by Chang’e I on Monday morning, marking the success of the country’s first lunar probe project.

The framed black-and-white photo was unveiled by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center. The image showed a rough moon surface with scattered round craters both big and small.

The area covered by the picture, about 460 kilometers in length and 280 km in width, is located within a 54 to 70 degrees south latitude and 57 to 83 degrees east longitude, according to BACC sources.

[cochrane]

Hmmmph. I’ll be impressed when the Chinese get photos of the far side of the moon!

[Duke_of_Rat]

Man, that’s incredible. I wonder how long it will be before the US will have the technology to take pictures of the lunar surface?

[carnivorousplant]

That would really be impressive if they’d done it in, say, 1959.

[Llama_Llogophile]

For Chrissakes, photograph the old Apollo hardware!!!

I can’t wait until next year when that other probe is supposed to do it!

[askeptic]

I don’t buy it, the shadows are all wrong…

[Duke_of_Rat]

@Mach Tuck

For Chrissakes, photograph the old Apollo hardware!!!

I can’t wait until next year when that other probe is supposed to do it!

Assuming the Chinese didn’t have unfortunate smudges where the Apollo sites are, that pic covers 480km x 280km. The landers…err, alleged landers…would probably not be recognizeable at this resolution. That’s not to say that the pic shown isn’t a compressed version of a much higher resolution image that would be able to discern the landers…err, alleged landers…if not for some unfortunate smudges.

[Zebra]

China sent a probe to Arizona?

[squeegee]

Wow, I hadn’t remembered that the USSR had aimed Luna 1 at the moon, and missed. Oops. And talk about making lemonade out of lemons:

@Wikipedia

While due to the equipment malfunction the spacecraft, originally named Luna 1 missed the target and flew by the Moon approaching to it at 5,900 km at the closest point, Luna 1 has become the first object launched by the mankind to reach the heliocentric orbit. It was then dubbed a “new planet” and renamed Mechta.

[askeptic]

Originally Posted by Wikipedia
While due to the equipment malfunction the spacecraft, originally named Luna 1 missed the target and flew by the Moon approaching to it at 5,900 km at the closest point, Luna 1 has become the first object launched by the mankind to reach the heliocentric orbit. It was then dubbed a “new planet” and renamed Mechta.

Is it just me or does this imply that there is only one heliocentric orbit? I thought all things that orbit the Sun had heliocentric orbits.

[ralph124c]

Suppose the Chinese decide to save some money, and do their moon landing in a studion (or the Gobi desert). Will we have a big debate about this on the SDMB?

[Terrifel]

@askeptic

Is it just me or does this imply that there is only one heliocentric orbit? I thought all things that orbit the Sun had heliocentric orbits.

I’m guessing the reference to “the mankind” indicates that the writer was not well of speaking the English.

[samclem]

All you naysayers can just blow it out Uranus.

The important question that the Chinese are trying to solve is whether you can see the Great Wall from the Moon.

[askeptic]

@samclem

All you naysayers can just blow it out Uranus.

The important question that the Chinese are trying to solve is whether you can see the Great Wall from the Moon.

Nope. Asked and answered.

[samclem]

@askeptic

Nope. Asked and answered.

Thanks for that link. They say

The theory that the wall could be seen from the Moon dates back to at least 1938. It was repeated and grew until astronauts landed on the lunar surface.

. Obviously, they don’t read the Straight Dope. I’ve antedated that one some time ago. And now that I go looking for it, it’s been “archived.”

But there were reports as early as the teens that this was visible. Of course, it wasn’t.

[carnivorousplant]

@samclem

The important question that the Chinese are trying to solve is whether you can see the Great Wall from the Moon.

You can see the Moon from the Great Wall. Well, duh.

[Tuckerfan]

@carnivorousplant

That would really be impressive if they’d done it in, say, 1959.

I’m sure the folks in Detroit said something similar when they noticed the first Japanese cars being sold in the States.

[Mangetout]

Sorry if this is a bit too MPSIMS, but I keep reading the thread title as:

First Photos from the Moon Cheese Probe

[carnivorousplant]

@Tuckerfan

I’m sure the folks in Detroit said something similar when they noticed the first Japanese cars being sold in the States.

An interesting and witty retort shall follow.

[Lust4Life]

I think an important point that we should take on board is that the Chinese dont appear to suffer from the same constraints that the West does.

U.S. manned space exploration has been proceeding at a snails pace because N.A.S.A. is desperately trying to proceed in as risk free a manner as is possible,partly out of genuine compassion(though I suspect that many U.S. astronauts would actually be willing to take more risks then they do now if given the option) …but also high profile deaths on prime time T.V. can be the kiss of death to funding and turn the public away from manned spaceflight generally.

And when that happens your average politician will steer away.

But the Chinese aren’t so squeamish about losing people,especially in a high risk enviroment like space exploration so that though they are years behind western space expertise at the moment it wont take them long to catch up and even overtake U.S. manned space achievments.

It could be that Chinas interest in space could be a purely scientific one occasioned by the philantrophic desire to promote the advance of human knowledge .

Or of course it could be for more venal reasons.

As the saying goes “Possession is nine parts of the law”.