# First Photos of the Moon From Chinese Probe **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 26, 2007, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photos-of-the-moon-from-chinese-probe/427780 "2007-11-26T08:21:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2007, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photos-of-the-moon-from-chinese-probe/427780/1 "2007-11-26T08:21:15Z")
[Somebody’d better get their ass in gear, or all our lead filled toys are going to be made on the Moon.](http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-11/26/content_6279311.htm) > [@](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2007, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photos-of-the-moon-from-chinese-probe/427780/2 "2007-11-26T10:32:57Z")
Hmmmph. I’ll be impressed when the Chinese get photos of the far side of the moon! ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2007, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photos-of-the-moon-from-chinese-probe/427780/3 "2007-11-26T16:38:46Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2007, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photos-of-the-moon-from-chinese-probe/427780/4 "2007-11-26T16:43:32Z")
That would really be impressive if they’d done it in, say, [1959.](http://www.tsgc.utexas.edu/everything/moon/missions.html)🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2007, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photos-of-the-moon-from-chinese-probe/427780/5 "2007-11-26T21:36:19Z")
For Chrissakes, photograph the old Apollo hardware!!! I can’t wait until next year when that other probe is supposed to do it! ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2007, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photos-of-the-moon-from-chinese-probe/427780/6 "2007-11-26T21:40:56Z")
I don’t buy it, the shadows are all wrong… ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2007, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photos-of-the-moon-from-chinese-probe/427780/7 "2007-11-26T22:06:14Z")
[QUOTE=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! [/QUOTE] 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. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2007, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photos-of-the-moon-from-chinese-probe/427780/8 "2007-11-26T22:08:28Z")
China sent a probe to Arizona? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2007, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photos-of-the-moon-from-chinese-probe/427780/9 "2007-11-26T22:22:30Z")
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](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_1): > [@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.** ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2007, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photos-of-the-moon-from-chinese-probe/427780/10 "2007-11-26T22:26:11Z")
> [@](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photos-of-the-moon-from-chinese-probe/427780/11 "2007-11-27T01:03:39Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photos-of-the-moon-from-chinese-probe/427780/12 "2007-11-27T01:08:44Z")
[QUOTE=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. [/QUOTE] I’m guessing the reference to “the mankind” indicates that the writer was not well of speaking the English. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photos-of-the-moon-from-chinese-probe/427780/13 "2007-11-27T02:13:03Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photos-of-the-moon-from-chinese-probe/427780/14 "2007-11-27T02:20:45Z")
[QUOTE=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. [/QUOTE] [Nope.](http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/workinginspace/great_wall.html) Asked and answered. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photos-of-the-moon-from-chinese-probe/427780/15 "2007-11-27T02:53:30Z")
[QUOTE=askeptic] [Nope.](http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/workinginspace/great_wall.html) Asked and answered. [/QUOTE] 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. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photos-of-the-moon-from-chinese-probe/427780/16 "2007-11-27T03:08:11Z")
[QUOTE=samclem] The important question that the Chinese are trying to solve is whether you can see the Great Wall from the Moon. [/QUOTE] You can see the Moon from the Great Wall. Well, _duh._ ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photos-of-the-moon-from-chinese-probe/427780/17 "2007-11-27T10:25:02Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] That would really be impressive if they’d done it in, say, [1959.](http://www.tsgc.utexas.edu/everything/moon/missions.html)🙂 [/QUOTE] I’m sure the folks in Detroit said something similar when they noticed the first Japanese cars being sold in the States. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photos-of-the-moon-from-chinese-probe/427780/18 "2007-11-27T10:29:23Z")
Sorry if this is a bit _too_ MPSIMS, but I keep reading the thread title as: **First Photos from the Moon Cheese Probe** ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photos-of-the-moon-from-chinese-probe/427780/19 "2007-11-27T14:04:17Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] I’m sure the folks in Detroit said something similar when they noticed the first Japanese cars being sold in the States. [/QUOTE] An interesting and witty retort shall follow. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photos-of-the-moon-from-chinese-probe/427780/20 "2007-11-27T15:42:17Z")
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”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-photos-of-the-moon-from-chinese-probe/427780.md?page=2)