WebProNews

Tag: moon landing

  • China Moon Landing: Jade Rabbit Reaches Moon’s Surface

    China Moon Landing: Jade Rabbit Reaches Moon’s Surface

    China made history on Saturday by successfully landing its first unmanned spacecraft on the moon. The Chang’e-3  reached the moon at about 9.12 p.m Saturday and delivered “Yutu”, nicknamed “Jade Rabbit”. Yutu is a solar powered, six-wheeled robotic rover, equipped with at least four cameras and a number of  mechanical devices for sampling and analyzing the moon’s surface.

    On Saturday, Zheng Yong-Chun, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced, “Chang’e-3 has been landed successfully on the surface of the moon today”. This means that China becomes only the third country to achieve such a feat after the United States last landed in 1972, and the former Soviet Union in 1976.

    The 1-ton rover will explore the moon’s surface, studying soil samples and rocks for at least three months. The Yutu moon rover is named after a pet rabbit that journeyed to the moon with the Chinese mythological goddess named Chang’e .

    The lander drifted about 100 meters in altitude above the lunar landscape as it searched for a safe landing spot. The spacecraft eventually landed in the Sinus Iridum (known as the Bay of Rainbows) located on the northern hemisphere of the moon.

    The lander also features a scientific gear that can observe the Earth and other celestial objects over the next 12 months. China is also expected to open a permanent space station in the Earth’s orbit, within the next decade.

    Watch the Chinese blast off to the moon

    http://youtu.be/lgZslWEQZHY

    (image via YouTube)

  • China Moon Landing, China’s First Lunar Rover Landing On The Moon

    China is finally going to do something that the U.S. and Russia did 30 plus years ago, soft-land a rover on the moon. It looks as if it just might be successful.

    This rover, the Chang’e-3 also known by its nickname, “Jade Rabbit” is set to start exploring the moon on Sunday, giving China the recognition and credibility of a true space power and bringing them a step closer to putting a man on the moon.

    “This is a very significant step for their space program,” says Gregory Kulacki, who studies China’s efforts in space for the Union of Concerned Scientists. “It’s a prospecting mission, their first real chance to test whether there are mineral resources on the moon.”

    This rover has some pretty amazing tricks – it can see 300 feet under the surface by using a radar device designed to analyze rocks and identify minerals and other potentially useful elements that may lie under the lunar surface.

    The Chinese have long sought to mine the moon for useful minerals and elements. The prospect of mining the moon still inspires Chinese scientists as it once did American space enthusiasts, though some observers say the scientists are simply seeking justifications for their large budgets.

    The United Nations Moon Agreement, developed in 1979 restricts any country on earth – ownership of any resources found on the moons surface, or below the surface. However, China has never signed this agreement, nor has the U.S. for that matter. The US and the former Soviet Union are the only other two nations to complete successful soft – or controlled – lunar landings; the last was the Soviet Union in 1976.

    “Jade Rabbit” is named for a pet belonging to Chang’e the goddess of the moon in Chinese legend. The magnificent looking rover should be transmitting information back to earth for months to come. If everything goes as planned, China’s next mission to the moon will be to collect lunar materials, and bring them back for analysis.

    Just in case there is something the Chinese might be able to use here on earth.

    Image via YouTube

  • James Blunt New Album, “Moon Landing” Streaming

    It seems like James Blunt came out with his debut hit, “You’re Beautiful” and then then completely disappeared from the charts and music world entirely. While he’s made other albums, it seems the star hasn’t resonated with his fans quite like how he did with his original album.

    But good news because Blunt is back. His newest album doesn’t come out for another three weeks, but if you’re just dying to listen, you’re certainly in luck. Our friends over at Billboard are streaming his fourth studio album, “Moon Landing” in its entirety today.

    The album was produced by Tom Rothrock who has worked with artists from Beck to the Foo Fighters. Rothrock worked with Blunt on his multi-platinum selling 2004 debut album, “Back to Bedlam.”

    In an interview he did with Billboard, Blunt said, “I have written it very much without an audience in mind.”

    He went on to say, “In many ways this is, perhaps, the album that I would have recorded if my fast album ‘Back to Bedlam’ hadn’t sold in the way that it did.”

    But regardless if fans like the new tunes or not, Blunt doesn’t seem to mind.

    “It’s not about selling, he says. “It’s not about units. I do what I do because it means something to me,” said Blunt.

    “Moon Landing” comes out on Nov. 5. Listen to the album here.

    Photo Credit: YouTube

  • The Moon Landing Wasn’t Faked, But Here’s Another Reason Why

    There are still people out there who believe that the 1969 Moon landing was a hoax, perpetrated by the U.S. government and that everyone involved has successfully kept that fact from being exposed and proven for over 40 years. If you believe this, feel free to express those feelings to Buzz Aldrin.

    Anyway, it’s garbage. But it’s always nice to see some guy explain why it’s garbage in a simple, well-constructed video.

    Simply put: The American Government didn’t fake the Moon landing because they couldn’t have faked the moon landing. Technologically speaking.

    “Please understand, I’m not saying this defend the honor of the United States. The U.S Government lies all the time about all kinds of things. And if they haven’t lied to you today, maybe they haven’t had coffee,” says our narrator.

    But the fact remains. In 1969, we had the technology to send a man to moon but we didn’t have the technology to fake send a man to the moon.

    [sgcollins via Gizmodo]