China celebrates successful Moon probe

telegraph.co.uk ^ | 9:20AM GMT 01 Nov 2014 | Tom Phillips

[BenLurkin]

The “Xiaofei” or "Little Flyer" lunar orbiter began re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere at 6.13am on Saturday and subsequently landed in Inner Mongolia, state media reported.

The probe was launched eight days ago and travelled more than 520,000 miles during its mission around the Moon.

The mission to the Moon was “another step forward for China's ambition that could eventually land a Chinese citizen there,” Xinhua, China’s official news agency, said. It was “the world's first mission to the Moon and back for some 40 years”.

Saturday’s landing is the latest advance for a space program that China’s leaders see as an important way of commanding international respect. Some Chinese scientists have said they hope space exploration might help them discover precious natural resources that could help satisfy the country’s ravenous hunger for raw materials.

... Beijing’s latest space mission was intended to “test technologies” that the country hopes to use in a 2017 mission to the Moon during which an unmanned spacecraft will land, collect soil samples and return to earth, Xinhua said.

The space probe had “gathered a lot of experimental data and laid a solid foundation for future missions” Wu Yanhua, deputy head of China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense was quoted as saying.

[BenLurkin]

"Xiaofei" safely [sic] on the ground Photo: Xinhua news

[driftdiver]

Toasty

[ClearCase_guy]

But how are they doing with their Muslim Outreach???

[Paladin2]

So?

The IRS is still sending plenty of Uranus probes.,,,,,

[Huskrrrr]

S’mores anyone?

[Zathras]

Laughing too hard to come up with anything funny

[RichInOC]

The IRS. It’s Not Uranus. It’s Our Anus.

[Dagnabitt]

Photo courtesy of Weber Grills Export Division

[Yardstick]

Nicely caramelized.

[Riley]

Photo courtesy of Weber Grills Export Division

LOL!!

[The Antiyuppie]

They may have a little bit to learn about re-entry attitude control.

If I were a taikonaut, after seeing this, I’d bring a short-sleeves and a fan for the next mission. It might get a bit warm during re-entry.

[norton]

You've come a long way baby:

I spent some time on Taiwan in the seventies and both Chinas were some kind of irate because the US had landed on the moon and upset the Moon Goddess and her helper - Jade Rabbit.

Now the PRC has joined us with "a six-wheeled buggy called the 'Yutu' or 'Jade Rabbit' to take photographs and soil samples"... Moon Goddess must really be pi$$,d off!

[NonValueAdded]

Sure that’s not from Project Scoop? /obscure

[CIBvet]

So did the Communist Chinese bother to send a Thank You note to our impeached former President Clinton & his good buddy Bernard Schwartz at Loral (the U.S. Defense Contractor) for authorizing our Top Secret missile guidance technology to be passed along to the Commies so their rockets could stop falling over & exploding on the pad and/or blowing up in nearby villages?

I'm sure the reported 1million dollar payoff from Loral to the DNC/Clinton's Reelection Committee was appreciated.

[BenLurkin]

bttt

[BenLurkin]

bttt