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Interesting. Thanks for the link, another bookmark to add to my growing collection.

Vesta is believed to be solid rock. The oval-shaped object has an average diameter of approximately 320 miles. But Ceres could harbor water or ice beneath its rocky crust. The "baby planet" has an average diameter of about 600 miles.

We are decades from an actual confrontation on the moon, although

Hasn't china, russia and I think Japan been talking about moon shots?

[RightWhale]

• Hasn't china, russia and I think Japan been talking about moon shots?

  Japan launched this week. It's a pretty large orbiter, resource analysis.

[RightWhale]

http://spaceflightnow.com/h2a/selene/070914launch.html

The Selenological and Engineering Explorer - or SELENE - is the first of four lunar explorers set for launch before the end of next year. Orbiters from China, India and the United States will soon join Kaguya at the moon.

The orbiter was nicknamed Kaguya after thousands of suggestions were submitted to JAXA by members of the public. The probe was named after a character in a popular ancient Japanese folktale.

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The USA is in the race, but private industry is shut out. The Google challenge will not prospect, so does not count per the Treaty.