China to launch moon rover mission to scout out locations for a lunar base (9:30am PST/12:30pm EST)

Daily Mail (UK) ^ | 30NOV2013 | Daily Mail Reporter

[Jack Hydrazine]

China will tomorrow become the first country in almost 40 years to soft-land a probe on the moon, in a huge step forward for its ambitious space programme.

The nation will become the third in history to launch a lunar probe when the device, named 'Jade Rabbit' after a Chinese folklore character, launches at 5.30pm on Sunday evening, which is 1.30am local time.

The mission forms part of a plan in which China hopes to build a permanent lunar base in order to launch future missions to Mars within the next 15 years.

[Jack Hydrazine]

The complete title is:

China to launch moon rover mission to scout out locations for a lunar base that will one day be used for a mission to Mars

[Jack Hydrazine]

Live launch coverage will be here.

http://www.china.org.cn/index.htm

[Jack Hydrazine]

Live launch ringy pingy!

[dsrtsage]

China can do whatever it wants in space. We will cover the important stuff like making muslims feel good about themselves.

[BenLurkin]

A true “rice rocket!”

[Jack Hydrazine]

Another story about it.

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/china/change3/131130preview/#.Upte4uJjGXM

[rockrr]

Hmmm - we sense a note of sarcasm here.

We approve ;’)

[VanDeKoik]

Well it’s about time someone bothered to do this.

40 years and we couldn’t even get a remote-controlled rover there? It doesn’t even have to be a true robot. The signal lag is so small that you can control it from Earth directly in almost real time.

[Proud2BeRight]

But they won’t beat us at Muslim outreach.

[Jack Hydrazine]

China is more into counter-jihad for Muzzies.

[Jack Hydrazine]

There are reasons why we haven’t been back.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

That’s because it’s impossible to get a human safely to Mars and back.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Is that the scenic route we’ve been taking all this time???

[null and void]

Impossible? I rather doubt that.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

Well, that’s what I believe. This isn’t Christopher Columbus setting off from Genoa.

[montag813]

And your Black Friday purchases are funding our future subjugation from space. Great job, America!

[Jack Hydrazine]

Which is worse? Fedzilla keeping Americans from reaching LEO and beyond or having the Chi-Coms dominate space?

[saganite]

I don’t see a live launch link at that site.

[TheGipperWasRight]

I think it is great that we have somebody else besides Russia to bum a ride to space off of. Our astronauts can put their gear in a bag tied to the end of a stick, and stand outside their launch site with their thumbs out.

[Jack Hydrazine]

I think it is this one

http://china.org.cn/china/2013-12/01/content_30763194.htm

but I’m not sure.

What I think the Chi-Coms are going to do is open up the video at the last moment and shut it down immediately if there is a problem with the rocket like this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_EnrVf9u8s