Cidersomerset
29th November 2013, 17:23
With India sending a probe to Mars other Asian power houses are eyeing the moon...
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Why China is fixated on the Moon
29 November 2013
Last updated at 09:38 ET
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/58906000/jpg/_58906646_feb81436-e4fc-4452-8693-0ddf2df8b7a0.jpg
David Shukman Article written by
Science editor
p://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/71430000/jpg/_71430096_71427078.jpg
Chinese boy at Moon exhibition
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/71430000/jpg/_71430096_71427078.jpg
David Shukman visits an exhibition in Guiyang, southern China, that explores China’s
obsession with the Moon
The Moon could be a “beautiful” source of minerals and energy, a top Chinese scientist
has told the BBC.Exotic materials including helium-3 and the potential for solar power
could prove invaluable for humankind, he says.The comments come from Prof Ouyang
Ziyuan of the department of lunar and deep space exploration. His first interview with
the foreign media provides insights into China’s usually secretive space programme.
Prof Ouyang was speaking ahead of the first Chinese attempt to land an unmanned
spacecraft on the lunar surface. The Chang’e 3 lander is due to launch imminently,
perhaps as soon as Sunday evening, UK time.It will be the first to make a soft
touchdown on the Moon since an unmanned Russian mission in 1976. No humans have
set foot on the lunar surface since America’s Apollo missions ended in 1972.Prof Ouyang
is an adviser to the mission and his comments reveal the scale of Chinese thinking
about the Moon.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/71405000/jpg/_71405021_71405020.jpg
Sinus IridumThe Chang’e 3 lander is heading for a crater known as Sinus Iridum
He said the forthcoming venture would land in an ancient crater 400km wide called
Sinus Iridum, thought to be relatively flat and clear of rocks, and explore its geology.
He explained that there were three motivations behind the drive to investigate theMoon.
“First, to develop our technology because lunar exploration requires many types of
technology, including communications, computers, all kinds of IT skills and the use of
different kinds of materials. This is the key reason,” he told BBC News.
“Second, in terms of the science, besides Earth we also need to know our brothers and
sisters like the Moon, its origin and evolution and then from that we can know about our Earth.
“Third, in terms of the talents, China needs its own intellectual team who can explore
the whole lunar and solar system – that is also our main purpose.”
After the first two Chang’e craft orbited the Moon, the next two missions will try to land
on it and the following two will attempt to bring samples back to Earth.
Manned expeditions will then take place, according to Prof Ouyang.
“After all of this work, which is that China can make the achievement of arriving at the
Moon and safely landing and that we can bring samples back; and once we finish all
these unmanned projects, we will send Man there.”
A rationale for this long-term programme is that “there are many ways humans can use
the Moon”, and he outlined a startling vision for its exploitation. With no air on the
Moon, solar panels would operate far more efficiently, he believes, and a “belt” of them
could “support the whole world”.
The Moon is also “so rich” in helium-3, which is a possible fuel for nuclear fusion, that
this could “solve human beings’ energy demand for around 10,000 years at least”.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/71405000/jpg/_71405788_187050187.jpg
Chang'e 3 modelChang’e 3 model: Not since the Soviets’ Luna 24 mission has there
been a soft landing
Prof Ouyang highlighted the combination of an extremely thin atmosphere and massive
temperature extremes offering a unique possibility for manufacturing that does not exist
on Earth.
He also spelled out the potential riches in lunar minerals and metals – a feature
highlighted in an exhibition about the Moon which I visited in his home city of Guiyang.
“The Moon is full of resources – mainly rare earth elements, titanium, and uranium,
which the Earth is really short of, and these resources can be used without limitation.
“But it’s unnecessary to get them now because it’s very costly.”
Prof Ouyang summed up his vision for the goal of lunar exploration: “There are so many
potential developments – it’s beautiful – so we hope we can fully utilize the Moon to
support sustainable development for humans and society.”
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/68380000/jpg/_68380670_68380669.jpg
Chinese astronaut Wang Yaping, centre, goes out of the re-entry capsule of China's
Shenzhou 10 spacecraft after its successful landing in Siziwang Banner, north China's
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on 26 June 2013China is steadily developing its
human spaceflight capability so it can put people on the Moon
Coming from a representative of a poorer, less ambitious nation, these ideas might be
seen as purely wishful thinking.But China has been methodically and patiently building
up the key elements needed for an advanced space programme – from launchers to
manned missions in Earth orbit to unmanned planetary craft – and it is investing heavily.
This comes as China is seen by neighbouring countries in Asia as flexing its muscles,
most recently over control of airspace over the South China Sea. Chinese officials stress
their desire to cooperate on space projects but lunar exploration is also regarded as a
statement of national prowess.
Ouyang has himself been blunt about this in the past, as here in 2006: “Lunar
exploration is a reflection of a country’s comprehensive national power,” he said in an
interview with the official newspaper People’s Daily. “It is significant for raising our
international prestige and increasing our people’s cohesion.”
One leading British space scientist, Prof Richard Holdaway of the government-funded l
aboratory RAL Space, has long experience of working with China.
He believes China could have astronauts on the lunar surface by 2025.
“They started from a long way back but now they’re catching up fast – they want to
monitor what’s happening on the ground, they want to be part of the analysis of climate
change and a much bigger programme looking at the Moon for mining or as a staging
post to other parts of the Solar System.”
I asked him if the idea of a Chinese moonbase extracting minerals was remotely
plausible.
“It’s perfectly plausible from the technical point of view, absolutely plausible from the
finance point of view because they have great buying power, so I think, yes, there’s
nothing at all to stop them doing that probably within something like 10 years.
So a great deal is riding on the Chang’e 3 launch – national prestige, the quest for
technological prowess and the desire to harness all available natural resources.
If all goes according to plan, the spacecraft will take six days to reach the Moon and
then face the challenge of a soft landing.But it is clear that a successful mission will
pave the way for the next boots to walk on the lunar surface to be worn by Chinese
astronauts.
Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/25141597#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/25141597
==================================================================================================== ==========
The Independent Friday 29 November 2013
Japanese engineers plan to turn the moon into a giant solar panel station
http://www.independent.co.uk/independent.co.uk/assets/images/redesign/masthead/indy-masthead-small.png
http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article8969863.ece/ALTERNATES/w620/japan1.jpg
Engineering firm plans to install a 6,800 mile 'solar belt' around the moon's equator
Thair Shaikh Thursday 28 November 2013
It sounds like a tale from a science fiction novel, but a team of Japanese engineers
really is hoping to turn the moon into a giant solar panel.Shimizu, a giant civil
engineering and construction firm, plans to install a 'solar belt' around the moon's
equator.To be built almost entirely by remote-controlled robots, the Luna Ring would
run around the 6,800 mile lunar equator and be 248 miles in width.
The solar energy collected would converted and beamed back to earth as microwaves
and laser, where it would then be converted into electricity and then potentially supplied
to the national grid.Shimizu says the Luna Ring could generate a massive 13,000 terra
watts of energy. The Sizewell B nuclear reactor in Suffolk produces 1,198 megawatts (MW).
http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article8969864.ece/ALTERNATES/w460/japan2.jpg
According to the firm's engineers, the moon's equator is exposed to a steady amount of
sun and not subject to some of the weather problems associated with solar energy
generation on earth.
“Virtually inexhaustible, non-polluting solar energy is the ultimate source of green
energy that brings prosperity to nature as well as our lives,” says Shimizu.
The company plans to have a pilot demonstration by 2020 and for construction to begin by 2035.
This is not the first time solar energy generated in space has been mooted as an answer
to the earth's dwindling energy resources. NASA has been investigating space-based
solar systems for decades.And not everyone is convinced - Prof Werner Hofer, director
of the Stephenson Institute for Renewable Energy at the University of Liverpool,
said: “Doing this in space is not a good idea because it is fantastically expensive and
you probably never recover the energy you have to invest
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/japanese-engineers-plan-to-turn-the-moon-into-a-giant-solar-panel-station-8969866.html
http://static.bbci.co.uk/frameworks/barlesque/2.56.15/desktop/3.5/img/blq-blocks_grey_alpha.png
Why China is fixated on the Moon
29 November 2013
Last updated at 09:38 ET
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/58906000/jpg/_58906646_feb81436-e4fc-4452-8693-0ddf2df8b7a0.jpg
David Shukman Article written by
Science editor
p://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/71430000/jpg/_71430096_71427078.jpg
Chinese boy at Moon exhibition
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/71430000/jpg/_71430096_71427078.jpg
David Shukman visits an exhibition in Guiyang, southern China, that explores China’s
obsession with the Moon
The Moon could be a “beautiful” source of minerals and energy, a top Chinese scientist
has told the BBC.Exotic materials including helium-3 and the potential for solar power
could prove invaluable for humankind, he says.The comments come from Prof Ouyang
Ziyuan of the department of lunar and deep space exploration. His first interview with
the foreign media provides insights into China’s usually secretive space programme.
Prof Ouyang was speaking ahead of the first Chinese attempt to land an unmanned
spacecraft on the lunar surface. The Chang’e 3 lander is due to launch imminently,
perhaps as soon as Sunday evening, UK time.It will be the first to make a soft
touchdown on the Moon since an unmanned Russian mission in 1976. No humans have
set foot on the lunar surface since America’s Apollo missions ended in 1972.Prof Ouyang
is an adviser to the mission and his comments reveal the scale of Chinese thinking
about the Moon.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/71405000/jpg/_71405021_71405020.jpg
Sinus IridumThe Chang’e 3 lander is heading for a crater known as Sinus Iridum
He said the forthcoming venture would land in an ancient crater 400km wide called
Sinus Iridum, thought to be relatively flat and clear of rocks, and explore its geology.
He explained that there were three motivations behind the drive to investigate theMoon.
“First, to develop our technology because lunar exploration requires many types of
technology, including communications, computers, all kinds of IT skills and the use of
different kinds of materials. This is the key reason,” he told BBC News.
“Second, in terms of the science, besides Earth we also need to know our brothers and
sisters like the Moon, its origin and evolution and then from that we can know about our Earth.
“Third, in terms of the talents, China needs its own intellectual team who can explore
the whole lunar and solar system – that is also our main purpose.”
After the first two Chang’e craft orbited the Moon, the next two missions will try to land
on it and the following two will attempt to bring samples back to Earth.
Manned expeditions will then take place, according to Prof Ouyang.
“After all of this work, which is that China can make the achievement of arriving at the
Moon and safely landing and that we can bring samples back; and once we finish all
these unmanned projects, we will send Man there.”
A rationale for this long-term programme is that “there are many ways humans can use
the Moon”, and he outlined a startling vision for its exploitation. With no air on the
Moon, solar panels would operate far more efficiently, he believes, and a “belt” of them
could “support the whole world”.
The Moon is also “so rich” in helium-3, which is a possible fuel for nuclear fusion, that
this could “solve human beings’ energy demand for around 10,000 years at least”.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/71405000/jpg/_71405788_187050187.jpg
Chang'e 3 modelChang’e 3 model: Not since the Soviets’ Luna 24 mission has there
been a soft landing
Prof Ouyang highlighted the combination of an extremely thin atmosphere and massive
temperature extremes offering a unique possibility for manufacturing that does not exist
on Earth.
He also spelled out the potential riches in lunar minerals and metals – a feature
highlighted in an exhibition about the Moon which I visited in his home city of Guiyang.
“The Moon is full of resources – mainly rare earth elements, titanium, and uranium,
which the Earth is really short of, and these resources can be used without limitation.
“But it’s unnecessary to get them now because it’s very costly.”
Prof Ouyang summed up his vision for the goal of lunar exploration: “There are so many
potential developments – it’s beautiful – so we hope we can fully utilize the Moon to
support sustainable development for humans and society.”
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/68380000/jpg/_68380670_68380669.jpg
Chinese astronaut Wang Yaping, centre, goes out of the re-entry capsule of China's
Shenzhou 10 spacecraft after its successful landing in Siziwang Banner, north China's
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on 26 June 2013China is steadily developing its
human spaceflight capability so it can put people on the Moon
Coming from a representative of a poorer, less ambitious nation, these ideas might be
seen as purely wishful thinking.But China has been methodically and patiently building
up the key elements needed for an advanced space programme – from launchers to
manned missions in Earth orbit to unmanned planetary craft – and it is investing heavily.
This comes as China is seen by neighbouring countries in Asia as flexing its muscles,
most recently over control of airspace over the South China Sea. Chinese officials stress
their desire to cooperate on space projects but lunar exploration is also regarded as a
statement of national prowess.
Ouyang has himself been blunt about this in the past, as here in 2006: “Lunar
exploration is a reflection of a country’s comprehensive national power,” he said in an
interview with the official newspaper People’s Daily. “It is significant for raising our
international prestige and increasing our people’s cohesion.”
One leading British space scientist, Prof Richard Holdaway of the government-funded l
aboratory RAL Space, has long experience of working with China.
He believes China could have astronauts on the lunar surface by 2025.
“They started from a long way back but now they’re catching up fast – they want to
monitor what’s happening on the ground, they want to be part of the analysis of climate
change and a much bigger programme looking at the Moon for mining or as a staging
post to other parts of the Solar System.”
I asked him if the idea of a Chinese moonbase extracting minerals was remotely
plausible.
“It’s perfectly plausible from the technical point of view, absolutely plausible from the
finance point of view because they have great buying power, so I think, yes, there’s
nothing at all to stop them doing that probably within something like 10 years.
So a great deal is riding on the Chang’e 3 launch – national prestige, the quest for
technological prowess and the desire to harness all available natural resources.
If all goes according to plan, the spacecraft will take six days to reach the Moon and
then face the challenge of a soft landing.But it is clear that a successful mission will
pave the way for the next boots to walk on the lunar surface to be worn by Chinese
astronauts.
Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/25141597#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/25141597
==================================================================================================== ==========
The Independent Friday 29 November 2013
Japanese engineers plan to turn the moon into a giant solar panel station
http://www.independent.co.uk/independent.co.uk/assets/images/redesign/masthead/indy-masthead-small.png
http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article8969863.ece/ALTERNATES/w620/japan1.jpg
Engineering firm plans to install a 6,800 mile 'solar belt' around the moon's equator
Thair Shaikh Thursday 28 November 2013
It sounds like a tale from a science fiction novel, but a team of Japanese engineers
really is hoping to turn the moon into a giant solar panel.Shimizu, a giant civil
engineering and construction firm, plans to install a 'solar belt' around the moon's
equator.To be built almost entirely by remote-controlled robots, the Luna Ring would
run around the 6,800 mile lunar equator and be 248 miles in width.
The solar energy collected would converted and beamed back to earth as microwaves
and laser, where it would then be converted into electricity and then potentially supplied
to the national grid.Shimizu says the Luna Ring could generate a massive 13,000 terra
watts of energy. The Sizewell B nuclear reactor in Suffolk produces 1,198 megawatts (MW).
http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article8969864.ece/ALTERNATES/w460/japan2.jpg
According to the firm's engineers, the moon's equator is exposed to a steady amount of
sun and not subject to some of the weather problems associated with solar energy
generation on earth.
“Virtually inexhaustible, non-polluting solar energy is the ultimate source of green
energy that brings prosperity to nature as well as our lives,” says Shimizu.
The company plans to have a pilot demonstration by 2020 and for construction to begin by 2035.
This is not the first time solar energy generated in space has been mooted as an answer
to the earth's dwindling energy resources. NASA has been investigating space-based
solar systems for decades.And not everyone is convinced - Prof Werner Hofer, director
of the Stephenson Institute for Renewable Energy at the University of Liverpool,
said: “Doing this in space is not a good idea because it is fantastically expensive and
you probably never recover the energy you have to invest
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/japanese-engineers-plan-to-turn-the-moon-into-a-giant-solar-panel-station-8969866.html