As you read this, a spindly-looking silver robot with a satellite dish for a head is exploring places never seen up close before by humans. Named after the pet rabbit belonging to the mythical Chinese lunar goddess Chang'e, the Yutu 2 rover is making history as it sends back images and other data from the far side of the moon. A historical first for humankind – the far side of the moon has not previously been visited – and a major achievement for China's increasingly impressive space program.
Reacting on Twitter, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine called it a "first for humanity and an impressive accomplishment!"
While the reaction to Thursday's landing in China – where economic concerns are becoming increasingly pressing amid an ongoing trade war with the US – was more limited than for the previous lunar mission, the success of Chang'e 4, and the global acclaim it has brought, will be a significant boost to the Chinese space program.
n 2020, the next lunar mission, Chang'e 5, is due to land on the moon, collect samples and return to Earth, while preliminary plans are underway for a manned lunar mission in the 2030s. If successful, China would become only the second country, after the US, to put a citizen on the moon
"Our overall goal is that, by around 2030, China will be the major space power of the world," Wu Yanhua, deputy chief of the National Space Administration, said in 2016. One achievement could see China leapfrog the US, however, and make history in the progress: landing an astronaut on Mars
Communism will lose in the end. Socialism is not sustainable. When will you learn…
How many millions of people will have to die because of your arrogance.
Aaron Davis
Not on boat barbarian
Chinese ship carries railgun that fires hypersonic projectiles yrs ahead of US lack of intelligence prediction
Samuel Phillips
why you say communism China is totalitarian dictatorship
This make us strong
U ass of A
4 yrs, vote for me, i give you a cookie
Liam Gray
You have no idea what you're talking about…
Communism is a lie from the very beginning.
Russia is still Communist; believe it or not.
Eli Kelly
And you're still an ignorant person
William Myers
Will become a catastrophic failure in just two days at most
Christian Morris
Look Russian Oligarchy that currently rules Russia. They conveniently survived the USSR on top, and Putin was a member of the KGB.
It is the same nation, the same goons, and the people still don't have basic human rights; you're ignorant.
Ryder Robinson
They're not communists any more. They adjusted to the new system, and play it well, since they had governing experience etc. It's the ordinary people that got screwed when it changed, those can be communist.
Cameron Martinez
Liberals are kissing China's ass and its single party system.
But God forbid such a thing should be tried in America because it would be RAYCIST AND UNDEMOCRATIC.
Even though the US could have colonized Mars by now if it didn't blow all its cash on welfare and foreign aid.
Rovers? Been done. Hardest part for moon is ensuring it can survive days and nights lasting two weeks each with sharp temperature changes between them.
Landing on the "far side of the moon" is not any more impressive than the side facing us. USA dropped reflectors to bounce lasers off of; needed to be on the front.
it's china so you can't sue them for copyrights. i was just point out how silly it is and that their unoriginal bastards.
Ryan Morris
What do you expect. The (((US))) has been spending 90% of its resources on constant wars around the world for 120 years. Meanwhile, china has been sitting quietly working away, 2,000 million of them, staying in their insect hive and waiting for the queen's signal to emerge. Now they are ready. In sixth months they'll walk out with teleporting mech bots and reactive anti-matter phase shields as armour. You dun goofed.
