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Even if China is the next nation to put a man on the moon, the USA is already exploring Mars!

How China may be the next to land on the moon
Posted: 27 August 2012 1944 hrs

BEIJING: Neil Armstrong’s 1969 lunar landing marked a pinnacle of US technological achievement, defining what many saw as the American century, but the next person to set foot on the moon will likely be Chinese.

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But experts say that China, which as recently as the 1980s was focused solely on developing satellites, is the closest to landing an astronaut on the moon.Beijing launched its manned space programme in 1999 and has developed rapidly since, sending its first astronaut into space in 2003 and completing a space walk in 2008.This year, it conducted its first manned space docking — the latest step towards setting up a space station — during a mission that included its first woman in space.

In its last White Paper on space, China said it was working towards landing a man on the moon — a feat so far only achieved by the United States, most recently in 1972 — although it did not give a time frame.

It will attempt to land an exploratory craft on the moon for the first time in the second half of 2013 and transmit back a survey of the lunar surface.

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Beijing has spent about 39 billion yuan (US$6.1 billion) on its manned space programme since it began 20 years ago, state media have said.

It sees the programme as a symbol of its rising global stature, growing technical expertise, and the Communist Party’s success in turning around the fortunes of the once poverty-stricken nation.

Experts, however, say national pride is just one of the motivating factors in China’s ambitious space programme.

“Trips to the moon have always involved prestige, but there is also science,” said Jones. “A new trend could involve mining the moon for nuclear fuel. China has made no secret of their interest in this possibility.”

– AFP/ir

How China may be the next to land on the moon

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Blogger

I watched Neil Armstrong walk on the Moon ‘live’ on a small black-and-white TV screen at our home in Harmony Park, Ipoh.

It seemed unreal. It didn’t feel special then.

Indeed, our cook, a woman of 50, said, “It’s a movie. Nobody could land on the Moon.” And she walked back to the kitchen, annoyed by I didn’t know what at the time.

Later in the year, when the floods throughout the country were the worst for a long time, she said, “See, they landed on the Moon and spoilt it!” She went on to explain that the woman on the moon must have been upset when that American landed on her home, and was punishing us on Earth!

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Neil Armstrong on the Moon

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“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

http://email.foxnews.com/t?ctl=264E5:5D05C2AB2712766C187BCBF6BC642473&

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Star

Sunday, August 26, 2012

First man on moon Neil Armstrong dead at 82

By Mary Slosson

(Reuters) – U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong, who took a giant leap for mankind when he became the first person to walk on the moon, has died at the age of 82, his family said on Saturday.

U.S. astronauts Neil Armstrong smiles in the lunar module after his historic moonwalk are pictured in this NASA handout photo. REUTERS/NASA/Handout

Armstrong died following complications from heart-bypass surgery he underwent earlier this month, the family said in a statement, just two days after his birthday on August 5.

As commander of the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969. As he stepped on the dusty surface, Armstrong said: “That’s one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Those words endure as one of the best known quotes in the English

First man on moon Neil Armstrong dead at 82

See also

First man on moon Neil Armstrong dead at 82 – U.S. media

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0. Neil Armstrong: modest man, large footprint in time and space

   Neil Armstrong‘s walk on the moon on July 20, 1969, marked the high point of US manned space flight, but the commander of the Apollo 11 mission was wary of the celebrity that came with it.

   The Christian Science Monitor – 2 hours, 31 minutes ago

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