As Rover Lands, China Joins Moon Club
By Jack Fitzgibbons
About a month ago, China joined the “Moon
Club” by successfully completing a soft landing with the spacecraft Chang’e-3
on the moon. This soft landing made China the third ever country to complete
one, the United States and the Soviet Union being the first two. A soft landing
is when a spacecraft has landed then can work and function after the landing. The
journey through space took about thirteen days, ending and landing at the Sinus
Iridum, or Bay of Rainbows. The Bay of Rainbows is a flat plain, which formed
when lava solidified. This soft lading is so important for China because the
last soft landing was 37 years ago by the Soviet Union, when Mao Zedong was
within a month from his death. At the same time that the Soviet Union completed
a soft landing, China was being majorly affected by their Cultural Revolution.
Along with being a huge milestone for Chinese, Chang’e-3 had other purposes. It carried a solar-powered robotic rover named the Jade Rabbit, Yutu in Mandarin Chinese. Several hours after the landing, the Jade Rabbit emerged and started to explore. The rover carries a radar which will be used to learn about the makeup of the moon up to three hundred feet deep. The rover has the ability to carry a dozen times its 309 lb. weight. Landing is a huge step for the Chinese, as it will open up numerous possibilities that were not possible for them before. China plans to send a mission to receive rocks and other samples back from the moon by 2020. This will be hard because a larger craft that will be needed to be able to take the rover to and from the moon. Along with this, they will need a much more powerful launch rocket, which they are still developing. On top of this, China is on track to be the only country with an operating space station because China’s space station should be ready to go up at around the same time the International Space Station will be decommissioned. China has come so far in the years since its cultural revolution. China went from being a chaotic cultural mess to being one the richest and most well respected countries in the world. As the article states, for the Chinese, having a major presence in space is a key to acquiring technological prowess, military strength and sheer status.
Along with being a huge milestone for Chinese, Chang’e-3 had other purposes. It carried a solar-powered robotic rover named the Jade Rabbit, Yutu in Mandarin Chinese. Several hours after the landing, the Jade Rabbit emerged and started to explore. The rover carries a radar which will be used to learn about the makeup of the moon up to three hundred feet deep. The rover has the ability to carry a dozen times its 309 lb. weight. Landing is a huge step for the Chinese, as it will open up numerous possibilities that were not possible for them before. China plans to send a mission to receive rocks and other samples back from the moon by 2020. This will be hard because a larger craft that will be needed to be able to take the rover to and from the moon. Along with this, they will need a much more powerful launch rocket, which they are still developing. On top of this, China is on track to be the only country with an operating space station because China’s space station should be ready to go up at around the same time the International Space Station will be decommissioned. China has come so far in the years since its cultural revolution. China went from being a chaotic cultural mess to being one the richest and most well respected countries in the world. As the article states, for the Chinese, having a major presence in space is a key to acquiring technological prowess, military strength and sheer status.
As an American, this could make you happy for the Chinese, or worried. Someone
could easily be very worried by this because it brings a realization that the
U.S. really isn’t as far ahead of other countries as it may seem sometimes.
This could bring a feeling of being unsafe or nervous. To the Chinese this is
amazing and a very important milestone in Chinese history. This accomplishment
opens open a multitude of opportunities for China, which will help boost its
overall status as a country. This could also be good for both Chinese and
Americans, if the Chinese and Americans were to decide to work together in
space, that cooperation could grow to a powerful link for the future. I think
in general, besides the realization that the U.S. is not as amazing as
sometimes thought. This is an opportunity for powerful countries to make a
connection that will be very helpful in the long run.
I
think this article had a very interesting idea and was full of good
information, but could have had a few more interesting facts or details. The
article did a great job of describing the history of soft landings, and how far
China has come to be a world power now. I learned a lot about the rover China
has left to explore on the Moon, and what is expected to happen in the future.
It described the setting, giving a good visual image of where the rover started
its exploring. It also did a great job of explaining the mission of the Jade
Rabbit, and what its purpose is. Along with being full of good information, it
was not hard to read. It flowed well, and incorporated quotes as we learned to
in English, enhancing the article. The style of writing was very informative,
but not to the point of boring me as I read. The article also had some points
to be improved upon. I think the author could have incorporated a few more
details that would really pull the reader in and make the article more
enjoyable to read. Also, the article could have gone into more detail about
what the rover was capable and other tools it had, as the article said it was
full of gadgets but only listed a few. Overall this is a strong article that is
informative about an important topic that people should be educated on.
Overall, I thought your review was very well done. I liked how in the beginning, you defined words such as soft landing that have specific definitions that most would not know. Also, you made the purposes and abilities of the Chinese space program very clear, which gives the reader a good background of the topic. In addition, I agree with your critique of the article from what you stated in the details stated in the summary because they really didn't put much emphasis on the tools the rover contained. I found it quite interesting that the 309 pound rover could carry up to 12 times its weight, meaning that it must be structurally sound. Also, I found it interesting that China is now becoming more interested in space and building a space station while the rest of the world is doing the opposite. Although your paper was well done, I think you could have explained the job of Jade Rabbit in greater detail.
ReplyDeleteJack, I really enjoyed your review. This is obviously very exciting news. One of the best aspects of this review was the historical background that you provided. It’s amazing that it’s been 37 years since the last soft landing and it is interesting to see how far China has come. I also enjoyed the relevance paragraph. You did a great job staying impartial when stating why we should be excited and worried by the news. Finally, I thought your review was very well written and it kept me interested. It was exciting to read.
ReplyDeleteI thought that you chose a great article. It included many interesting facts and was very exciting. One new fact that I learned is soon China will be the only country with a space station. This demonstrates how far China has come since the Cultural Revolution. As Cameron pointed out, China is just beginning to explore space while most countries are beginning to slow down in their exploration. Another interesting feature of the article was what this could mean for China in the future. China will grow more connected and linked to the world, and hopefully, countries will work together in missions to explore space.
I think you did a great job on this review and it kept me intrigued. However, I wish you had included dates in your review. When did China reach the moon? When will further missions take place? Other than this, your review was very informative and well written.