# China's sends probe to moon



## Mr_Headshot (Mar 14, 2019)

What do you think China's goal is by sending a probe to the far side of the moon?  Is it purely scientific and they can brag they did something the Russians and Americans did not do? Is it for military purposes? Is it simply China flexing its muscle in front of the world?


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## Nxodus (Mar 14, 2019)

they want rare earth metals. it's all about mining biz


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## FreedomEclipse (Mar 14, 2019)

They want to build a military base on the moon and claim it for their emperor


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## rtwjunkie (Mar 14, 2019)

Mr_Headshot said:


> What do you think China's goal is by sending a probe to the far side of the moon?  Is it purely scientific and they can brag they did something the Russians and Americans did not do? Is it for military purposes? Is it simply China flexing its muscle in front of the world? View attachment 118658


It is scientific, and it is also bragging rights as well as a display of might to the world that they aren’t going anywhere.  In short, it is all that you suggested.


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## Caring1 (Mar 14, 2019)

Link?
I don't watch news, it's too depressing.


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## 111frodon (Mar 14, 2019)

Rare earth elements. They control like 90% of the world's production in so many elements, but at the rate technology is being used in more and more products (from connected light bulbs to electric car, and so much more), we'll run out of some of them quickly enough to warrant mining the moon...


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## dorsetknob (Mar 14, 2019)

111frodon said:


> Rare earth elements. They control like 90% of the world's production in so many elements, but at the rate technology is being used in more and more products (from connected light bulbs to electric car, and so much more), we'll run out of some of them quickly enough to warrant mining the moon...



Rare Earth Elements   are not Rare  in fact as elements go are quite common.
Thing is its expensive to refine the salts to a usable Metal ( and its incredibly TOXIC to the Environment).
ps the Rare Earth Salts are often just a by-product of other mining processes


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## Mr_Headshot (Mar 14, 2019)

Caring1 said:


> Link?
> I don't watch news, it's too depressing.


lol...you are correct but I just can't help myself: Here you go: https://www.voanews.com/a/chinese-craft-first-to-land-on-moons-far-side/4726915.html


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## AmioriK (Mar 14, 2019)

It is against current international law to install weapons or military installations in space, that includes the moon. (I think, please correct me if I'm wrong).

As others have said; the moon is filled with resources potentially worth an enormous amount of money here on Earth. Moon mining is going to happen sooner or later, and I hope a colony next, and maybe they will offer decent well paid jobs on the moon. I would be up for that


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## Deleted member 24505 (Mar 14, 2019)

They make soooo much money selling us their electronics and cheap tat, they have to spend it on something.


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## hat (Mar 14, 2019)

Mining the moon simply wouldn't be economically feasible. The cost of transport alone would far outweigh the value of whatever is brought back.


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## HossHuge (Mar 14, 2019)

111frodon said:


> Rare earth elements. They control like 90% of the world's production in so many elements, but at the rate technology is being used in more and more products (from connected light bulbs to electric car, and so much more), we'll run out of some of them quickly enough to warrant mining the moon...



If Afghanistan could ever get settled they have lots of rare earth metals. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/rare-earth-afghanistan-sits-1-trillion-minerals-n196861


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## R-T-B (Mar 14, 2019)

HossHuge said:


> If Afghanistan could ever get settled they have lots of rare earth metals.
> 
> https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/rare-earth-afghanistan-sits-1-trillion-minerals-n196861




See Dorsets post.  "Rare Earth" metals aren't really all that rare.


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## Deleted member 24505 (Mar 14, 2019)

hat said:


> Mining the moon simply wouldn't be economically feasible. The cost of transport alone would far outweigh the value of whatever is brought back.



They'll just string out their population there and pass it back hand to hand


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## AmioriK (Mar 14, 2019)

hat said:


> Mining the moon simply wouldn't be economically feasible. The cost of transport alone would far outweigh the value of whatever is brought back.


With current methods; yes. But something like a Space Elevator could be feasible. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator


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## Deleted member 24505 (Mar 14, 2019)

Surely mining the moon extensively will alter its mass and therefore its orbit? And when the means arise to do it, it WILL be mined extensively


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## AmioriK (Mar 14, 2019)

tigger said:


> Surely mining the moon extensively will alter its mass and therefore its orbit? And when the means arise to do it, it WILL be mined extensively


I don't think we'll be able to strip-mine the moon enough to alter its orbit in any meaningful way for at least a couple hundred years, but that's an interesting point.


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## Space Lynx (Mar 14, 2019)

AmioriK said:


> It is against current international law to install weapons or military installations in space, that includes the moon. (I think, please correct me if I'm wrong).
> 
> As others have said; the moon is filled with resources potentially worth an enormous amount of money here on Earth. Moon mining is going to happen sooner or later, and I hope a colony next, and maybe they will offer decent well paid jobs on the moon. I would be up for that



It's also internationally illegal to use gas to kill people, but the Russians did it in the UK last year, and they didn't even get a slap on the wrist.  

Cold War 2.0, you can push the limits as far as you want, because no one will actually ever risk war at this stage. lol

https://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2018/09/05/uk-skripal-novichok-poisoning-charges-vpx.cnn

if you wanta  source


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## MrGenius (Mar 14, 2019)

Obviously...


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## John Naylor (Mar 15, 2019)

Mr_Headshot said:


> What do you think China's goal is by sending a probe to the far side of the moon?  Is it purely scientific and they can brag they did something the Russians and Americans did not do? Is it for military purposes? Is it simply China flexing its muscle in front of the world?



They gonna make GFX cards there to escape the tariifs


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## Caring1 (Mar 15, 2019)

hat said:


> Mining the moon simply wouldn't be economically feasible. The cost of transport alone would far outweigh the value of whatever is brought back.


Maybe they are secretly installing booster rockets on the far side to bring the moon closer to Earth


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## sepheronx (Mar 15, 2019)

lynx29 said:


> It's also internationally illegal to use gas to kill people, but the Russians did it in the UK last year, and they didn't even get a slap on the wrist.
> 
> Cold War 2.0, you can push the limits as far as you want, because no one will actually ever risk war at this stage. lol
> 
> ...



except this story keeps changing as and there is nothing solid.  And especially since Porton Down is not far away and it wouldn't be first time it had a "leak".  Plus, if the Russian's wanted him dead, they would've just killed him when he was in jail in Moscow rather than later.  He was released not too long ago and then cleared to leave the country.  So if he was a threat, that wouldn't have been the case.

So yeah....



Mr_Headshot said:


> What do you think China's goal is by sending a probe to the far side of the moon?  Is it purely scientific and they can brag they did something the Russians and Americans did not do? Is it for military purposes? Is it simply China flexing its muscle in front of the world? View attachment 118658



A lot of it has to do with Bravado.  Very little to do with anything else.  Its cool for some science experiment but as someone else said, they have to spend their fortune on something.  And its a huge Ego win for them.


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## Space Lynx (Mar 15, 2019)

sepheronx said:


> except this story keeps changing as and there is nothing solid.  And especially since Porton Down is not far away and it wouldn't be first time it had a "leak".  Plus, if the Russian's wanted him dead, they would've just killed him when he was in jail in Moscow rather than later.  He was released not too long ago and then cleared to leave the country.  So if he was a threat, that wouldn't have been the case.
> 
> So yeah....
> 
> ...



you are right the novichok gas just came out of nowhere!!! amazing!!!


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## sepheronx (Mar 15, 2019)

lynx29 said:


> you are right the novichok gas just came out of nowhere!!! amazing!!!



So in that narrative, it is that Russia did it, because it wouldn't have applied itself?  But when they had the chance to kill him in a Russian prison not long ago, they didn't so they decide to do it in England?  And send him on his marry way to England?

OK.

Or, maybe because anti Russian hysteria is blowing up out in the west thus someone gets poisoned (a deadly nerve agent which didn't kill him or his daughter but killed a meth addict) is a great way to blame it on Russia for more sanctions?  Sounds just as plausible.

I am curious, were is the Skripals anyway? Seems UK is holding them without even giving them a word out.  The Niece wanted to go see them but UK wouldn't let her.

but I will let you live in your bliss.  As this is about China, not Russia like you brought up.  And China sending a rover to the moon at that.


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## R-T-B (Mar 15, 2019)

sepheronx said:


> But when they had the chance to kill him in a Russian prison not long ago, they didn't so they decide to do it in England?



Yep.  That's called "avoiding blame."  No cold war era country would be dumb enough to do it in their own prisons.

Don't be so niave.


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## dirtyferret (Mar 15, 2019)

Mr_Headshot said:


> What do you think China's goal is by sending a probe to the far side of the moon?



There was a documentary on this exact subject a few years back, turns out there might be an alien spacecraft on the dark side of the moon


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## Mr_Headshot (Mar 15, 2019)

AmioriK said:


> It is against current international law to install weapons or military installations in space, that includes the moon. (I think, please correct me if I'm wrong).
> 
> As others have said; the moon is filled with resources potentially worth an enormous amount of money here on Earth. Moon mining is going to happen sooner or later, and I hope a colony next, and maybe they will offer decent well paid jobs on the moon. I would be up for that


International Law means nothing: Russia invading Ukraine, Bashar al-Assad gassing his own people, ISIL cutting people's heads off, North Korea development of nukes, China making islands in the South China Sea? International Law my ass.


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## MrGenius (Mar 15, 2019)

Mr_Headshot said:


> International Law my ass.


But everybody gets pissed when we(the US) round up NATO and go kick someone's ass, without some HUGE MAJOR reason to do so. So what are you gonna do?

Oh...and BTW...it's not like we've stood by and done NOTHING in regards to those things on your list. The US has responded to every one of them(at least in some minor, and/or less provocative, way).


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## rtwjunkie (Mar 15, 2019)

So here I thought the OP posed a serious question.  Based on many of the funny answers, I may have not been in on the joke.


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## Sasqui (Mar 15, 2019)

dirtyferret said:


> There was a documentary on this exact subject a few years back, turns out there might an alien spacecraft on the dark side of the moon



Exactly!  They are looking for a new trade partner.


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## Bones (Mar 15, 2019)

Could be they are looking for spot to build yet another manufacturing plant - A really big one to make even more of their cheap-assed crap to sell (In intergalactic markets no less) and could be negotiating with those guys to get some of their cheap labor too. 
Would make the "Made in (Or By?) China" mark really big around the galaxy while painting all the rest of earth as makers of cheap, low quality crap; Shipping out in bulk quantity to such outlet venues like Gazorpazorp-Mart or something.  

Or....... Could be for legitimate research - Only they could say why at this point.


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## HossHuge (Mar 15, 2019)

Everytime you eat, it's like sending a probe to Uranus.


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## sepheronx (Mar 15, 2019)

R-T-B said:


> Yep.  That's called "avoiding blame."  No cold war era country would be dumb enough to do it in their own prisons.
> 
> Don't be so niave.



But make it so damn obvious in another? Please, don't be so silly.  Wouldn't be first time either a UK agent was found dead. Last time though, he made a mistake locking himself in his luggage. Lol

As a note, US and UK already blame Russia for killing their own "dissidents" in Russian jails, so what would it matter if they actually did it "again"?  That is were the narrative falls apart.


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## R-T-B (Mar 15, 2019)

sepheronx said:


> But make it so damn obvious in another?



It fooled you, didn't it?  All it takes is enough for people to have some doubts.


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## AmioriK (Mar 16, 2019)

HossHuge said:


> Everytime you eat, it's like sending a probe to Uranus.


_*giggles childishly*_


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## Caring1 (Mar 16, 2019)

dirtyferret said:


> There was a documentary on this exact subject a few years back, turns out there might an alien spacecraft on the dark side of the moon


That was made up to distract from the Nazi moon base


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## Mr_Headshot (Mar 22, 2019)

MrGenius said:


> But everybody gets pissed when we(the US) round up NATO and go kick someone's ass, without some HUGE MAJOR reason to do so. So what are you gonna do?
> 
> Oh...and BTW...it's not like we've stood by and done NOTHING in regards to those things on your list. The US has responded to every one of them(at least in some minor, and/or less provocative, way).


My point is that International Law is rarely enforced with a few exceptions. "International law is consent-based governance. This means that a state member may choose to not abide by international law, and even to break its treaty." Why do we have international law if countries do not have to follow it? When I break the law and get caught, I PAY the consequences. When countries break international law why don't MORE countries speak up and denounce this? Instead, they remain quiet with their heads stuck in the sand.


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