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Ron Carlson

Banned

From: Near JSC

Registered: 2007-12-08

Posts: 39

Re: Engineers Unveil China Moon Rover

Engineers Unveil China Moon Rover

The prototype runs across a lab-built "lunar surface"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6521443.stm

Last Updated: Tuesday, 3 April 2007, 10:51 GMT 11:51 UK 

Engineers unveil China moon rover
   
The prototype runs across a lab-built "lunar surface"

Enlarge Image

Chinese scientists have shown off a prototype Moon rover that could lead to the country's first unmanned mission to the lunar surface in 2012.

The 1.5m (5ft) high, 200kg (440lbs) rover should transmit video in real time, dig into and analyse soil, and produce 3D images of the lunar surface.

Engineers have unveiled a prototype at the Shanghai institute where work on the six-wheeled vehicle is underway.

Rival rovers are being developed at institutes in Beijing and elsewhere.

It is not clear when the successful candidate will be selected.

Engineers at the Shanghai Aerospace System Engineering Institute have created a specialised laboratory that mimics the lunar surface for their rover.

Unlike the solar-rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used by the US space agency's (Nasa) Mars rovers, the Chinese model will eventually run on a radioisotope thermoelectric generator. Such devices convert heat from a radioactive source into electricity.

"We want to make it better than the early US and Russian rovers," Luo Jian, director of the institute, was quoted as saying.

With an average speed of 100m (328ft) per hour, it can negotiate inclines and has automatic sensors to prevent it from crashing into other objects, China Daily reported.

China is working on a three-stage plan for exploration of the Earth's Moon, which includes sending a lunar orbiter called Chang'e-1 some time this year.

This will be followed by a soft landing in 2012 and the return of lunar samples in another five years.

The US has outlined its vision for the exploration of the Moon, which will involve returning humans to the lunar surface by 2020.

For starters, I's have to say that JPL's MarsYard is a more realistic simulation of the Martian surface than this Chinese sandpile.

Whether the Chinese electronics and software will measure up to the American rovers is doubtful in my mind at this time.

Further, I can not help but wonder if the Chinese military, considered Planet Earth's #1 practitioner of cyber espionage, is trying to hack into NASA and JPL computers as part of China's space program.

From what I under stand about Chinese espionage methods, they seem to use well polished computer scripts to break into their targets.

Of course, super-critical files should be isolated from hackers on the Internet but what should be and what is are often two different things.

Ron Carlson

cIclops

Member

Registered: 2005-06-16

Posts: 3,230

Re: Engineers Unveil China Moon Rover

Whether the Chinese electronics and software will measure up to the American rovers is doubtful in my mind at this time.

The Russians successfully did a similar mission with their Lunokhod rovers in 1970 and 1973. Those rovers probably had little or no software at all. It would seem likely that Chinese engineers with almost 40 years of technology progress and decades of spaceflight experience ought to be able to match that by 2012.

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[color=darkred]Let's go to Mars and far beyond -  triple NASA's budget ![/color] [url=irc://freenode#space]  #space channel !! [/url] [url=http://www.youtube.com/user/c1cl0ps]   - videos !!![/url]

Commodore

Member

From: Upstate NY, USA

Registered: 2004-07-25

Posts: 1,021

Re: Engineers Unveil China Moon Rover

They can probably buy all the required technology off the shelf these days anyway.

If not, all they need to do is make a contribution to the Hillary '08 campaign.

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"Yes, I was going to give this astronaut selection my best shot, I was determined when the NASA proctologist looked up my ass, he would see pipes so dazzling he would ask the nurse to get his sunglasses."
---Shuttle Astronaut Mike Mullane

JonClarke

Member

From: Canberra, Australia

Registered: 2005-07-08

Posts: 173

Re: Engineers Unveil China Moon Rover

Great news, I look forward to seeing this roll round on Mars.  It looks large enough to carry a useful payload.  As for the simulation surface, there are many areas on Mars that are this sandy, and I am sure they are not just testing on sand.

Jon

naitsabes

Banned

From: Tallinn

Registered: 2007-11-11

Posts: 18

Re: Engineers Unveil China Moon Rover

Great news, I look forward to seeing this roll round on Mars.  It looks large enough to carry a useful payload.  As for the simulation surface, there are many areas on Mars that are this sandy, and I am sure they are not just testing on sand.

Jon

its a moon rover not mars rover

Mars_B4_Moon

Member

Registered: 2006-03-23

Posts: 9,776

Re: Engineers Unveil China Moon Rover

If not, all they need to do is make a contribution to the Hillary '08 campaign.

Or they could just ask the Israelis for those US secrets

Israel Selling China Military Technology