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BEIJING -- China successfully landed a probe on the moon over the weekend, becoming the third country to do so after the former Soviet Union and the U.S. Although its technological advances are undoubtedly impressive, the space program seems more of a showcase for national greatness than a serious scientific endeavor.
The project manager at the mission control center in Beijing announced Sunday that the Chang'e-3 spacecraft had successfully completed its mission, after images of a moving Yutu rover, emblazoned with a Chinese flag, began arriving from the lunar surface.
President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang were at the center to witness the event. The project was a hit politically, but the one-year exploration mission of the Chang'e-3 has just started. Normally, it would take more time to determine whether the undertaking was successful or not.
These factors give the impression that the main purpose of the lunar mission was to boost national prestige. Local media are publishing celebratory articles, with some even printing commentary from military experts that building a lunar missile base is an option for the future. This type of expansionist thinking is similar to Beijing's recent establishment of an air defense identification zone in the East China Sea.
In anticipation of the event, an expert on space technologies said during a special program on state-run television that lunar images are certain to be clear because there is no PM2.5 there. This comment, a possible attempt at black humor, underscores the pollution problem currently plaguing China.
Japanese amateur astronomers can clearly observe the Bay of Rainbows on the moon, where the probe landed. But Chinese sky watchers eager for a glimpse must wait for pollution-fighting technologies to become more widespread. China's goal to become a nation with strong scientific technologies is commendable, but it may have other issues to address before stepping foot on the moon.
The project manager at the mission control center in Beijing announced Sunday that the Chang'e-3 spacecraft had successfully completed its mission, after images of a moving Yutu rover, emblazoned with a Chinese flag, began arriving from the lunar surface.
President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang were at the center to witness the event. The project was a hit politically, but the one-year exploration mission of the Chang'e-3 has just started. Normally, it would take more time to determine whether the undertaking was successful or not.
These factors give the impression that the main purpose of the lunar mission was to boost national prestige. Local media are publishing celebratory articles, with some even printing commentary from military experts that building a lunar missile base is an option for the future. This type of expansionist thinking is similar to Beijing's recent establishment of an air defense identification zone in the East China Sea.
In anticipation of the event, an expert on space technologies said during a special program on state-run television that lunar images are certain to be clear because there is no PM2.5 there. This comment, a possible attempt at black humor, underscores the pollution problem currently plaguing China.
Japanese amateur astronomers can clearly observe the Bay of Rainbows on the moon, where the probe landed. But Chinese sky watchers eager for a glimpse must wait for pollution-fighting technologies to become more widespread. China's goal to become a nation with strong scientific technologies is commendable, but it may have other issues to address before stepping foot on the moon.
