China’s Lunar Orbiter Identifies Future Landing Spots
Sinus Iridum: Possible landing site for China’s first robotic Moon rover. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University China space officials have announced that the Chang’e-2’s primary mission has been completed. The Moon orbiter has been on duty for some six...China Readies “Heavenly Palace” Space Station Module for Launch
China is setting its sights on a multi-phased space station construction program. Credit: CNSA Several Chinese news agencies are reporting the liftoff later this year of that country’s unmanned space module, the Tiangong-1. The hardware is dedicated to kick-starting...Sim-Mars Project Preparing for “Landing” on the Red Planet
Mars500 crew (from left) Alexey Sitev, Yue Wang, Romain Charles, Alexandr Smoleevskiy, Diego Urbina and Sukhrob Kamolov. Mars isolation modules in Moscow – home for the Mars 500 project. A major simulation of a human voyage to Mars has reached a key milestone –...NASA, Congress Clash Over Heavy Lift, Crew Capsule Funding, Timing
NASA began the New Year with a stir last week, when it furnished Congress with a legislatively required blueprint for a Space Launch System, a new heavy lift rocket, and a Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle — essentially a combination of rocket launcher and capsule...China: Moon Probes, Space Stations, Deep Space Exploration
A number of recent space stories by Chinese news outlets underscore that country’s multi-step space exploration agenda. Early this week, Xinhua news service reported that Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao attended an unveiling ceremony for pictures of the Moon’s Sinus Iridum...NASA’s Bolden Tours China, Space Progress Noted
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden led a delegation to China earlier this month at the invitation of the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSE). While no specific proposals for cooperation were agreed to, Bolden has stated that the trip led to increased...China’s New Moon Orbiter: Status Report
Following a trio of braking maneuvers, China’s Chang’E-2 orbiter is circling the Moon in a 100 kilometer by 100 kilometer orbit. The Moon probe has been transmitting science data to two ground stations back here on Earth, in Beijing and Yunnan Province. In the last...NASA’s Bolden to visit China Space Leadership
NASA’s leader, Charles Bolden, is ready to visit China at the invite of the Director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO). Bolden will travel to that country October 16-21. During his visit, NASA’s Bolden is expected to conduct site sojourns to Chinese...China Moon Orbiter Starts Data Delivery to Earth
China’s second lunar orbiter – Chang’E-2 – after a second braking action — the probe has settled into a new orbit around the Moon and has delivered its first data to Earth. There are seven scientific instruments, such as a stereo camera, laser altimeter, gamma...Space Talk
@Arkshol93 Neptune going from this to this was a crime against my heart and I can’t forgive it
@lolidk4200 Every planet orbits a larger object, it is called being in the SOLAR (sun) system
@jfbg_200 @TiagoNugent A very good point. Pretty much everyone calls Pandora a planet, even though it is a natural satellite, making it a Moon, so I think that supports my case that moons can be planets and vise versa
@kez611_ the moon is currently classified as a "planetary mass object"
The only reason it isnt currently a planet is because we use the IAU definition instead of the geophysical definition.
I reject the IAU definition, and only use the Geophysical definition