China Launches First Moon Probe
As the space shuttle Discovery was on its way to the International Space Station, China successfully launched its first lunar...
As the space shuttle Discovery was on its way to the International Space Station, China successfully launched its first lunar probe.
The Chang’e-1 spacecraft, named after a mythical Chinese goddess, should begin orbiting the Moon on November 1. It will spend a year studying the lunar surface. China says that this latest mission is part of a program that will place an unmanned vehicle on the Moon by 2012. You can watch a video of the launch here.—Gregory Mone