Asian nations vie for stake in moon

摘要

When India's Chandrayaan-1 lunar orbiter reaches its destination on 8 November, it will join two others -and neither is American, Russian or European. For the first time, probes from China, Japan and India will be orbiting the moon. This signals the latest stage in a new space race in which Asian nations are seeking a place alongside the established space powers. Whatever the motivation for these missions, the information they gather will greatly expand what we know about our nearest neighbour. A wonderful new era of lunar exploration has opened up," says Richard Vondrak, project scientist for NASA's planned Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.