Chang'e-6: Moon dark side samples collected and launched into lunar orbit

See also: '3-Body Problem'

You'd think spacenews.com could get that right: was it really in their title before?

> "Dark side" is a misnomer if anyone doesn't know this.

This guy probably does... now:

https://x.com/3c3p3d/status/1782753666488774697

As I understand it, the term was originally "radio-dark side", and was used to explain the signal blackouts during Apollo lunar orbits to the public.

There is no darkside of a moon really,

matter of fact its all dark.

Interesting. In my mother tongue it's called "back side" instead of "dark side". Looks like that "back side" is a more correct term for that.

In French, it is called the "hidden face of the Moon", obviously because we cannot see it from the Earth point of view.

It's not a misnomer. "Dark" has multiple senses. In this case, it's "unknown, hidden, mysterious, secret".

> The hemisphere has sometimes been called the "dark side of the Moon", where "dark" means "unknown" instead of "lacking sunlight"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Far_side_of_the_Moon

More examples:

- Dark matter

- Dark continent

- Dark knight

- Dark web

For those not following this story, the original headline would seem "meh, nothing to see here."

China's progress and this accomplishment are very impressive, the more the merrier. But NASA does have two nuclear powered humvees driving on Mars at the moment.

I agree, we all stooped to this point because all we did was laugh at them as they outsmarted us and played for keeps.

Elon Musk is ahead of everyone else in space. While nice, this and everything else anyone has done this and past decade in space is much less significant than the far more economical rockets Musk has built, basically with his bare hands.

Despite advancements, China still relies on key technologies from other countries, such as semiconductor manufacturing, where the U.S., Taiwan, and South Korea are leaders.

The U.S. and other countries maintain a strong lead in original innovation, with Silicon Valley and other tech hubs producing groundbreaking technologies and startups.

While China has made significant progress, the U.S. (through NASA and private companies like SpaceX) has more extensive and diverse achievements in space, including reusable rockets and plans for Mars colonization.

Countries like Japan and Germany are leaders in robotics and automation technologies, with advanced systems and innovations that often surpass those of China.

China faces criticism for intellectual property theft and lack of respect for IP laws, which undermines perceptions of its technological advancements.

Although China produces a high volume of research, the quality and global impact of research from the U.S. and Europe are often considered higher.

In the space industry, the US is so much ahead of everyone else. SpaceX is the long pole in the tent, but there are many other startups doing cool stuff.

I mean, the first robotic sample return was in 1970: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_16

This is more a case of "no-one has really been able to make an economic case for doing this sort of thing since the 70s."

To the Moon. 1.6 km/s is the orbital speed for the low Moon orbit.

You'd be dark too if you were made out of the smashed insides of two crash victims mushed together!

Though it probably doesn't feel very dark in sunlight with no atmosphere above you. Like standing in a very exposed, lumpy, dusty car park (asphalt albedo: 0.05-0.1), except the sky is black, not blue.