November 20, 2013
The Moon Will Be Crowded in 2020
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image from Nature.com
Seems like everybody is going to the Moon (except the USA). South Korea has announced an ambitious plan to send an orbiter followed by a lander and rover. Originally the plan was for the first launch by 2025 but the new president has made lunar exploration a national priority (to develop the aerospace industry) and she moved the date up to 2020 - have you ever heard of a space mission getting moved up rather than being delayed? The very nice video explaining the Korean lunar program (above) does a good job of showing how the mission would work. If the rover looks small that is because it is - only 10-20 kg. Korea's first rocket was successfully launched only in January, so this is a little like John Kennedy saying after one 15 minute suborbital flight that the US would send a man to the Moon by the end of the decade. I welcome LPOD visitors from Korea!
Chuck Wood
Related Links
An alternative perspective on lunar exploration (not by South Korea)
Yesterday's LPOD: Underarm View of Neper
Tomorrow's LPOD: Uninspiring, but an Active History
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