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[–] Apeabel ago 

That's just wrong.

Just as a comparison: China's current technologies concerning space exploration are similar to what the U.S. had in the Seventies, plus some modern Russian support. Sure, they have their own small space station (like Skylab or the old Soviet stations) but that is nothing compared to the ISS. Sure, they can land a rover on the moon (like the US and Soviet Union regularly did) but NASA/ESA has already landed stuff in the outer solar system, on Mars and has a bunch of exploration probes throughout the system. And there is a reason why the Russians don't pull off a manned moon mission. They have the technology already. Thing is that it's just a prestige project at this point. Aside from moon rock there is nothing to be gained by such a mission.

China is far from catching up in terms of pure technology, however, what they do have is funding for space agencies that has been missing in the West and Russia since the end of the Cold War. People need to remember that a manned Mars mission could have been pulled off decades ago - it's just the funding that isn't there.

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[–] The_Cat 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago  (edited ago)

Aside from moon rock there is nothing to be gained by such a mission.

That's so wrong I don't even know where to begin. Fuck, all the possibilities if we go back. Deploying more seismometers, new mirrors, studying human habitation on the moon, sending an actual geologist to go study moon rocks on the moon, taking core samples, setting up an astronomical outpost, ISS-like experiments of the effects of low gravity on living things, ...

One astronaut with a shovel will teach us more about the moon in a day than we've uncovered in a decade from here.

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[–] Apeabel 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago  (edited ago)

I don't disagree with you. I actually really want and support more manned space missions and more funding for that frontier in general. But all those possibilities would mean that WE (I assume you mean at least the ISS members) go back. And so far it looks like China will do it soon and maybe Russia might just follow suit sometime later.

However European missions are focused on the ISS & unmanned probes and NASA plans to go to Mars before revisiting the moon. So don't get me wrong, there is still a ton to do on the moon, however with the decades of isolation in space exploration and cooperation in research critical for that area (not just the ISS) that was put on China (justified or not), it should come as no surprise if all we get from their mission is a rock.

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[–] Dfens 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

Building a base. Mining valuable resources. Setting up a launch site for solar system exploration/exploitation. Learning how to live and work on planets hostile to life. Mining for structural metals so habitats and vehicles can be assembled and launched from there using native materials. The list is endless. People want to bask in the glory of what people who are dead and buried did decades ago. The reality is America now is nothing compared to what it once was technologically.