02-20-2008, 03:13 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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Senior Member
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Who's Orbiting the Moon?
Quote:
February 20, 2008: The space around Earth is a busy place, as teeming with traffic as a roundabout. More than 500 active satellites are bustling about up there right now. Some are transmitting radio, television, and telephone signals; others are gathering information about Earth's atmosphere and weather; still others are helping people navigate down here; and the rest are conducting space research.
Soon the space around the moon will be busy too. China, Japan, India, Russia, and the US either have sent or plan to send satellites there for a bird's-eye view of lunar features and resources.
Why is the moon such a draw?
For one thing, it's there – close by. We can see it better than we can see anything else in space. And it's reachable, even by countries whose space programs are in their infancy. It represents a grand first step for them.
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Of course if we clutter Earth orbit with refuse from our aggressions it may be that much harder to go to the Moon. |
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