First Chang'e 1 Moon Photo Surrounded by Controversy

The first photograph of China's lunar satellite, Chang'e 1 was controversial in that it was said by some to be similar to one taken by NASA in 2005 and that the two photographs could very well be the same one. But Chinese space program officials denied the allegations, saying the same site photographed at different times would definitely appear similar.

It isn't the first time that missions to the Moon have been said to be faked by some. There are still people who believe that the United States fabricated the Apollo lunar landings.

Click here to view the picture of the unveiling of the photograph taken by Chang'e 1.

China Makes a Leap for the Skies

China will soon be the next superpower in space as it aims for the Moon and beyond. It is now in the middle stages of plans to send its astronauts, called taikonauts to land on the moon, duplicating what the United States and the former Soviet Union did in the past. Well, we all know what that led to---a cold, cold war that only ended with the collapse of the communist system in the USSR which led to the new Russia of today. We can only guess on the effects of this new endeavour to China and its neighboring countries. What we can be sure of is that countries may also give the moon a shot. Read more about China's lunar aspirations here.

Google Moons Engineers and Scientists

Google, the company that brought the Internet to it's knees, now offers the opportunity for companies and individuals to draw plans for an unmanned mission to the moon and perhaps land a robot there. It's a simple contest and is launched at the same time that China makes progress in its lunar dreams. The prize for the winning entry---$30 million. Are you up to it? Many see this as another incentive for private ventures into outer space. It is the new space race!

For other news about the moon, click here.