Ephemeris: 06/18/2024 – Are we in a space race with China?

This is Ephemeris for Tuesday, June 18th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 34 minutes, setting at 9:31, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:56. The Moon, 3 days before full, will set at 3:41 tomorrow morning.

Back in the late 1950s and early 1960s The United States and Russia were in a space race, attempting to outdo each other in space. The Russians had the lead to begin with. Their rockets were bigger because they were unable to miniaturize their atomic weapons. So they needed rockets large enough to launch them, and had rockets large enough, off the shelf so to speak, to be able to launch satellites and even humans into orbit. Sixty years later the old Soviet Union has disappeared and Russia is still using rocket technology that was developed in the 1960s. The Chinese however, were nowhere in the 1960s, and have now ascended to be our number one competitor in space. Considering their latest progress, China may beat us back to the Moon.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). They may be different for your location.

Addendum

The Chinese Chang’e 6 the sample collection spacecraft with the sample collection arm, taken by a minirover that was ejected out of the spacecraft is it landed in the Apollo crater on the far side of the Moon . © CNSA (China National Space Administration).