NASA supposedly has a huge announcement tomorrow -- even bigger than their previous announcement of the discovery of water. I have a feeling that it'll be confirmation of fossilized life.
On the moon, there is a
mountain of perpetual light. Scientists have said it'd be the perfect place to build a moonbase, since the temperature variations would not be as bad.
China has announced they will be launching rovers to the Moon, eventually landing a man on the moon in 2020.
From bed I spotted frost on the floor,
It was moonlight that I actually saw.
Looking up I gazed into the moon,
My head hanged, as homesick I became.
by Li Bai
The lunar probe progam is called "Chang'E", named after a moon goddess. The story follows below:
The Story of Chang'E
Once upon a time, a young archer named Yi managed to shoot nine of the ten suns. An immortal gave him a pouch of pills of eternity as a token of gratitude on behalf of the people he had saved. With the pills, he could become an immortal himself and be able to ascend to heaven.
Yi had a beautiful wife named Chang E. He never left her alone except when he went on hunting expeditions. Each time before he left, he would entrust the eternity pills with Chang E. On a fifth day of the eighth day, Yi led his men on a hunting trip again. A vicious aid to Yi tried to take the pills from Chang E. Chang E swallowed the pills up in the scuffle and as result flew to the moon.
To memorate Chang E, Yi laid a table and spread on it all the snacks that Chang E had favored. All others did the same and since this practice has become a tradition of celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival. A full moon is a symbol of family renunion.
Yes. My paternal grandmother would make offerings of eggs put on top of a plate of peanuts, black sesame seed paste/pudding,a few boxes of mooncakes, taro, wine, persimmons with incense/joss sticks pierced into it and an urn. Usually, the table of offerings would be situated in front of the kitchen window where we can see the moon on a clear night. Afterwards, we would eat the sesame seed paste/pudding, the taro and he mooncakes. We would also peel the taro and throw it as far as we can in the backyard. I think that's for good luck or something.
I am looking forward to the launches, actually. It might be cool to see. As for Chang E or Chang'O depending on whether you prefer pinyin or the Wade-Giles system of transliteration, she is also accompanied by a rabbit and this guy who is eternally doomed to chop down the cassia tree, but it always grows back after he chops it down.