Losing the Race

I don't think we're losing the new moon race. But the Chinese are catching up quickly, and are poised to pass us standing flat-footed.

China launched its first lunar probe Wednesday, an initial step in an ambitious 10-year plan to send a rover to the moon and return it to Earth.

The Chang'e 1 orbiter blasted off with a trail of smoke from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province in southwestern China, according to images from state television.