Above is an animation about lunar lander Chang’e-3. It shows the craft touching down on the lunar surface. That is the Chinese version, not the one they released to the outside world, and was intended for the home market. Getting it was not easy, incidentally, seeing as how I do not read Chinese. But, there it is.

Marvelous stuff. While NASA goes on mysterious expeditions like lassoing asteroids, the Chinese are quietly building the foundations for their own space presence. At this rate, they'll be back on the moon before the United States.

2020