China landed an unmanned spacecraft on the moon on Saturday, state media reported in the 1st such "soft-landing" since 1976, joining the U.S. and the former U.S.S.R in managing to accomplish such a feat. The Chang'e 3 a probe named after a lunar goddess in traditional Chinese mythology, is carrying the solar-powered Yutu, or Jade Rabbit buggy which will dig and conduct geological surveys. China has been increasingly ambitious in developing its space programs, for military, commercial and scientific purposes. It has moved in lock step with its emergence as a major global economic and political power. In its most recent manned space mission in June, 3 astronauts spent 15 days in orbit and docked with an experimental space lab a part of Beijing's quest to build a working space station in 2020. China Central Television (CCTV) broadcast images of the probe's location on Saturday and a computer generated image of the probe in the surface of the moon in it's website. The probe and the rover are expected to photograph each other tomorrow.
