But the question everyone avoids is who will do what on the moon. There are many artists' impressions of stations on Earth's satellite, and Chinese websites, official and amateur, have been prolific in creative interpretations of their China Dream.

Only Americans refer to "colonies" on the moon and other "territories" in space. Planting a US flag in 1969 with a wire to hold it up because there was no air or wind was cute. But that is all. Can we live on the moon? And what would be the purpose: science, commerce, tourism, mining or manufacturing? That is like asking: Amerigo Vespucci, why explore America?

So will China's rover discover anything surprising? Ores? Signs of water, carbon and perhaps life? The rover is designed to run for three months and maybe extend after that. It carries a state-of-the-art telescope to point at stars and study them, unhindered by the weather and even by the atmosphere. The images relayed to Earth will be of a quality and quantity unprecedented.

So in terms of rationale, using the moon as a permanent observatory makes a lot of sense. All astronomy institutes will be clamoring, begging for a peek. That is why we are called Peking University, quipped a professor in the Astronomy Department of Peking University. "We have more than 40 requests to share". So far the Chinese authorities are willing to work with the European Union space agency.

During the Cold War, there was a clear space race between the US and the Soviet Union to demonstrate technological superiority, first with "sputniks" and dogs and chimps, and humans in orbit, all won by the Soviet Union. And then the US landed a man on the moon, and the equation changed.

The new equation, nothing to do with chimps in space or men on the moon, is about science and strategy. And China doesn't want to lag behind that.

The author is an Australian researcher collaborating with Chinese academic and commercial institutions.

(China Daily 12/16/2013 page9)