definitely very significant that they re launching their first lunar probe. they re going to put this buggy on the ground, on the surface of the moon. they hope sometime in december. the jade rabbit will do some investigations on the lunar surface. certainly it is a big deal for china in terms of pride and the latest move in a very accelerating space race. what can you tell us about whether the space probe is a threat to the united states. this is coming on a day when they re putting an aircraft carrier to confront the u.s. because the u.s. flew some b-52 bombers over what china believes it s territory. reporter: they have gone from putting the first out in space and they hope to put a space station and even put an astronaut on the moon by the end of the decade. they re certainly taking this very seriously. it is a point. national pride here in china. the chinese say it is nothing to do with any conflict that this is a peaceful process, they want
environment explorer lifted off last night from virginia. it is pack to the moon. the wholesoused to stabilize the craft stopped working and since that probe is spinning out of control and they fixed it. brian has more from the new york city newsroom. laddie is back on line and perfect trek to roach the moon by october 6th. nthr 3, 2, 10 ignition. laddie launched from the facility in virginia. the lunar probe will orbit the moon. and so it is not changed much and the scientist hope that the uknock look will help them understand how planets evolve over time. laddie is investigating moon dust and whether the substance
it launched last night from virginia. its mission to explore the moon s mysterious glow. brian guinness is live in our new york city newsroom with more on this story. reporter: you know it s a mystery that dates back to the 1960s when apollo astronauts landed on the moon. what is the source of a lunar glow. it is moon dust? the lunar atmosphere is on a mission to investigate that and other moon mysteries. three, two, one. zero. reporter: ladee launched last night from the wilds flight facility in virginia. it will need a full month to reach the moon unlike the quick three-day apollo slight flooits. the lunar probe, the size of a small car, will orbit the moon in hopes of understanding other atmospheres in our solar system.
in fact, we believe now that the dust undergoes a certain set of processes that levitate it, shoot it up into the air, perhaps as high as 50 kilometers. all but one of nasa s previous moon missions since 1959 have been launched from cape canaveral florida. the rare virginia launch givings millions beth taking images on the east coast. take a look at this shot from the top of the rockefeller center in new york city. as the ladee heads to the moon. amading. this picture, from a balcony in bloomi bloomingda bloomingdale, the image shows the different burn stages of ladee. nasa s ladee spacecraft did run into equipment trouble after launch when it began spinning too fast. but no worries. the lunar probe is on a perfect track and they have plenty of time to fix any issues. laddie s expected to reach the moon on october 6th. how cool, uma. cool indeed.
china launched its second lunar probe today. chinese media reports the probe will orbit within nine miles of the moon and it will test key landing technology and take high resolution pictures of the landing area. in 2003 china became the third country after the u.s. and russia to put a person in orbit. and royal jewels on the auction block in london. sotheby s will sell 20 pieces from king edward viii and his wife. it includes 11 pieces by cartier. some estimated at more than $1.5 million each. the king abdicated his thrown in 1936 to mary simpson, an american dif vor say. beautiful jewels there. all right, fred. thanks very much. see you over the weekend. appreciate it. john king usa starts at the top of the hour. first, here in the situation room, we have the joy of the