Chinese Rockets Blast off to Moon

China launched its first lunar probe today, the first step in an ambitious 10-year plan to send a rover to the moon and return to earth. TV showed pictures of the Chang'e 1 orbiter taking off with a trail of smoke from the Xichang Satelite Launch Center in Sichuan province in southwestern China. This launch comes just weeks after China's regional rival (Japan) put a probe into orbit around the moon in a big leap forward for Asia's undeclared "space race". India is likely to join the regional rivalry soon, with plans to send its own lunar probe into space in April. More then 2,000 tourists were on hand to watch the rocket soar into space after paying 800 yuan ($106).