Some Chinese bloggers are questioning whether a lunar photo taken by a Chinese satellite is real. The doubters claim that the photo was copied from an old NASA shot. The Chinese government has been quick to rebut the claims, pointing out moon craters that appear only in the Chinese photo and arguing they must have been formed after the NASA shot was taken.

The incident is reminiscent of the U.S. experience with its space program. There have always been some Americans who doubted whether the Apollo space program was a reality or merely pro-American propaganda. It is interesting to note that the societal function of the space program in both cases tends to be closely tied to government’s desire to boost the national pride in each country. When I wrote about India’s space program, I argued that, despite a Wired magazine article’s claims to the contrary, the tone of the world’s new India/China/Russia space race is more congenial than the space race of the U.S./Russian Cold War era. However, at least with respect to the issue of national pride, the Chinese and American experiences clearly have some similarities.

The launch of a new U.S. satellite promises to add another piece of evidence. The camera on NASA’s new Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is said to be good enough to be able to capture pictures of the leftover pieces from the Apollo mission (… assuming, of course, that the Martians haven’t already run off with them…). And it should also be able to take new pictures of the same area shot by the Chinese satellite, helping prove (or disprove) that China’s lunar photo is an original and not a hoax.