Rockets on the Great WAll

JCF is a good writer. I am very impressed.

 

I've often heard that words cannot express the grandeur and magnificence of the Great Wall. Mr. Friedman has done it for me in many ways. Beautiful written expression of something so profound and mystical. More power to you Mr. Friedman.

 

Wish I was there.

 

must be awesome. looking forward to seeing one day myself. is it true that it's the only man made structure visible from outer-space?? (outer-space as in the altitude the shuttles orbit around earth)

 

snopes says false.

http://www.snopes.com/science/greatwall.asp

 

Hopefully, this trip to China and all the sight-seeing will bring the team closer together because the quicker they gel the better off they will be in case something goes wrong.

 

ah, i see. thank you for enlightening me.

 

Damn, It's not often I can read an article from a modern journalist and feel shivers.

 

Dude on the left: "Wow, dude... you're really white."
Chase: "I know... I know."
Dude on the left: "No, dude... I mean really, really, white... like albino white."
Chase: "Enough, dude... I get it."

 

The chronicle also has some more pictures, hope the link works http://www.chron.com/sports/photogallery/Rockets_arrive_in_China.html

 

LOL, Shipped and ready for labor!!!

 

Great read, but 5,500 miles? I thought it was 1,500.....

DD

 

I believe the approx. 5,500 miles includes all stretches of the wall while other lengths may refer to specific sections of the wall built by certain dynasties in certain time periods.

Also, I had a Chinese professor say that the Chinese "mile" is a bit longer than the english mile...

 

Nah. Either your professor was wrong, or you have a bad memory.

A Chinese mile = 0.5 km = 0.3 english mile

The official total length of the Great Wall is 6300km = about 4000 miles

 

Must save them from the damn dirty apes!

 

Where did you find the official length? Did that mean actual wall left standing?

"A two-year government mapping study found that the wall spans 8,850km (5,500 miles) - until now, the length was commonly put at about 5,000km." -2009

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8008108.stm

"The defensive structure includes 6,259.6 kilometres of actual wall, plus 359.7 kilometres of trenches and 2,232.5 kilometres of natural barriers such as hills and rivers." - 2009

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hZntU8l3vH1I21vcievtc-QIryLA

 

From the moon, certainly not...closer in then maybe....(also shows the TOYOTA CENTER!!!)

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/workinginspace/great_wall.html

"Taken with a 180mm lens and a digital camera last Nov. 24, it was the first confirmed photo of the wall. A subsequent Chiao photo, taken Feb. 20 with a 400mm lens, may also show the wall.

The photos by Chiao, commander and NASA ISS science officer of the 10th Station crew, were greeted with relief and rejoicing by the Chinese. One was displayed prominently in the nation's newspapers. Chiao himself said he didn't see the wall, and wasn't sure if the picture showed it.

Kamlesh P. Lulla...says that generally the Great Wall is hard to see and hard to photograph, because the material from which it is made is about the same color and texture as the area surrounding it"

 

Measurement changed a great deal from the old times to now. The general Chinese saying for the Great Wall is "Ten Thousand Li Long Wall". In this case, the ancient measurement Li converts roughly to today's 1/2 kilometer. And where the idea that the wall is ~5000km/~3000 miles comes from.

It's pretty much impossible to get a true measurement on the length of the wall, as it changed over time, parts built later, parts decayed and left to rot later, it's all kind of fuzzy. Regardless, definitely one of the most amazing man-made structures on Earth.