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Monday, July 11, 2011

China Aiming High in Space as U.S. Shuttle Program Winds Down

china_space_station_model_AP

In this photo taken Nov. 16, 2010, visitors sit besides a model of Chinese made Tiangong 1 space station at the 8th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, known as Airshow China 2010, in Zhuhai city, south China, Guangdong province.

BEIJING –  This year, a rocket will carry a train car-sized module into orbit, the first building block for a Chinese space station. Around 2013, China plans to launch a lunar probe that will set a rover loose on the moon. It wants to put a man on the moon, sometime after 2020.

While the United States is still working out its next move as the space shuttle program winds down, China is forging ahead. Some experts worry the U.S. could slip behind China in human spaceflight -- the realm of space science with the most prestige.

"Space leadership is highly symbolic of national capabilities and international influence, and a decline in space leadership will be seen as symbolic of a relative decline in U.S. power and influence," said Scott Pace, an associate NASA administrator in the George W. Bush administration. He was a supporter of Bush's plan -- shelved by President Obama -- to return Americans to the moon.

China is still far behind the U.S. in space technology and experience, but what it doesn't lack is a plan or financial resources. While U.S. programs can fall victim to budgetary worries or a change of government, rapidly growing China appears to have no such constraints.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/07/11/china-aiming-high-in-space-as-us-shuttle-program-winds-down/#ixzz1Rq9ptbyd

2 comments:

  1. Hey anakupto, I've been following your blog on and off now for a few weeks. I thought I'd stop and leave a comment.

    What do you think about the decomissioning of the space shuttles: What new direction should the U.S take? Me, I'm of the opinion that an international space port, incorporating sky ramp technology (which requires a 1.5 km high mountain, and a location near the eqautor) and optimized for space plane usage, should be utilised.
    My version would have variable payload geometry, so it could take on heavy, medium, and light shuttles. Others think that our space technology is not up to par, and should be made so through the use of x-programs. In fact, jerry pournelle mentioned this on his website.

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  2. Interesting thought -- not sure what comes next, though many are convinced that the US will continue to be active in space via TR-3B's and related craft.

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