Red Moon. Dark Moon.

The Space Review ^ | 10/11/05 | Dwayne A. Day

[KevinDavis]

Very soon—perhaps within the next few days—China will launch its second manned space mission, Shenzhou 6. This mission will carry two “taikonauts” instead of one, and will accomplish more tasks than the short Shenzhou 5 flight. However, it follows China’s first manned launch by a full two years, a substantial slowdown in the pace of China’s already glacial human spaceflight development. The Chinese are certainly not acting like a country that desires to compete with other space powers.

Nevertheless, Congressman Ken Calvert, chairman of the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, recently raised the prospect of a Moon race between the United States and China. Noting that NASA’s plans are to land a human on the Moon by 2018, Calvert told a reporter for Aerospace Daily & Defense Report: “I’ve been talking to a number of people that are much more knowledgeable about that than I am, [about] some things that maybe are still classified, but they believe that the Chinese are probably on the mark to get there sooner.”

[KevinDavis]

[isthisnickcool]

Ya see a couple of Chinese guys get shot into space and about an hour you want to see it again.....

[Last Dakotan]

...a substantial slowdown in the pace of China’s already glacial human spaceflight development.

If their's is described as glacial - what's ours?

[Moonman62]

Nevertheless, Congressman Ken Calvert, chairman of the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, recently raised the prospect of a Moon race between the United States and China.

What race? We've already beat them there by decades.

[Moonman62]

If their's is described as glacial - what's ours?

A money pit.

[phantomworker]

"I would rather be on the Moon to greet the Chinese rather than going to the Moon and have the Chinese greet us."

Kind of scarey thought to have the Chinese up there first...

[SamAdams76]

There is something about Chinese food that I just can't place. But it's so appealing. Funny thing is, the kind of "Chinese food" we eat here in the US barely resembles the food that the Chinese actually eat. Same goes for those rum drinks with the funny umbrellas.

[azcap]

If their's is described as glacial - what's ours?
A public works program for PhDs.

[tamalejoe]

There's no way the chicom system could be any more braindead than NASA.

[phantomworker]

What race? We've already beat them there by decades.

Yeah, but they just might INHABIT the moon before us. LOL

[tricky_k_1972]

What race? We've already beat them there by decades.

Because right now they could have a rocker ready to land on the moon within 3 to 5 years, we are "planning" to have one ready to go there by 2018.

You do the math.

[tricky_k_1972]

Space Ping! If you want on or off this list please Freepmail me. My Home Page

[Moonman62]

Yeah, but they just might INHABIT the moon before us. LOL

As long as it's not an Islamic country, the jihadists will be pissed, so it's not all bad.

[yankeedame]

...a substantial slowdown in the pace of China’s already glacial human spaceflight development.

That's b/c they're not creating a space program out of whole cloth. They are doing for the most part using technology bought, "borrowed", traded, cohered, bribed, blackmailed, or just plain stolen.

[Doc On The Bay]

If the Chinese--or Japanese, or Indians--return to the Moon before we do, we'll, Once Again, wonder how we "Lost the Race to the Moon!!

This is a New "Race;" we're "in It", "Like It or Not!!"

So Let's "Do it Right," this Time--& STAY!!

If we establish a Permanent Presence, there will be NO FURTHER 'Races to the Moon!!'

We need a "BASE" on the Moon & one on Mars.

At That Point, our "Cultural Supremacy" will be virtually unassailable!.

Doc

[shooter223]

or rocket science traded for (illegal) campaign contributions by slick willy

[Moonman62]

If a base on the Moon were worthwhile, we'd already have one.

[Colinsky]

If a base on the Moon were worthwhile, we'd already have one.

Is a base on the Moon worthwhile?
We'd know more if we'd explored more than three football fields of a real estate parcel as big as the continent of Africa. Future explorers may stumble across Diamond Ridge and Gold Valley. Or perhaps they may discover something unexpected.

[Moonman62]

We'd know more if we'd explored more than three football fields of a real estate parcel as big as the continent of Africa. Future explorers may stumble across Diamond Ridge and Gold Valley.

We already know the Moon never had a "geology" that would produce those kinds of things. Even if it did, those things are much cheaper to exploit on Earth.

Or perhaps they may discover something unexpected.

We can discover all those things with robotics. If we ever have a need for anything there, then we can go. Right now it's just an excuse for another big government program.