Posted on 10/22/2003 2:03:41 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Edited on 07/12/2004 4:09:39 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Can China, with only a fraction of the gross national product of the United States, actually beat America in manned space exploration over the next decade and more? The answer is yes, easily and for many reasons.
China's space program shows every sign of using reliable, mature and inexpensive technology rather than bankrupting itself on showy but dangerous and vastly overambitious technology, such as the U.S. manned space program has relied upon for more than two decades with the space-shuttle program.
(Excerpt) Read more at dynamic.washtimes.com ...
CHINA'S NEW FRONTIER China finds launches lucrative
CHINA'S NEW FRONTIER: U.S. threw out man who put China in space
October 21, 2003 - Cheney Meets With Members of Congress to Discuss Space Policy***According to a source familiar with the discussion, Cheney told the Senators that he and the President would not set new space goals without the input of Congress. Cheney said that current White House discussions have focused on the appropriate role of robotic and human missions. ***
THEM: China rediscovers technology***Pride in high profile and immensely difficult technological achievements such as space exploration are seen by most Chinese as testament to China's reclaiming of its rightful place in the sun.
Some Chinese believe in their hearts that Chinese are really superior to Westerners in terms of basic abilities and see China's growing technological prowess as confirmation of these racial prejudices. Popular appeal is one reason why the Chinese government is able to invest vast sums in an ambitious space program, even though China faces immense social needs. Achievements in space exploration also allow the Chinese government to claim it is blotting out the past century of "humiliation" of China. ***
Will the Space Race move East?*** WASHINGTON - Something that went up in the first Chinese manned spacecraft did not come down. The Shenzhou 5, which orbited Earth 14 times last week, left behind an orbital module carrying equipment capable of capturing images of the earth's surface. This satellite could be used for many purposes, including the monitoring of United States military forces.***
. First, why are the Chinese pursuing a manned space program? China said in 2000 that space activity is an integral part of the state's comprehensive development strategy. But manned space activity is both high-risk and high-cost, so why go down that road?
. Some American analysts see China's manned space activity as a Trojan horse within which they can conceal their military space activities. Others see it as a prestige program, enhancing domestic legitimacy for the government and regional leadership, and ranking China internationally "with the big boys." The U.S. Apollo program, for example, had multiple goals: reaching the moon in the cold war race against the Soviets (with a military spillover), as well as employing lots of Americans and improving their technological skills and education along the way. There is considerable evidence that the Chinese seek the same objectives.***
That's the view of William Martel, professor of National Security Affairs, and the Chair of Space Technology and Policy at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.
Firstly, Martel said, China has now entered the ranks of the "first tier" states. "In terms of prestige and technological ability, China is now of the primary players in space. This, by itself, has significant implications for the U.S. and its position of unquestioned strategic superiority in space."
Martel said that China can be expected to accelerate the pace of its space program.
"Now that China has passed the 'human milestone of putting someone in space -- and bringing him back home safely -- China will correctly conclude that its program can be directed toward more manned missions. We should remember that China is actively promoting the idea of putting people on the Moon. In addition, China will engage in other programs, such as new constellations of satellites, a new 'Hubble-like' space telescope, and so forth," Martel told SPACE.com .***
The Russians used a pencil.
Time to crank up a return.
China's First Taikonaut Gets a Promotion - media blitz highlights math skill***Yang's identity was not disclosed by the secretive, military-linked space program until after his Shenzhou 5 capsule blasted off Wednesday from a base in China's desert northweBut since then, he has been the subject of intense publicity by the communist government's propaganda machine, which lauds him on television and in newspapers as a symbol of the successes of China's military and ruling party.
Yang "became an instant hero in China" following his flight, Xinhua said.
Yang, 38, was flown back to Beijing hours after his touchdown Thursday in China's northern grasslands, though there has been no sign yet when he might appear in public.
State television has repeatedly shown scenes of Yang in training, working in his space capsule and talking to his wife and 8-year-old son from orbit.
"Yang had a happy and tranquil childhood," Xinhua said. "He was intelligent as a child and a good team leader of his playmates, his parents recalled. Yang won many prizes in math competitions."
The report said Yang was a straight-A student at military college after joining the air force of the People's Liberation Army in 1983. It said that after becoming a fighter pilot, he "rated the elite" of his military division.
Yang was one of three finalists for the space flight. They were part of a 14-member astronaut corps, picked from among 1,500 military pilots.
Su Shuangning, director-general of the astronaut program, described Yang as sober-minded and with a "superb capability for self-control," Xinhua said.***
That, and the qualified supplier base is mostly gone. If there are no contracts for Company X that builds widgets for the Saturn V, then Company X goes bankrupt and its know-how is lost forever.
--Boris
The shuttle was constrained in such a way as to maximize operational cost.
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