[KevinDavis]

My response would be Hell no!

Space Ping! This is the space ping list! Let me know if you want on or off this list!

[Ronin]

I agree with Kevin. An alliance with the Chinese on this would be just what they need to pick our pockets of whatever secrets we have so far managed to conceal (there must be some) despite the best efforts of Clinton and Loral to give away the store.

Let's keep the Chinese as competitors. Despite any soft words from Chinese-linked PR firms, they have no doubt that we are THEIR competitors and treat us accordingly.

I am surprised at the stupidity of people for even suggesting this. Competition, national or otherwise, brings results.

[Paulie]

That would certainly be shooting ourselves in the foot, to say the least. Unfortunately, stratospheric public debt will force us to either do the deal or forgo any meaningful space program on our own, I predict.

The soccer Moms, et.al., won't support diverting monies from bottomless pit programs like 'education' into something so impractical as space exploration, and you can bet politicians will be more than willing to accomodate.

I really hope I'm wrong.

[lara]

Thanks for the ping! And your response works for me.

[RightWhale]

EU and China are set to collaborate on GALILEO the European global system of satellite navigation An agreement has been reached between the European Union and China on its participation in the GALILEO programme. This agreement was initialled in Beijing on 18 September 2003 by Mr F. Lamoureux, Director-General of Energy and Transport at the European Commission, and Mr Shi Dinghuan, Secretary General of China's Ministry of Science and Technology. “China will help GALILEO to become the major world infrastructure for the growing market for location services,” said Loyola de Palacio, Vice-President of the European Commission, responsible for the GALILEO programme. Her counterpart in the negotiations, China's Science and Technology Minister Xu Guanhua highlighted that “China supports GALILEO and plans to participate actively in its construction and application for mutual benefits”. . . .

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Don't want America to work cooperatively? Want America to go it alone? America's school pupils are already 15th in the industrialized world and dropping. Well, it's just America's future flushing itself down the tubes, no big deal.