China plans Moon base for 2010

New Scientist ^ | 20 May 02 | Will Knight

[aculeus]

China's ambitious space plans have been extended to building a base on the Moon starting in 2010, a Chinese space official has said. Before that the fledgling space power aims to complete a number of manned missions into space and to establishing an orbiting "space laboratory".

In a lecture in Beijing during China's National Science week, Ouyang Ziyuan, chief scientist with China's Moon programme, outlined the country's bold space strategy.

"China is expected to complete its first exploration of the moon in 2010 and will establish a base on the moon as we did in the South Pole and the North Pole." China Daily quotes Ziyuan as saying. He did not say whether China's mission to the Moon would be manned.

James Oberg, a veteran of the US space programme and an authority on manned space flight, says China is unlikely to send astronauts to the Moon.

"They don't have the budget or the technology," Oberg told New Scientist. "Their whole approach has been remarkably cautious. Robot missions make much more sense." But Oberg believes China could feasibly construct a small space station.

China has so far completed three unmanned test flights with its Shenzhou spacecraft and intends to place the first Chinese astronaut in space by 2005. This would make China only the third nation to achieve the feat, after Russia and the US.

Twelve people have been selected to become China's first generation of "taikonauts" and are undergoing training.

[Willie Green]

It isn't NASA sending the robot, but ESA.

That's good news for Chiquita® Bananas.

[Moonman62]

The Soviet Union used their space program to detract attention from the weakness of their society. The chicoms are doing the same thing.

[GingisK]

Oh, and the people, at the street level, are far more capitalistic than your average Republican

I noticed that right away, myself. This is quite pronounced, in fact.

The train from Shanghai to WuShi or HangTzhuo is not attractive. I was there in 1991; and, the domestic aircraft were all in extremely bad condition. The folks in the airport, with whom I was working, advised me to "take the train". About six months before I arrived a domestic craft had drilled a new new hole in the ground near the airport. It was not uncommon.

[reform4me]

i doubt if the chinese will have that sort of technical prowess so soon.

[Brett66]

Looks like the Chi-com's are backtracking:

China denies manned Moon mission plans