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Chinese officials said the mission would involve three astronauts manually docking with the Tiangong-1 module currently orbiting Earth.

One small step ...

http://news.discovery.com/space/china-s ... 20609.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What are the long-term global consequences of this effort, if it succeeds? They are about where the U.S. and USSR were in 1965.

At least they're not spending the money on nuclear missiles or aircraft carriers.

- Jim

seamusTX wrote:What are the long-term global consequences of this effort, if it succeeds? They are about where the U.S. and USSR were in 1965.

At least they're not spending the money on nuclear missiles or aircraft carriers.

- Jim

As you may know I have been a huge supporter of the space program for many years, but I am not certain about the long-term global consequences of the latest activities of the Chinese. Their docking mission may be where we were back in 1965, but their technology is not. Much of their technology used in their space program is more advanced than the Space Shuttle. Remember that the Shuttle was designed more than 30 years ago.

Back in the 1950s, the U.S. versus USSR space race resulted in a huge surge in education, research and technology in the U.S. I hope that one of the consequences is getting our own space program back on track.

We could launch a manned mission to Jupiter if we wanted to spend the money on it. It's a question of will and budgetary priorities, not technology.

I was fascinated by the space program in the 1960s and 70s. Eventually I realized that we were not going to have Star Trek in the foreseeable future. I got a T-shirt that said, "Neil Armstrong went to the moon, and all I got was a box of rocks."

Low-earth orbit is where the action is. BTW, the Chinese have already demonstrated the capability of knocking out a satellite. That puts the entire worldwide communication network, GPS, and spy satellites at risk.

- Jim

seamusTX wrote:BTW, the Chinese have already demonstrated the capability of knocking out a satellite. That puts the entire worldwide communication network, GPS, and spy satellites at risk. - Jim

That's a comforting thought. That may be another reason to have the will and budget to keep our space program funded.

There are some offensive technologies against which there is no effective defense. Nuclear missiles are one. Satellite killers are another. You simply can't build and launch expensive satellites more quickly than an enemy could knock them out.

Fortunately, the world is an interconnected place now. The wealth of China depends upon selling us junk, and we depend upon them making it for us to buy. Nobody can afford to go back to the era of illiterate barefoot peasants plowing with oxen or water buffalo.

- Jim

seamusTX wrote:Nobody can afford to go back to the era of illiterate barefoot peasants plowing with oxen or water buffalo. - Jim

And that's a very comforting thought.

Any way I can help, amigo.

Seriously, some bunch of clowns like the Nazis or Japanese in the 1940s thought they could take over a big chunk of the world and treat people worse than slaves. It didn't work then. Now no sane group of rulers, however amoral or evil, would try. You need educated people who will work for creature comforts and the illusion of freedom.

- Jim

WildBill wrote:Their docking mission may be where we were back in 1965, but their technology is not. Much of their technology used in their space program is more advanced than the Space Shuttle. Remember that the Shuttle was designed more than 30 years ago.

Their technology is stolen. Why would they steal 30-year-old tech?

sjfcontrol wrote:

WildBill wrote:Their docking mission may be where we were back in 1965, but their technology is not. Much of their technology used in their space program is more advanced than the Space Shuttle. Remember that the Shuttle was designed more than 30 years ago.

Their technology is stolen. Why would they steal 30-year-old tech?

Why would a guy steal Ramen Noodles?

In case you didn't get the reference viewtopic.php?f=108&t=37202&p=681433&hi ... en#p681433" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

WildBill wrote:

sjfcontrol wrote:

WildBill wrote:Their docking mission may be where we were back in 1965, but their technology is not. Much of their technology used in their space program is more advanced than the Space Shuttle. Remember that the Shuttle was designed more than 30 years ago.

Their technology is stolen. Why would they steal 30-year-old tech?

Why would a guy steal Ramen Noodles?

In case you didn't get the reference viewtopic.php?f=108&t=37202&p=681433&hi ... en#p681433" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Well, my point was that the Chinese are smarter than Galveston hoods! They would steal modern tech (or at least as modern as they could get). Not space shuttle tech.

To be fair, the Space Shuttle airframes were about 30 years old, but they were rebuilt inside and outside many times over.

There's nothing wrong with a decades-old airframe. Plenty of planes flying today are that old. It's not like driving a 1980 American Motors Pacer.



All these countries that are coming of age as we enter our national senility are going to benefit from our investment in technological development, whether they steal it or we give it to them with open hands. What are we going to do if we don't like it? Refuse to buy TVs and shoes? I think not.

- Jim

We have a space program. The U.S. leads the world in space-based astronomy. We probably have the best spy satellites, though we're not supposed to mention that. We invented GPS.

It's the lack of a manned space program that is a disappointment.

- Jim

seamusTX wrote:We have a space program. The U.S. leads the world in space-based astronomy. We probably have the best spy satellites, though we're not supposed to mention that. We invented GPS.

It's the lack of a manned space program that is a disappointment.

- Jim

Hear hear. I realize that the Shuttle program was nearing the end of its arc, but I believe that it was canceled prematurely. It should have kept flying until the Orion/Aries came online. Unfortunately, that was cancelled too. Incredibly short sighted.