http://www.spacedaily.com/news/china-03zj.html "the craft would orbit the Earth 14 times, suggesting the flight will last 21 hours. This would distinguish China from the former Soviet Union and the United States, the only other nations to send a man into space, whose maiden flights in the 1960s lasted 108 minutes and 15 minutes respectively." This is an important event in history, perhaps even more important in the long term than what's going on in Iraq. While the United States' space shuttle sits on the ground broken, the chinese are going to make a significant technological accomplishment. In the aerospace industry, the US has lost its edge (some would say years ago). Airbus is beating Boeing in the commercial aviation market, and now the European Space Agency and the chinise are catching(caught?) up to the US in space. The aerospae industry is a strong indicator of the US losing its superiority around the world.
Meanwhile, in Bhutan, a slightly improved version of the Model T has been developed. Is America losing its edge? The US aerospace industry is doing well. Military aircraft make up a huge share of the market.
Re: Re: China to Launch Man to Space this week Welcome to the space race......50 years to late. Congrats.
Re: Re: China to Launch Man to Space this week First of all the US aerospace industry is not doing well. Like the rest of the economy, the aerospace industry is hurting. Sept 11th, Airbus, and Airline bankrutcies have hurt the commercial market badly. I agree, the DOD and NASA (and other government agencies) make up a huge part of the aerospace industry, but there are still fewer jobs and less money than there was a few years ago. We have most definitely lost our lead in the aerospae industry. China is going to be flying a person in space next week, and then they will land someone on the moon in 10 years. On the otherhand, the US is going to be stuck in low earth orbit doing close to no-science in a $5 billion over-budget space station. The space shuttle is broke, and the chinese will have better capabilities in 10 or 15 years. The europeans are also catching up in space, with their numerous unmanned probes. They will be launching a GPS III rival system called Galileo in the net few years. Europe already has the lead in commercial aviation. We are losing the technological edge, and it is going to be hard for us to get it back.
Re: Re: Re: China to Launch Man to Space this week Ahem....WE DID ALL OF THIS 40 YEARS AGO! If you think that the industry is going to get stuck in a permanent rut then you are a fool. The ISS is just that, an international station, so i don't know why you are implying that the US is going to shoulder all of the cost. As for the shuttle, it is NOT broken. The problem is, and always have been the high echelon morons at NASA. The shuttles need refurbishing, not replacing. And by the time the Chinese are batting around the idea of a moon landing we are going to be poised to land on Mars. Your utter fascination for the infant Chinese Aerospace program is laughable.
The Chinese want to enter the space race the way they think will produce an impact. Before that, China would have to hitch up with the Soviets. Now doesn't seem to be the case.
Re: Re: Re: China to Launch Man to Space this week If the Chinese want to spend billions on an imaginary space race, they can go for it. Maybe they can get to the moon 50 years after we did. That's what I'd call a distant second.
> This is an important event in history, It's a stunt, and will have no more impact on humanity than a guy jumping 20 schoolbusses in a mosnter truck in Las Vegas. > First of all the US aerospace industry is not doing well. Yeah, the civilian market for Boeing is pretty much going to croak once the new superjumbo Airbus aircraft is done. Boeing only really makes profit on 747's, and those sales will dry up quick. What we really should do is use the current military requirement for a new refueling airplane and fund the development of a totally new very efficent flying wing design instead of the current corrupt deal to rent 767s. > The shuttles need refurbishing, not replacing. The shuttle needs grounding. It does not serve a useful purpose.
Re: Re: Re: Re: China to Launch Man to Space this week http://www.space.com/news/spacestation/rand_study_020219.html "The wide-ranging RAND study urges the White House to become more engaged in scripting how best to use the ISS, tagging the Earth-circling complex as a $70 billion national investment." Sure, the US might not be paying ALL of the bill, but we sure are paying a lot. $70 Billion to house 3 people to do almost no science. Is that worth it?? The shuttle IS broken. Read this article written BEFORE the Columbia accident: http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/missions/fl_20th_essay-1.html "In practice, the shuttle proved to be more expensive to fly than the Saturn it replaced. Even our own government knows the shuttle is broken: The Air Force, which had reluctantly grown dependent on the shuttle, returned to expendable launch vehicles. There are zero plans for a manned mission to Mars or the Moon in the near futue. The chinese are going to catch up in the space industry, and they will be able to do it for less cost than we are doing it now. I just hope we have the capability to stay on top in the aerospace industry.
Unfortunately, while China is using old Soviet technology for its space program, this will give them enhanced capabilities. Nearly everyone in Taiwan believes that it will somehow be used against this country (Taiwan) as China has never given up its claim to use force to bring island into China's orbit.
One should also take into consideration the state China was in when Mao died compared to today. The Chinese have turned things around completley.
I see it as a good thing. We need more countries to contribute to space exploration. Someday they might build a rocket to send Arnold to Mars to find those Alien atmosphere transformers.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20031015/ts_nm/space_china_dc&e=1 Looks like they have lanched their man.
They said on the news that he's enjoying Kung Po Chicken (#7 on the menu) in outer space. How do they fit that into a toothpaste tube?