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On the other hand, China participation in the station would lend financial and technical support for the troubled space station. "The Bush administration, restricted financially by the growing budget deficits it has created, will correctly argue that cooperating with China is less expensive than competing with it," Coopersmith said.

U.S. answer to Chinese launch? Cooperation Houston Chronicle ^ | October 16, 2003 | JONATHAN COOPERSMITH [Excerpt] For NASA's space shuttle and space station, the Chinese launch could not come at a better time. The appearance of Chinese astronauts will increase public interest in American astronauts. More important, an additional space partner will provide more financial and technical support for the troubled space station. The Bush administration, restricted financially by the growing budget deficits it has created, will correctly argue that cooperating with China is less expensive than competing with it. [End Excerpt]

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A LIBERAL'S nationalist roll over and partisan dig. A nice bow to the Chinese communists.

Where are we now?

***"I think the U.S. will have to seriously consider getting back into the business of manned space exploration. It is hard to imagine that the U.S. will allow the Chinese or the Chinese in partnership with the Russians to explore and exploit the Moon. It also means that for the first time since Richard Nixon was in the White House serious talk can resume about sending humans to Mars," Dickson said.

Perhaps humans will be walking on the Moon again in 2007, Dickson suggested, on the 50th anniversary of the Sputnik launch which started it all.

"The first thing I thought about when I heard the news [about Shenzhou 5] was Sputnik. The second thing was the fable about the race between the tortoise and the hare," Dickson said. ***