Posted on 09/30/2011 5:31:19 PM PDT by Kaslin
Exceptionalism: While the American space program is in a museum, Beijing orbits a nearly 9-ton space station module. Soon men will return to the moon, but they will likely be speaking Chinese.
While America was scanning the skies waiting for an aging satellite to fall to earth, China was looking to the skies and seeing its future.
On Thursday, Beijing launched into space aboard a Long March 2F rocket a space station module weighing 8.5 metric tons that will serve as a prototype for a 60-ton Chinese space lab to be in orbit by 2020.
Americans may yawn and say "been there, done that" and, besides, we have other things on our plate right now. But this latest nail in the coffin of American exceptionalism has serious implications for both U.S. leadership and security. China's space program is intimately connected to its military aspirations, and it views space as a venue for more than tadpole experiments.
Not long ago, Capt. Shen Zhong of the Chinese Navy Research Institute said: "The mastery of outer space will be requisite for military victory, with outer space becoming the new venue for combat."
Certainly the Chinese development of an operational anti-satellite program speaks to Beijing's view that space is not a demilitarized zone.
The Tiangong 1 module is expected to remain in orbit for two years. China, the third nation after Russia and America to put humans into space, plans to launch two Shenzhou spacecraft in 2012 for unmanned docking trials. A third may carry a crew to populate the Tiangong 1.
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
Well hey, we’re giving free money to solar companies cause we have VISION!
wow. This is just sad.
Could it be that we have failed to elect leaders with vision.
IMO our leaders vision is to help other countries to the detriment of America.
We can all thank former President Billy Jeff for ensuring the Chinese got the knowhow we developed with our blood, sweat, tears, and genius ....
Yes, there are hungry mouths to feed. I am sounding like a broken record on this.
Then let the hungry mouths feed themselves. Or ask their families or churches or communities for help. It sure isn't the role of government.
There's an old sentiment that if someone doesn't work, he shouldn't eat.
/johnny
Ah, but Clinton is a good Democrat, so he will never be called out on anything by the MSM or other liberals.
And anybody who says anything against Clinton can be accused of bringing up the past, rehashing old arguments, etc. meaning we should all just shut up.
Of course, these same people endlessly analyze every single detail of the Bush administration, and tell us why every single action taken by Bush was wrong.
/johnny
Err, uhh... no, we have vision to make Muslims feel good about their contribution to science and technology. My administration has determined that Muslims apparently feel much better when they have destroyed something. So you see, in that light, destroying our space program makes sense. Ya feelin' me?
The reality is that folks (or countries) that are broke just can’t afford such luxuries.
The Chinese Long March 2F has a vibration problem that needs to be fixed, or they will have too many sick taikonauts to work. The crews of Shenzhou 5 and 6 both noticed it.
Excuse me, but as a 10 year veteran of the US space program, manned and unmanned, I’d like to question the premise of this editorial. First, we STILL put payloads into orbit. Period. We do that fine and guys like Spacex are WORLDBEATERS at it. Second, we are at the dawn of private spaceflight. Ask Scaled Composites’ Burt Rutan about that? He and Richard Branson are lining up paying customers to fly in zero-G. Third, so it’s not gummint space. So what! We can do it better faster and cheaper than the Ruskies and the ChiComs and they admit it! The Space Scuttle (TM) should have been moth balled years ago. Its 1970s technology was expensive an unreliable. There are a number of high dollar NASA programs that are very vulnerable right now. And they should be. Let the capitalists do it!!!
Heads up Americans this article is propaganda by the same folks who funded Solyndra. Don’t buy the FUD. Yes there are some things government can do to help US space capabilities. Mainly stay out of the way and pay the pros to put a few payloads up. New man-rated systems? New heavy lift? Nope.
Check this out if you want some valid information on the subject ...
http://blog.nss.org/?p=3080&cpage=1
BINGO
The Chinese stuff isn't perfect. Note my previous post about vibration problems with the Long March 2F booster. Their aircraft have performance problems as well. Note the J-10 interceptor, or what I call “General Tso’s Raptor”. It has the outward appearance of the F-22 with a lengthened fuselage, but does it have the radars, the ability to snap shoot, and the maneuverability? I don't think so. More typical of Chinese fighters is the J-7, which they sell to Pakistan.
Makes a lot of sense when all of our enemies see it as the new battleground from which to launch offensive strikes.
The EPA plans to ban inhalers to protect the ozone layer. Shovel ready jobs? Someone has to dig the graves!
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