China's great leap forward: Space

Orlando Sentinel ^ | December 9, 2001 | Michael Cabbage | Sentinel Space Editor

[Cincinatus' Wife]

"We are trying our best to transfer space applications to the commercial market," engineer Chen said. "We have lots of overlap between the military and commercial programs."

It's one and the same.

[BrooklynGOP]

Good luck eating rice with chop sticks at zero gravity.

[RadioAstronomer]

It's one and the same.

Not quite the same. Military programs do not have to show or produce a profit. Commercial ones do.

[RadioAstronomer]

We also better not be left behind in this endeavor!!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Money goes a lot farther in China where they pay slave wages, if that, and where they aren't supporting ten Centers.

[KellyAdmirer]

A little competition for a change might be just the tonic for NASA. Would be kind of embarrassing for the Chinese to develop resources on the long-ignored Moon before the US does.

If this doesn't wake NASA up, maybe nothing ever will.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

We'll all be eating with chopsticks if the Chinese get a base on the Moon.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

If this doesn't wake NASA up, maybe nothing ever will.

Senator Nelson of Fla. brought up the subject of China at a space, commerce and transportation hearing with Sean O'Keefe on Friday. O'Keefe was very mum on the subject. I hope Bush and the military have plans for our homeland security as it pertains to China's designs on space dominance.

[Brett66]

I don't think we will sit idly by and let them go to the moon without a challenge. Unfortunately they will be ready to set up a moon base and we will suddenly discover the national will to go back there. Their plan will be a deliberate,long range one culminating in a moon base that won't be abandoned. Our plan will be thrown together in the last seconds. We will throw some hardware on the surface in a rush and declare victory. After about 3-4 years of lunar base operation we will abandon it because it will be too expensive and there will be no political will to continue. The Chinese will stay and expand their base. We will live under a Chinese moon.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I hope there are some clear heads working behind the scenes on our interests.

U.S Air Force and NASA Work Closer on Strategic Space Control-- The shift toward greater emphasis on space for national security needs is being led by Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld. Prior to being appointed to his post by President Bush, Rumsfeld led a national commission on use of space for national security needs. (More LINKS at this one.)

(Oct. 10, 2001)China Plans to Send Probe to Moon--[Excerpt]…….few details are available of new developments in the military-linked program. ……….China's communist government has poured huge resources into making the nation a force in space. In addition to its scientific benefits, lunar exploration has an ``immeasurable usefulness to raising national prestige and inspiring the nationalistic spirit,'' Xinhua said. [End Excerpt]

[jhofmann]

What resources on the moon are you talking about? What's the cost-benefit equation look like for mining and transporting those resources back to Earth? I don't think we have found gold or uranium up there.

[jhofmann]

This while going to the moon thing by China is a propaganda ploy. Their goal is to make sure that they are ready to deploy weapons in space to attack our intelligence, surveillance and recon assets and advance their ICBM capabilities. What exactly is on the moon besides the American flag and our footprings that we should feel threatened by China going up there?

[Brett66]

There's nothing on the moon... yet. The Chinese appear to be willing to set up extended operations there. If mining/manufacturing facilities can be set up there, and there is no reason to believe this isn't in their long range
plans, then they can build assets there with military utility. They could decide to build a small mass driver that
could hurl payloads to Earth. If we don't do our homework, there will be nothing we can do to defend against
this. It would be as bad as having a fire breathing dragon fluing over our heads. ;)

[Brett66]

fluing=flying

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I don't think we have found gold or uranium up there.

There are things with far more value. Try this one on for size. Easy access to those commmunication satellites for repair, maintence and protection. Who do you want at that helm?

[KellyAdmirer]

Thanks for giving exactly the sort of reply I would anticipate from NASA itself. "No gold or uranium." That's just fabulous. Maybe you work for NASA? Or head their development office?

The Moon has a high concentration of rare metals like Titanium. It also has abundant amounts of Silicon and Oxygen. These factors alone make the Moon - eventually, to whoever bothers to develop it - a storehouse of useful materials.

The moon has something else pretty darn valuable in space. It has GRAVITY. Point out somewhere else outside the Earth within a few day's journey with that. It looks increasingly like weightlessness is bad for human physiology. It may be just 1/8 that of earth, but that may be sufficient. There may even be some water there, trapped in rocks or under the surface. If so, that would be an invaluable discovery.

Ignoring the place isn't going to advance our knowledge of it. It is also a stable platform with defensive capabilities, which has both civil and military potential. We may not choose to view it that way, so I suppose the Chinese won't, either?

No, the Moon does not have gold or uranium. It does not have any jewels or bank cd's, either.

Thanks again for the chuckle!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Sean O'Keefe, the "for certain" new administrator at NASA said he wants the old style NASA linear thinking to be replaced with leap-ahead technology pursuits.

[Texbob]

The chinese got their space ability from White Trash Scumbag Clinton who sold it to them for campaign donations and direct deposits to his Swiss Bank accounts.

[Brett66]

NASA has been focused on going to Mars the last few years. If we see the Chinese making strides in getting humans to the moon, I wonder if we'll decide to refocus on the moon once we finish construction on the ISS. It's possible that China's interest in the moon will way heavily on the minds of the President once the ISS is built. IMHO this is very good news. Going to Mars before we even establish an infrastructure in cis-Lunar space is putting the cart before the horse.