China sends first woman, 2 men into space in most ambitious mission yet

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RayH wrote:

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Don't forget the U.S. space program is OVER.

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RayH wrote:

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With whose money? Uncle Sam is BROKE.

clem wrote:

Are they going to Venus or Mars?

China is 50 yrs behind wrote:

China is 50 years behind the U.S and the Russia...what is so good about this? dumb China sent men into space before sending Animals into space....what a dumb and wasted mission!

Holysoldier007 wrote:

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actually you nim rod we are going to mars we plan on setting up a path to mars a more important target and I support mining the moon but I think we need to mine mars not the moon the moon controls the tides more than the sun we hurt the moon we hurt earth

nanoanomaly wrote:

<quoted text>Don't count on it.
http://www.space.com/9940-secretive-space-pla...
Obama won't be in the White House forever.

nanoanomaly wrote:

<quoted text>Don't count yer dragons until they're hatched, Ray. China relies heavily on American money.

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China is 50 yrs behind wrote:

China is 50 years behind the U.S and the Russia...what is so good about this? dumb China sent men into space before sending Animals into space....what a dumb and wasted mission!

RayH wrote:

<quoted text>With whose money? Uncle Sam is BROKE.

U BEGGARS WITH BIGMOUTHS wrote:

<quoted text>ummm, nim rod...your government is not going to Mars...a Private american company plans to send robots to Mars...

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Does China Want To Own The Moon?


Although treaties forbid ownership, the powerful nation would have little resistance when laying claim to lunar resources.

By Irene Klotz
Thu Oct 20, 2011


THE GIST

Within about 15 years, China could have a permanent presence on the moon, and be laying claim to its resources.

There may not be anything the United States, hobbled by debt and politically polarized, can do to stop China.

By the time U.S. astronauts return to the moon they may need permission to touch down -- from China, which is laying the groundwork for a lunar land grab, says long-time space advocate and entrepreneur Robert Bigelow.

Owning the moon is the first step in a game Bigelow, founder of Nevada-based Bigelow Aerospace, calls "Solar System Monopoly."

"This will characterize the 21st and 22nd centuries and beyond. If we ignore this, it will be at our extreme peril," Bigelow said at the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight under way this week in Las Cruces, N.M.

NEWS: The Moon Is Bursting With Precious Titanium

The way Bigelow sees it, China, which has no debt, cash reserves of $3 trillion, technical skills, a long-term strategy and strong national support, will lay claim to raw materials on the moon in about 15 years.

The land grab will occur despite an international treaty barring ownership of extraterrestrial bodies, concludes Bigelow, who points out that China's growing global economic influence will make it less likely other countries will object to its lunar expansion.

"This isn't going to start World War III," Bigelow said.

WATCH VIDEO: Building a Moon Base

There's several reasons why China might want the moon, not the least of which is its trove of mineral resources that include water and helium-3, a potential fuel for fusion energy reactors. Laying claim to the moon also would have a powerful psychological impact, displacing America's Apollo forays and catapulting China's international status in one fell swoop.
astronaut

"Nothing else China could possibly do in the next 15 years would cause as great a benefit for China," Bigelow said.

With the United States straddled by debt and political gridlock, Bigelow thinks the first round of the game is already lost. But there's still time to give China a run for its money on Mars.

NEWS: SpaceX Aims to Put Man on Mars in 10-20 Years

"Hopefully this will produce the fear factor necessary to motivate Americans," Bigelow said.

China, which is not a member of the International Space Station program, last month launched a test module for its own outpost in orbit. A capsule to robotically dock at the module is scheduled to be launched in November. That will be followed by human missions in 2012.

In addition to a small space station, China has announced plans for a lunar base by 2020.

NEWS: China Starts Work on Its Own Space Hangout

"They're serious about what they're doing," said Mark Sirangelo, who oversees Sierra Nevada Corp., one of several firms working to develop commercial passenger spaceships for NASA and other users.

"Not only do they have a lot of people and a lot of money focused in on it, but they have a lot of willpower. I think that's one of the things that we in this country are lacking a little bit right now, the willpower to do the necessary things to make us successful in space."

http://news.discovery.com/space/china-moon-re...

NO COMPETITION wrote:

Why is China all alone in outer space?
lol