Communists on the moon !

JurijD · #1 December 11th, 2003, 01:27 AM

I didn't see enough "off topics" on this board today so...

And if I remember these can get really interesting.

As I heard... the Chineese are planning on sending a manned mission to the Moon in 2008-2009. Do you people think this might spark another space race and get us back on the right track again

? Too bad the Russians gave up on their manned Moon mission... their rocket was sure a pretty thing to see

I'm asking myself this because when the Chineese launched their first human into orbit, some American news channels were quick to point out that China might militarize space and that "we" should get ready for it. (Of course us Europeans took a less paranoid stance but... thats not the point here

Of course there are strong trade relations between China and the US that were just not present between them and the Soviet Union (ahhh the good old days

so the conditions are different... but still. Do you people think we'll se another race-for-space developing in the next few years or decades?

Sure would be cool though

narf poit chez BOOM · #2 December 11th, 2003, 01:32 AM

and, of course, the US would never militarize space...and if you buy that, i've got some ocean-front property in alberta.

yeah, a space-race would be nice.

JurijD · #3 December 11th, 2003, 01:40 AM

Huh? You mean that The Americans would also try militarize space? By the gost of M. Tacher and the beard of A. Lincon... I never thought that the US could do anything in such a militaristic and unilateral way...

I mean aren't they always so forthcoming and willing to compromise and talk things out

?

[ December 10, 2003, 23:42: Message edited by: JurijD ]

Puke · #4 December 11th, 2003, 02:40 AM

mmmm... space race... militarization... a Chinese superpower...

now what we NEED is another big push for Manifest Destiny and Imminent Domain. This time, the MOON. And after that we can have WWIV, with the sticks and stones. Just like that German ex-pat scientist-guy said.

narf poit chez BOOM · #5 December 11th, 2003, 02:45 AM

you mean good ol' Al?

President_Elect_Shang · #6 December 11th, 2003, 03:31 AM

A race for the moon, I seriously doubt it. I don�t think that the government or NASA will be changing their focus from Mars anytime soon. They are more likely to just sit back and say �Been there, got the shirt�. As for the Chinese I say go ahead and land baby. Since about 18% of the export trade is to the US and only about 2% import for them is from us this venture could lead to an increase in trade (technology wise) and it would tie our two countries together more. Since China has had around an 8% growth in its economy for some time it will only be a matter of decades before it assumes the place of the next world super power. My point to all of this is that with a link made from trade it could avoid the next Cold War. Having lived through and served in the armed forces during one I am in no rush to live out, or have my children live through another one.

Cyrien · #7 December 11th, 2003, 04:08 AM

I think as far as the US is concerned the moon is now largely just a stepping stone and site for a base while the US moves out to bigger fish. I think the primary interest of the US is Mars with secondary interests in the asteroid belt and various of the outer planets moons.

As for the old Soviet moon rocket... yah that was a nice piece of work. Too bad it never really worked right. 30 seperate rocket thrust boosters. Proved impossible to ballance them all so the simpler US rocket worked while the nice but too complicated Soviet rocket was a miserable failure.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1883348.stm

oleg · #8 December 11th, 2003, 04:12 AM

But what if Chinese evacuate all US artifacts from the Moon surface and claim they are in fact the first men over there ?

Narratio · #9 December 11th, 2003, 04:14 AM

China on the Moon? A damn good idea. It might finally get some of the western governments to shell out cash to put bases there. Next thing you know, remember Heinleins' story "The moon is a harsh mistress"?

Cyrien · #10 December 11th, 2003, 04:28 AM

The Chinese would have a much larger undertaking to get to the moon than the US would to get back. The Chinese have largely been using old Soviet space rockets and technology. The Soviet Lunar rocket for manned flight never worked. So they are starting from scratch there. Next, the Chinese moon missions are not manned. That is a rumor. The Chinese plan to land an automated probe on the moon by 2010 and have it return with rock samples. They have themselves denied any plans of landing a man there. Not surprising considering the extreme cost and completely independent development of their own man capable lunar rocket.

Chinese deny manned mission: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2000506.stm

Lets not all get so excited we get ahead of ourselves. I would have to predict that the US will return to the moon before anyone else goes. The US has been there before. The US has the experience to draw on that no one else does.

And while looking at the Chinese don't forget the US are driving more and more for a renewed interest in space exploration. Both manned and unmanned.

Bush plans? http://www.nbc17.com/technology/2683117/detail.html

I don't much like Bush. But if he gets us back in Space and on the moon and beyond then at least I can say he did one thing right.

[ December 11, 2003, 02:29: Message edited by: Cyrien ]