China Setting Pace for Space Explorations

[kevindavis007]

China's growing appetite for space explorations is more pronounced than ever as the nation announced its plans to conduct a total of 30 mission launches this year, according to an article by The Atlantic. If the target is reached, it would be a glorious moment for China.


In 2016 alone, China was able to conduct 21 successful mission launches, placing the nation in second place after the U.S. (22 launches) and just ahead of Russia (16 launches).


And it doesn't stop there. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) recently released a policy paper that outlines the nation's plans for space exploration in the next five years.


Aside from the slated 2017 launch of China's first cargo spacecraft, CNSA also plans to send the first rover to the far side of the moon in 2018 and send a rover on Mars in 2020.


Read More: http://www.isn-news.net/2017/01/china-setting-pace-for-space.html

[kevindavis007]

Space Ping!


@Oceander
@Sanguine
@Cripplecreek
@Freya
@EC
@Joe Wooten
@r9etb
@Just_Victor
@montanajoe
@Ghost Bear
@Free Vulcan
@Idaho_Cowboy
@geronl
@Scutter   

[EC]

I am happy China is doing this.

Maybe the thought of actually losing the high frontier will wake up the pillocks in the West.

[Ghost Bear]

IMHO, for the foreseeable future space belongs to China, and possibly India, until either or both of them collapse under the inherent contradictions in their systems.  Then some other country may step forward, who knows.

[EC]

India is certainly playing catch up hard, but I think it'll be China dominating space exploration for the next 30 years or so. It's relatively cheap and risk free status boosting, and they have enough of a lock on their news to minimise any problems to the general public - and there are always problems.

[kevindavis007]

I am happy China is doing this.

Maybe the thought of actually losing the high frontier will wake up the pillocks in the West.

Like the Soviets did in the 1950's and  in the 1960's..

[EC]

Like the Soviets did in the 1950's and  in the 1960's..

You have to admit - it certainly woke up the sleeping giant. 

[kevindavis007]

You have to admit - it certainly woke up the sleeping giant. 

That is true.. To be honest, I wouldn't mind a space alliance with ESA, ISRO, NASA, JAXA, Canadian Space Agency, and the UK Space Agency... Not with Russia or China.. However, I do like the symbol of the China Space agency..  ;)

[Cripplecreek]

I am happy China is doing this.

Maybe the thought of actually losing the high frontier will wake up the pillocks in the West.

The high ground was my first thought.

With today's technology an enemy could fire projectiles from the moon with rail guns and hit targets on earth with a fair degree of accuracy. Even if you can see the projectiles coming there isn't much you could do except get out of the way. They could only do it once or twice per day but they could do it every day until we gave them what they wanted.

I believe the concept was to fire tungsten telephone poles called "Rods from God" and they would carry enormous kinetic energy upon impact. You only gotta be close.

[EC]

The high ground was my first thought.

With today's technology an enemy could fire projectiles from the moon with rail guns and hit targets on earth with a fair degree of accuracy. Even if you can see the projectiles coming there isn't much you could do except get out of the way. They could only do it once or twice per day but they could do it every day until we gave them what they wanted.

I believe the concept was to fire tungsten telephone poles called "Rods from God" and they would carry enormous kinetic energy upon impact. You only gotta be close.

Actually, using a mass driver from the lunar surface, you could have a constant stream of projectiles, 24/7, just by altering the ejection speed slightly to send them on slightly different trajectories. It's not as if you can shoot down a rock, even if you know it's coming.
(I was fascinated by The Moon is a Harsh Mistress when I was younger and actually worked out the math for a bombardment from Luna. It's a good treatment of the idea - solid, too).

[Gefn]

Does anyone know where Trump stands with space program?

No jokes please.

[Cripplecreek]

Actually, using a mass driver from the lunar surface, you could have a constant stream of projectiles, 24/7, just by altering the ejection speed slightly to send them on slightly different trajectories. It's not as if you can shoot down a rock, even if you know it's coming.
(I was fascinated by The Moon is a Harsh Mistress when I was younger and actually worked out the math for a bombardment from Luna. It's a good treatment of the idea - solid, too).

I hadn't thought about it but that's true.

Interestingly enough my first introduction to science fiction was also about a revolt against earth. (Revolt on Alpha C)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolt_on_Alpha_C

[EC]

Does anyone know where Trump stands with space program?

No jokes please.

I'm afraid I honestly don't know, Freya. It's not something that really came up. I can see him going either way on it - he's a pragmatist and there are a lot of problems to fix first. But space exploration is also still very much a grand gesture - and he's big on grand, symbolic gestures. 

[kevindavis007]

Does anyone know where Trump stands with space program?

No jokes please.

I think he is somewhat pro space.. I'm not sure..

[Cripplecreek]

I'm afraid I honestly don't know, Freya. It's not something that really came up. I can see him going either way on it - he's a pragmatist and there are a lot of problems to fix first. But space exploration is also still very much a grand gesture - and he's big on grand, symbolic gestures. 

Space is one you could have counted on both Cruz and Rubio for. Florida and Texas both have major NASA presence.

[EC]

I do like to think they'd have supported it just because - neither of them have completely lost their sense of magic yet - but you are probably right.

[EC]

I hadn't thought about it but that's true.

Interestingly enough my first introduction to science fiction was also about a revolt against earth. (Revolt on Alpha C)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolt_on_Alpha_C

Always liked Silverberg, though Samuel Delaney's poetic prose knocked him down one slot in my rankings. Think my favorite of his was Tower of Glass.

[Cripplecreek]

I do like to think they'd have supported it just because - neither of them have completely lost their sense of magic yet - but you are probably right.

I know Cruz was on the science committee and suggested that NASA lose funding for looking at cloudtops and get back to real space exploration. Plus he's a sci fi geek and we all want space exploration.

[kevindavis007]

Space is one you could have counted on both Cruz and Rubio for. Florida and Texas both have major NASA presence.

Yep..

[Gefn]

I'm afraid I honestly don't know, Freya. It's not something that really came up. I can see him going either way on it - he's a pragmatist and there are a lot of problems to fix first. But space exploration is also still very much a grand gesture - and he's big on grand, symbolic gestures. 

I can almost see him promising a man on Mars the way Kennedy promised to get us to the moon. He does like grand gestures.

And he wants to be first in everything. I'm pretty sure we have the technology to get to Mars. We just don't have the technology to come home.

[Gefn]

Oh my first SF book was Bradbury in fifth grade.

"R is for Rocket" and "S is for Space".

Then I went though the entire alphabet with the help of my librarian. Asimov through Zelazny

[EC]

And he wants to be first in everything. I'm pretty sure we have the technology to get to Mars. We just don't have the technology to come home.

If that is the only problem - he's got himself a pilot. 

[Joe Wooten]

Actually, using a mass driver from the lunar surface, you could have a constant stream of projectiles, 24/7, just by altering the ejection speed slightly to send them on slightly different trajectories. It's not as if you can shoot down a rock, even if you know it's coming.
(I was fascinated by The Moon is a Harsh Mistress when I was younger and actually worked out the math for a bombardment from Luna. It's a good treatment of the idea - solid, too).

RAH ALWAYS did the math work behind his stories to be sure it could happen.

[Joe Wooten]

Always liked Silverberg, though Samuel Delaney's poetic prose knocked him down one slot in my rankings. Think my favorite of his was Tower of Glass.

I never like Chip Delaney's work. My suspicions about him after reading Triton were confirmed later on when he came out as a homosexual pedophile.