Listen to this PodcastMore 60-Second Space
Who will be next to get to the moon? Maybe China. The upstart Chinese space program could take a step closer this week by launching the Tiangong 1, or "Heavenly Palace," into orbit.
"The Tiangong itself is a very small craft, roughly about, I believe, eight tons, and it's smaller than our SkyLab was.” Dean Cheng of the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. “And the main purpose of this is two things: one, to practice docking maneuvers, and two, to allow Chinese astronauts to have a little more extended time in a microgravity environment."
Tiangong could pave the way for a future Chinese space station and for exploration further afield. An unmanned spacecraft will reportedly dock with it later this year.
"If that works out well then we would expect to see, next year, missions Shenzhou 9 and Shenzhou 10, both of which would be manned, doing docking with the Tiangong craft and probably moderate-duration stays."
—John Matson
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]
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15 Comments
Add CommentGood to hear someone else is getting in on this. Some new and different thinking is always a good idea.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhen I first went to China to market English-language scientific books and journals in 1982, China's doctoral program was moribund. Today, China graduates more than 50,000 Ph.D.s, more than we do in the United States. As we retreat from our space program, China is beefing it up. We have problems that go beyond our debt.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFor a respected race: now running out of resources with the rest of the planet after unplanned squandering, do no more harm.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThanks for your reminding.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisChina should thank McCarthy (Wisconsin Senator) for creating Red Scare leading to the expel of Dr. H.S. Tsien (one of the top-most rocket scientists in the US) from the US to China in early '50's. China should also thank Dr. Tsien for leading the thought and the development of rocketry in China, at the time China was not sure what to develop first --- airplanes or rockets. Dr. Tsien explained that it was easier and faster to develop rockets than airplanes because rockets have only one single goal --- to hit the target without the need to pay much attention to the metallurgy of the shell, and that to hit targets accurately, one needs accurate control of the rockets, which in turn, requires good maths and human brain power. He added that Chinese brains were/are no worse than American brains. His explanations opened up the mind of many Chinese engineers and scientists and also the mind of the Chinese Government, because metallugy in China was 20 to 30 years behind after the WWII. He was correct. He was respected as the father of Rocketry in China, like Dr. von Braun in Nazi Germany, later in the US. Another great scientist and engineer in control of rockets was Prof. Robert Goddard in applied three-axis control, gyroscopes and steerable thrusts. These genius people used four-figured tables and slide rules to do their maths. Wasn't that amazing?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have been watching the Chinese Space program with great interest for years. It seems they are taking the same steps the brave Americans did decades ago. It is sad that we could not go forward together in this wonderful adventure. It is still great that we have not given up space exploration just yet. I wish the China the best of luck in the future.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSorry I should read my notes before I post them. The last sentence should read " I wish China the best of luck in the future!!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLeaving aside most people who have not travelled to China. Most people in the west think of Chinese in rice fields and as servants or in low paid jobs. That China has not existed for decades and most Chinese would not recognise that stereotype in any way.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisToday China is a country of skyscrapers, high speed trains, massive freight movement systems, deep water ports, mass public transport, mass manufacture, extended public highways, aerospace manufacture and research insititutes.
One thing I have noticed about the Chinese recently, is not only there can do attitude, but there belief they can do everything better, if they try hard enough.
Every child in school in China today knows they know they are going to have a moon base, orbiting space station, land on mars, mine asteroids and explore the outer solar system. It is ingrained into them in school.
It is only 200 years ago that the lead in science, finance, wealth, technology, infrastructure and education was in Asia, where it had been for thousands of years. Now that lead is moving back to Asia. Today over half of wealth, industry and infrastructure on hte entire planet is in Asia and the percentage is increasing daily. Today the figure for Asia as a percentage of the global economy is about 60% or more.
China has lifted more people out of poverty in the last twenty years alone than there are people in the USA, while the USA has increased its numbers of people in poverty. In the next ten years Shanghai alone will have more skyscrapers than all of continental USA combined. Just that one city.
That is how much the world has changed recently.
Any of you who do not believe how much China has changed, I suggest you get a flight to Shanghai airport, take the maglev to Shanghai, go to the largest skyscraper you can see, ask security if you can take some pictures from the top of the building in a panorama or if they would go up in the elevator and do it for you. Usually the security are not allowed to let you on top of the building but will happily take a panorama for you on there break. You will not only see more skyscrapers than New York but that even more are in construction. Those of you from New York will be dumfounded.
The world has changed. I fully expect our global economy, politics and how we think of our planet to change more in the next 20 years than the previous 200 combined.
China is the future. We need to accept that and make the best of it now and drop our western intransigence, otherwise we will create future problems for ourselves for no good reason.
Hello
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI do agree with the last comment. Our world is changing at a very rapid pace. That is one reason I subscribe to Scientific American. It is my attempt to try and make sense of this universe.
We often are so concerned with day to day life that we do not realize until it is too late that things have changed. As a Canadian I look with interest at how things have shifted and are still doing so at an ever increasing pace. It seems when you read the news and pay attention to not only the business sections that China and India are becoming world powers and this should be welcomed with open arms. It is us as species evolving to something better. I recently saw a documentary about how Chinese students learned. I was amazed how hard they work and the school was not the fancy American ones they have in the pampered west. They are trying very hard and this shows in what they are accomplishing every day.
Space exploration is vital to our survival past this century into the future. I am ever so happy that some of us on this planet are looking to the stars rather that looking down.
Hello
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI do agree with the last comment. Our world is changing at a very rapid pace. That is one reason I subscribe to Scientific American. It is my attempt to try and make sense of this universe.
We often are so concerned with day to day life that we do not realize until it is too late that things have changed. As a Canadian I look with interest at how things have shifted and are still doing so at an ever increasing pace. It seems when you read the news and pay attention to not only the business sections that China and India are becoming world powers and this should be welcomed with open arms. It is us as species evolving to something better. I recently saw a documentary about how Chinese students learned. I was amazed how hard they work and the school was not the fancy American ones they have in the pampered west. They are trying very hard and this shows in what they are accomplishing every day.
Space exploration is vital to our survival past this century into the future. I am ever so happy that some of us on this planet are looking to the stars rather that looking down.
Sorry about the double posting, there was a glitch in the system.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHope that even more people in China can be lifted out of poverty.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisExcellent reasons to be going into space which offers so many solutions to earth-based problems!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have great admiration for the Chinese for moving forward with their space program and tremendous cultural development. It's good to know the whole world isn't in decline just because America is degrading itself with unprovoked wars, torture, and general rightwing selfishness and extremism.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt is too easy to knock people when they are going through a rough time. As a person who lives in Canada I am all too well aware what our American cousins are up to and at times it makes me very sad. I have been to the United States a few times and the people are warm , friendly and ever so helpful and nice. We should never judge the heart of a country until we meet and interact with actual, real people. We often hear of those that live in the high towers and those who command great power. However is that where the truth lies ?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNo the United States has done a ton of wonderful things and they are a cornerstone of freedom. We should never forget that as we march into the future. There is good there and that is worth the waiting.
Still the Chinese are doing wonderful things and they too should be recognized and supported.