The NE Asian Space Race
China has been vigorously expanding their space program which includes such successes as recently launching astronauts into orbit. Korea has also recently begun expanding their space program including the announcement of the construction of a state of the art launch pad on the Korean island of Goheung. Now Japan is officially announced a significant expansion of their space program as well:
Japan is building upon its past successes in space to forge a range of initiatives, from disaster warning systems, probes to Mercury, Venus and Jupiter, as well as conduct an aggressive lunar exploration campaign.
Read the whole article, but the Japanese space agenda is definitely ambitious. All in all I’m glad to see this Northeast Asian space race because hopefully this increased competition will further push our own US space program and industries which have become increasingly stagnant in recent years. If it takes the Chinese landing on the moon to get the US space program moving again than I’m all for it.
It took the threat from the USSR to Push America onward to make the moon landing in 1969. After that succes rather than build on it, we contented ourselves with a near orbit orbit program and space station. Sold ourselves short I believe.
Small wonder there are some that believe we never went there, been over 30 years. could have had a base camp on Mars by now, and should have!
More power to Japan and China in their effort to return to the moon. If we americans lack the drive, I’m happy to see someone else does!
I wonder if they will take our flag down? Sometimes I wonder if it’s there myself, and I watched it on my new and wonderous black & white TV. Then I went back to my science-fiction novel about a race of people that were so advanced that every person had a computer in their home and a personal phone on their belt.
I thought those people were really advanced, but what did I know, I was 14 yo.
We need to consolidate our resorces and stop giving hand outs to all our “fairWeather” friends, that usually bitch about us after we help them. That includes our fellow americans that live off welfair.
My “blanket” statement on our current state fo affairs. Democrats will have none of that, Republicans either. America; was a fine idea! Worth fighting for!
This is why I don't fear the rise of the Chinese because America needs something to push it. I really doubt China and America will ever have a military confrontation but economically the US and China will compete harder in the future along with more competition in areas like the Olympics and now space is all going to do America a lot of good in the long run.
You don't want to get me started on how I feel about welfare.
GI Korea, I see we have similar feelings. I thought I was so alone.
Love your last sentence!
Interesting to hear that you have an open minded view of China. In Europe people are beginning to wake up to the new serious player and getting a bit worried. Particularly if they expand their co-operation with Russia.
I agree with everybody who has said that a new space race is good. I’d like to see somebody from this planet land on Mars and share findings with all countries. Ideally it should be some kind of international mission that is not dominated by any nation.