SPACE RACE! Its about time too...

CNN.com is reporting: "China eyes 2017 moon landing"

Mmmm....Didnt the US just announce plans for a 2018 Moon landing? Odd how that works out...

But, I am rather excited about this new news. I really feel that a good space race is over due.

BEIJING, China (Reuters) -- China, which launched its first manned space mission just two years ago, plans to put a man on the moon around 2017 and investigate what may be the perfect source of fuel, a newspaper reported on Friday.

Two Chinese astronauts orbited Earth for five days last month in the Shenzhou VI and China was now developing new craft up to the Shenzhou X, eyeing a permanent space station and an eventual moon mission, state media said this week.

"China will make a manned moon landing at a proper time, around 2017," leading scientist Ouyang Ziyuan was quoted by the Southern Metropolis News as saying.

[edit on 4-11-2005 by skippytjc]

[edit on 4-11-2005 by skippytjc]

Why is it a race? We got there in '69. There is no race, the Chineese are just playing catchup. I don't see the problem with them going a year before we go AGAIN.

The cold war spurred the first moon landing. The same driving force isn't applicable this time around.

thanks for the fix

[edit on 11/4/2005 by EvilBat]

Originally posted by wetwarez
Why is it a race? We got there in '69. There is no race, the Chineese are just playing catchup. I don't see the problem with them going a year before we go AGAIN.

The cold war spurred the first moon landing. The same driving force isn't applicable this time around.

Not a problem at all, but with China's recent surge in military spending and its massive resource grab, I have a feeling Washington will want to be competative in this regard. After all, its quite expensive and I am certain US officials wouldnt mind having China's $$ tied up in a space race rather than a military build up.

Been there done that! What about a manned Mars mission by 2018, now that would get me excited. Besides according to some, we were warned off the moon. So let the Chinese go to the back side and see Santa Claus
I want to know if the face on Mars is real or not.

because we first have to test technology
with a save harbour in close proximety.
you will test first than you can go to mars
using moon as a stepping stone / launch place.
and so you can get space economy and space
commercialisation in the process.

Mars... could have gone back in the 70's.... but political climates change and people loose interest.

Now... going back to the moon, it might be a better staging ground for a manned mars mission but, resource usage would be the best reason... There's a lot of HE3 up there... great for fission.....

wow, there gonna have to work pretty hard to achieve that goal...unless they are going there for a little white. Nasa is planning on sticking around this time...wonder if China will do the same.

2003 china put one man is space
2005 china put two more men in space
2007 china will put three more men is space
I figured they would just keep going, hell...by by 2100 they would have rockets launching 50 people at once.

but seriously...I think this will create some competition...but it wont be as frenzied as it was back in the 60's. Because this time around at the same time will be a public space race...the the attention will be diverted between the two.

I gut feeling though is that the US will beat them.

Originally posted by Murcielago
I gut feeling though is that the US will beat them.

The US already "beat" them. It's a moot point. The only and best reason to go back is resouces. They are there for the taking. All we have to do is go get them.

The US vs China to the moon (post-Apollo)

I don't think the Chinese can get there. Look at it this way, they are buying tech to put men in space from the Russians, formerly the Soviets, who could never get a man on the moon due to the enormous cost. Russia even had better engineers than China has now and yet they still could never get to the moon, and the Russian economy was about the same then as it is now for the Chinese.

China will not go to the moon, and neither will the Americans.

Yes, the US will probably end up turning this into a race.

"We have to save the Moon for the sake of Democracy, otherwise it'll become a safe haven for Communist and Terrorists to launch attacks against the US."

Phae

Originally posted by Phaethor
Yes, the US will probably end up turning this into a race.

"We have to save the Moon for the sake of Democracy, otherwise it'll become a safe haven for Communist and Terrorists to launch attacks against the US."

Phae

I don't see how it can be a race when we can't even get a shuttle to launch. What about the new CEV? No funding has even been approved yet alone discussed?

The majority of funds NASA currently has is already tied into the crippled shuttle program. We're stuck with current funding and I doubt Congress will pass a bill for any more spending with the current expendatures overseas.

Sorry, but for the forseeable future, we ground based...

[edit on 11-4-2005 by wetwarez]

That is exactly my point. You can't get the Government to spend money on Science and Research it has to be for Defense, War on Terror.

Convince them it is to protect us from moon based Communist and Terrorist Attacks and they will throw Trillions of dollars at the Good 'Ole Boy network of Companies.

Phae

Calm down boys, even if it's kind of a race since the US is starting its new lunar program almost from scratch (new rockets, the cev,...), the Chinese won't be on the Moon in 2017, they have not even begun studies for an heavy lift rocket (more than 100 metric tons in LEO). And i highly doubt they could develop one faster than the US which has much more expericence. Without this rocket, no human mission to the moon.

Shenzhou 6's success has bolstered China's ambition, all the official statement are not to be taken seriously.

I think we may be getting away from my point: I actually think a race to the moon would be healthy and productive for both cultures (even though there are some heavy political implications as well)

I think the US could use the financial refocus on the space program and I know for a fact Washington would love China to tie up that kind of dough in space exploration instead of military tech.

China on the flip side could drive another nail into their world perception as a super power and if they actually beat the USA, get some quite valuable propaganda.

Its healthy, no matter what the motives are.

Originally posted by ludo182
Calm down boys, even if it's kind of a race since the US is starting its new lunar program almost from scratch (new rockets, the cev,...), the Chinese won't be on the Moon in 2017, they have not even begun studies for an heavy lift rocket (more than 100 metric tons in LEO). And i highly doubt they could develop one faster than the US which has much more expericence. Without this rocket, no human mission to the moon.

Lest we forget the Saturn V rocket? Most powerful ever designed... Now what happened to that little rocket? Mmmm... they lost the designs and don't know how to rebuild the one they've got.

Look we should NEVER have had to restart the lunar program... we never should have stopped. IMO we're pretty much stuck on this rock for the forseeable future....

I remember the lunar landings, watching on TV and seeing the launches. It was a very exciting time to be an American. In those days when there was a launch, all of America would stop what they were doing and watch the TV. We were glued to the sets when the first pictures started coming back, it was a matter of intense pride. Back then everyone thought there would be a Moon base and then on to Mars and the other planets. It all seem so reachable. Now we spend billions to orbit the earth, when we can even get our rust bucket of a shuttle to fly. Sorry but I just can't get excited about returning to the Moon now after so many years. The glory was ours once and what a fun ride it was too. The Moon, nah let's raise our expectations and go further where no man has gone before, whoops sorry, lost myself there.

[edit on 4-11-2005 by Yorga]

I have to say that I would love to see either America OR China land a man on the moon, you see I was -10 when the first one happened.

BTW I thought that the US were planning to go to Mars by 2020 (?) -- now that would be impressive.

A lot more money should be spent on space travel because we should colonise other planets, indeed we will need to in the future. In my eyes money spent on space exploration would be useful then on more efficient ways of killing one another.

The U.S plans to go baclk to the Moon no later than 2018, most likely it will be 2015.

Originally posted by Yorga
I remember the lunar landings, watching on TV and seeing the launches. It was a very exciting time to be an American. In those days when there was a launch, all of America would stop what they were doing and watch the TV. We were glued to the sets when the first pictures started coming back, it was a matter of intense pride. Back then everyone thought there would be a Moon base and then on to Mars and the other planets. It all seem so reachable.
[edit on 4-11-2005 by Yorga]

Man im envious I wish I was alive to see that. Must have been a very interesting time to be alive.

As for China If I was in charge I would invest all the Moon mission money into a Europa prode. There you have the best chance of finding ET life in our solar system, imagine the pride of being the first to discover alien life even if its a alien version of Tube worms found here on earth.

It wouldnt be a easy mission by any standard but the pay offs could be huge.