China readies military space station – launch coincides with shuttle phaseout

China readies military space station – launch coincides with shuttle phaseout

www.spaceflightnow.com

China is aggressively accelerating the pace of its manned space program by developing a 17,000 lb. man-tended military space laboratory planned for launch by late 2010. The mission will coincide with a halt in U.S. manned flight with phase-out of the shuttle.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Well, looks like there's gonna be a new big kid on the space exploration and warfare block...

Go figure, right as we start phasing out manned space flights, China is UPPING theirs.

But we have to concentrate all of our monies down here on this rock spreading war and death and coming up with new weaponry, so who cares about going out and exploring the universe, or that someone else may be taking over the space forefront...At least SOMEBODY hasn't given up on space programs, be it for discovery, or warfare. lol

www.spaceflightnow.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Some how I think this is more a front to incite US & Euro interest in space again and legitimize the stuff that has been kept from us (the public) in terms of the militarization of space. Because somehow I doubt the US run Military industrial complex would let themselves be viewed as 2nd to anyone, especially in relation to exotic tech, like space travel. Something like this will incline the American public to demand some kind of "protection" from the space-fighting Chinese which would fall right into their plans of perpetual growth & power.

With the stealth bomber being decommissioned soon, the space shuttle already over due for replacement, & the newest things we've been told about are the F-22 & the predator drone, I can imagine some kind of "big" announcement about something "new" in our military will be coming soon too. Obama's focus has been the domestic issues he's campagned on but I'm sure soon enough he'll have to make statements on things like Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Israel, and China. Not to mention make statements on the space program, especially after the whole fiasco with Griffin & the lame ass "Apollo on steroids" idea.

I think NASA is going to be too busy studying climate change and carbon emissions to focus on space missions. Given the quality of Chinese products, I can't imagine they will be able to pull this planned mission off.

I'm sure NASA will talk about the warming more I'm sure, although they technically already are. The Carbon emission thing is a scam, I put together a post pulling together different studies etc in this thread here about it. Got stuff sighted & linked from the weather channel's founder John Colman talking about it's all a big scam as well as other NASA & ESA studies about more energy pouring into the earth due to multiple reason.

Either way, space is the next step for humans. We kind of left that project half-assed and it's probably about time we took the concept a bit more serious from a global standpoint. Especially if it's openly being talk about militarizing space from any country. Do we really need more ways to kill people, or worse yet, try to kill "other" things that might be out there too?

reply to post by stevegmu


Why, because you think they're going to put melamine in the Tang? or use lead based-paint?

(obviously kidding, sorry...)

You may shudder to be told that Boeing actually contracts to China for certain airplane parts for their Commercial Division.

Perhaps a question being overrlooked here, is WHY does China engage manned spaceflight in what seems to be all-of-a-sudden??

I have some ideas.... but, it'd be interesting to hear from other voices here...

EDIT for Shakesbeer.....I ain't gonna touch the climate/carbon thingy. Seriously, maybe it's best to fix a focus on the 'secret' aspects of NASA and the DOD. So many 'black' projects....and no one is talking (yet).

[edit on 3/4/0909 by weedwhacker]

So China wants to take US place in minds of people as technological leader. Imagine - Chinese space station on the Moon before US and what it will do to public perception of China (like - poor quality products for example).
So new space race to the Moon, and then to Mars is assured.
In my opinion it is much better then to fight for being top dog. Not that sure that China is capable to pull it through before US though.

Good on China.

I hope they come up with some major breakthroughs and share all info with the public.

Just hypothetical, how hard would it be for the U.S. to defend itself if this military space station was parked in geosynchronous orbit above us with say, a dozen nuclear warheads on it. We can detect a land or sea based launch with ample time to defend, but can we do so if it is already above us?

And also look at another point in the timing of this. Where we stand financially, can we really afford to compete in a race like this?

reply to post by Mekanic


In the short answer...yes we can detect a launch whether using a propulsion means or a nudge and let kinetics do the rest. I can virtually guarantee that IF ( and that is a big if) China does put this station into orbit, we will have constant satellite and groundbased monitoring of the facility. Honestly though I don't see China using this as a weapons platform rather than a research facility for creating new military weaponery and technology. It would put that facility in our crosshairs if it were armed and China is alot smarter than that. They just want what we have had for decades , a place to research new technologies.

reply to post by djvexd


So why not jump in with us, on the ISS. Wouldn't it be more cost effective to use a platform that is already there?

Though I suppose that wouldn't give them the dominance they probably want.

Good for China, their manned space program seems to be moving along nicely.

I'm not sure I see much of a conspiracy angle here really, China is a major economic power and a growing manufacturing/technological power, they want to showcase this with their manned space program.

We're seeing a few more nations developing their own manned space programs now: the EU with the proposal for a manned capsule version of their ATV, and now India with their ISRO Orbital Vehichle plan.

Fundamentally IMO manned space travel is good for all of us, and a new "space race" has the potential to create a lot of new high-tech jobs and eventually space industries.

It's much better than an arms race as far as I am concerned

reply to post by Mekanic


They have been forbidden by the US from participating in the ISS program, so they have no choice but to go their own way.

This may change however with the new US administration.

Why would they be seeking dominance?

They surely just want to achieve what others are doing as they seek to advance themselves.

I also doubt the US will let them pass them in the space race anyhow, prob roll out some of the tech that they have been blatently hiding for years like the black triangle crafts etc.

Good on China I say.

I would rather see a Space Race than an Arms Race anyday. With luck, this will bring about more inovation in Space technology and mans eventual exploration further into our solar system ........ and about bloody time too.

I am not surprised that China would now be accelerating they're space programs and expanding it's reach.

It only makes sense as space is the only real refuge from prying eyes when it comes to developping new technologies and studying their enemies.

Further more, China might have technology that is more advanced than our own, we dont' know that they don't. So to say that they can't surpass the US in the space race is a little premature.

China has made some significant strides in very little periods of time compared to how long it took Nasa to get up off it's feet.

This will be very interesting, considering that North Korea is also wanting to launch satellites and other things into orbit, this is probably China's attempt at gaining control over the situation.

~Keeper

Originally posted by Shakesbeer

With the stealth bomber being decommissioned soon,

what bomber? The B2 got Congress approval for upgrades to the B-2s weapon control systems. Good to see the Chinese tinkering in space, the more tight the competition the better the technology..
I don't think the US get bypassed in weapon systems, with all their HAARP things and beyond. Having setbacks in Space is another thing for Nasa, i wonder what happens when chinese vehicles start falling from the sky...but don't forget the best universities are in the US..brain drainage[from CHinese Indian students] is another thing...

1. Harvard (VS)
2. MIT (VS)
3. Cambridge (GB)
4. Oxford (GB)
5. Stanford (VS)
6. UC Berkeley (VS)
7. Yale (VS)
8. Caltech (VS)
9. Princeton (VS)
10. Ecole Polytechnique (F)




[edit on 4-3-2009 by Foppezao]

A manned military space station is worth nothing in a strategic sense, this is just a stepping stone in Chinese moon ambitions.

NASA has received a steady funding boost from $16.3bn(2007 fy), to $19.7bn(2010 fy), retiring the shuttle next year will free up a huge segment of their budget for development of Constellation.

The new Ares 1 crew launch rocket that is under development for the program is getting a rough time from engineers who are claiming its a gimmick and a waste of resources, since it overlaps several other boosters that are already developed and could be man rated with minimal additional development. The Altair lunar lander faces similar uncertainty.

It will not be until the new administrator is in place that we will see if the senior managers will listen to the engineers and make the changes constellation needs to get off the pad at all, and hopefully beat the Chinese to the Moon, and Mars.

reply to post by Mekanic


Mek, a geosynchronous orbiting platform must, by definintion, be positioned above the Equator, and at about 25,000 miles out (give or take, these are rough distances)

Something like, oh say, a 'manned' station fully loaded with weapons isn't going to appear overnight!

The USA would not sit idly by and watch such a thing happen...this isn't "Star Wars" (the Movie) technology we're talking about here.