China's Space Program News Thread

[Equation]

I like how the conniving comment from the last paragraph dictates this Bob Davis guy view about the future of space and China.

"China would be better off setting a novel technological goal for itself different from the one President Kennedy set, one that would be admired universally and seen as a boon to mankind. Space may not be the right place to search. Planet Earth could be a better venue. How about an Apollo-project like effort to clean up China’s air so that parents don’t have to worry about their babies developing lung problems? That could mean making solar energy affordable or replacing coal or making nuclear energy safe, or refining a new technology barely understood now. But a path to a world free of pollution, courtesy of China, would be as dazzling as a vision as U.S. astronauts heading to the moon was in its day."

 

[joshuatree]

Can you say "sour grapes"? LOL If there was a comedy thread i would've posted this there.....

Yes, it's definitely sour grapes. What the author overlooks is that even though the Chinese space program at the moment is retracing past achievements by the Americans and Soviets, going through the actual motion gives the Chinese the actual experience. This experience will reinforce what they know, teach them something new along the way, and more importantly, sets the foundation for them to one day actually pursue something that is "original". The author may have forgotten that the US did not want the Chinese to participate in the ISS project so in order for them to build their own station, they need to master these basics that he considers repeats.

The jab about tackling pollution is classless. Yes, there are pollution issues and one is starting to see environmentalism take shape in China. It basically went through the industrial revolution in a compressed three decades. All of the industrialized countries have at one point, polluted like crazy as they went through their phase. The only reason why China is almost the sole producer of rare earths is not because they are the only ones who have it. It's because other countries have conveniently shut down their production to avoid dealing with the messy process of extraction and refining and just simply importing it from China. If the author is that concerned, maybe he should start writing articles that jab at American CEOs with golden parachutes who take advantage of the lax pollution controls in China, set up shop, and screw the American worker in the process. Oh yeah, space technology trickles down to everyday applications such as clean air and clean energy production. China actually is within the top 10 countries employing solar energy.

 

[paintgun]

you guys even discussing it? batshit crazy article

 

[AssassinsMace]

The Wall Street Journal is anti-China. They've won top industry awards on their anti-China reporting in which now envious other news services are following. Like they're looking out for China's best interests.

 

[stardave]

Name me one mainstream news media is that not anti-China, they all are, some just tone it down a bit more. So much for "free media".

 

[bladerunner]

I like how the conniving comment from the last paragraph dictates this Bob Davis guy view about the future of space and China.

"China would be better off setting a novel technological goal for itself different from the one President Kennedy set, one that would be admired universally and seen as a boon to mankind. Space may not be the right place to search. Planet Earth could be a better venue. How about an Apollo-project like effort to clean up China’s air so that parents don’t have to worry about their babies developing lung problems? That could mean making solar energy affordable or replacing coal or making nuclear energy safe, or refining a new technology barely understood now. But a path to a world free of pollution, courtesy of China, would be as dazzling as a vision as U.S. astronauts heading to the moon was in its day."

What that writer has ignored is that the true conquest of space is yet to come. Once that is achieved by space faring nations , singularly or in co operation, the earlier accomplishments would be just footnotes in the annuals of space travel.

 

[Maggern]

Ah the wonders of state media...at least those don't have to cater to certain views for a stable income. My advise is to avoid American media altogether...too many interests...find state-run media in relatively small countries (incl Britain)...those have the least interest in having a biased agenda...

 

[Equation]

Ah the wonders of state media...at least those don't have to cater to certain views for a stable income. My advise is to avoid American media altogether...too many interests...find state-run media in relatively small countries (incl Britain)...those have the least interest in having a biased agenda...

To me the BBC (don't know if its state run or not) so far is the best and least bias source of news (from Western media) out there. They're pretty consistent. Another for me would Newsweek magazine.

 

[Maggern]

To me the BBC (don't know if its state run or not) so far is the best and least bias source of news (from Western media) out there. They're pretty consistent. Another for me would Newsweek magazine.

Yes, though newsweek seems so...tabloid sometimes. The bbc is indeed state-run, and an aspiration on how to run such a media outlet for others i'd say..

 

[stardave]

To me the BBC (don't know if its state run or not) so far is the best and least bias source of news (from Western media) out there. They're pretty consistent. Another for me would Newsweek magazine.

Can't say for BBC's news integrity, but I have seem them make some good thought provoking documentaries, that actually gives both side enough time to make each of their own arguments... SHOCKING I know.