China's Space Program News Thread

[In4ser]

Re: Dragon is ready to fly, why is it so cheap?

I am still unconvinced. $100 million is pocket change compared to the retarded amount they spent on the moon program, and that was before inflation is account for, and they accomplished that in a few years. Just remember it far easier to follow and build upon the success and progress of others. Of course they can do LEO it should be easier and done faster, the technology and experience has been here for the last 40 years. As such I remain entirely convinced, until they prove otherwise. Still I wish them luck, but I'm not about jump on board just because "I want to see it".

 

[CottageLV]

Re: Dragon is ready to fly, why is it so cheap?

I am still unconvinced. $100 million is pocket change compared to the retarded amount they spent on the moon program, and that was before inflation is account for, and they accomplished that in a few years. Just remember it far easier to follow and build upon the success and progress of others. Of course they can do LEO it should be easier and done faster, the technology and experience has been here for the last 40 years. As such I remain entirely convinced, until they prove otherwise. Still I wish them luck, but I'm not about jump on board just because "I want to see it".

But don't forget, nothing beats the motivation from trying to kill one another. It is indeed the greatest "gift" human race ever had. Before WWI, planes can't even cross the English channel. By the end of the war, it could easily cross the Atlantic. Old mechanical computers and modern ones were made to calculate naval gun ballistic trajectory, in order to kill others. It is the same even for diapers, chewing gum and hand portable drills. All those great advancement happened when men invented them either trying to kill others, or preparing to kill others.

Hypothetically speaking, if there was another cold war, technology will advance even quicker, in fact accelerate in the order of 2 (basic calculus).

The drive to make money is that motivational compared to the will to kill the other one and let yourself survive.

 

[NikeX]

Re: Dragon is ready to fly, why is it so cheap?

I am still unconvinced. $100 million is pocket change compared to the retarded amount they spent on the moon program, and that was before inflation is account for, and they accomplished that in a few years. Just remember it far easier to follow and build upon the success and progress of others. Of course they can do LEO it should be easier and done faster, the technology and experience has been here for the last 40 years. As such I remain entirely convinced, until they prove otherwise. Still I wish them luck, but I'm not about jump on board just because "I want to see it".

Read the title of this thread and reflect upon the idea of efficiency. Space X and the rest of the private space companies are more efficient than these governmental organizations and that puts them ahead of the game. For them to pull off what they have done with this "pocket change" as you term it is glowing praise for their approach.

 

[escobar]

Re: Dragon is ready to fly, why is it so cheap?

Seems that the fuelling of SZ-9 began on 28th May.

 

[escobar]

Re: Dragon is ready to fly, why is it so cheap?

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After three months of in-orbit testing on Fengyun-2F completed, the meteorological satellite is now available for operational use, according to its manufacturer. The satellite was sent into space on January 13.

With a designed life of four years, the satellite is superior to the previously launched Fengyun 2 satellite series given the new comer's 84 technological improvements and, significantly, it can take better quality and more accurate satellite images, according to Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, the company that developed and produced the orbiter.

Fengyun-2F can provide continuous meteorological monitoring and relay maritime and water resource data. The satellite is expected to play an important role in weather forecasting and disaster reduction, said its manufacturer which is a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

 

[In4ser]

Re: Dragon is ready to fly, why is it so cheap?

Read the title of this thread and reflect upon the idea of efficiency. Space X and the rest of the private space companies are more efficient than these governmental organizations and that puts them ahead of the game. For them to pull off what they have done with this "pocket change" as you term it is glowing praise for their approach.

The thread is merged with Chinese Space Program thread so its irrelevant, besides I'm not arguing about efficiency. I fully agree Private companies are simply more efficient than Government Programs. The issue is the ability to pioneer, which is a different matter.

 

[NikeX]

Re: Dragon is ready to fly, why is it so cheap?

The thread is merged with Chinese Space Program thread so its irrelevant, besides I'm not arguing about efficiency. I fully agree Private companies are simply more efficient than Government Programs. The issue is the ability to pioneer, which is a different matter.

First off I do not understand your irrelevant reference. Aren't we talking about space and space exploration no matter where it is? The Chinese Space Program is using the standard government incremental approach to exploring space Nothing exciting and nothing new

Private space has the advantage of being able to hire who they want regardless of age or status. Private space companies can hire from the vast pool of experienced retired space workers and engineers where government agencies cannot due to the restrictions of age and pension considerations to name but a few.

Also private space companies can hire foreign space workers without worrying about violating government security and classification codes.

Think about the vast pool of experience available in laid off shuttle workers, retired space engineers and other skilled workers that can be tapped. These are real advantages for the private space industry that government space agencies just cannot match. There is no need to train these people as they are strictly plug and play

These experienced personnel can bring a clean sheet of paper approach to the problems that will be encountered in designing a Mars mission thereby shortening the design and build cycle. In other words more efficiency that can be applied to the mission.

 

[vesicles]

Re: Dragon is ready to fly, why is it so cheap?

First off I do not understand your irrelevant reference. Aren't we talking about space and space exploration no matter where it is? The Chinese Space Program is using the standard government incremental approach to exploring space Nothing exciting and nothing new

Private space has the advantage of being able to hire who they want regardless of age or status. Private space companies can hire from the vast pool of experienced retired space workers and engineers where government agencies cannot due to the restrictions of age and pension considerations to name but a few.

Also private space companies can hire foreign space workers without worrying about violating government security and classification codes.

Think about the vast pool of experience available in laid off shuttle workers, retired space engineers and other skilled workers that can be tapped. These are real advantages for the private space industry that government space agencies just cannot match. There is no need to train these people as they are strictly plug and play

These experienced personnel can bring a clean sheet of paper approach to the problems that will be encountered in designing a Mars mission thereby shortening the design and build cycle. In other words more efficiency that can be applied to the mission.

One serious drawback of private companies will be the lack of fundamental or basic research. private companies tend to invest and focus on technologies that are more mature since there will be smaller risk involved. The primary goal of a private company is to make a profit. Any investment that is long-term and bear little obvious potential will be considered to be high-risk and killed by the board. Nor should they. Any company that wants to invest in something that will only mature in 50-60 years will bankrupt long before the project can be finished. However, these fundamental/basic research is the foundation for any meaningful development of any technology. Only govn'ts have the financial strength to fund the kind of research that seems to be going no-where and to have very little real-world application. Interestingly, big-impact technologies almost always grow from these "meaningless" "boring" studies. The more "meaningless" projects you invest and nurture, the higher the chance of getting big impact technologies out of them. That's why it's always the wealthy nations that have the most high-tech, i.e. not because they have more money to pour into some cool and exciting projects, but because they have more money to pour into seemingly meaningless, outlandishly crazy and senseless projects that are going no-where.

 

[In4ser]

Re:

First off I do not understand your irrelevant reference. Aren't we talking about space and space exploration no matter where it is? The Chinese Space Program is using the standard government incremental approach to exploring space Nothing exciting and nothing new

Private space has the advantage of being able to hire who they want regardless of age or status. Private space companies can hire from the vast pool of experienced retired space workers and engineers where government agencies cannot due to the restrictions of age and pension considerations to name but a few.

Also private space companies can hire foreign space workers without worrying about violating government security and classification codes.

Think about the vast pool of experience available in laid off shuttle workers, retired space engineers and other skilled workers that can be tapped. These are real advantages for the private space industry that government space agencies just cannot match. There is no need to train these people as they are strictly plug and play

These experienced personnel can bring a clean sheet of paper approach to the problems that will be encountered in designing a Mars mission thereby shortening the design and build cycle. In other words more efficiency that can be applied to the mission.

I was just responding to your little remark "Read the title of this thread", which I was assuming you were referring to the title Dragon is ready to fly, why is it so cheap? before it got merge.

Anyways, I've told you then and I am telling you now, I am not arguing about Efficiency. Efficiency isn't problem its High Cost and High Risk of demanding projects likes going to Mars, that make it unlikely for Private Companies to pioneer. B/c Gov'ts do not have to worry about profits or shareholders, it can plunge absurd amounts of manpower and resources into a goal, especially if it is political like the Race to the Moon or Military. Think about US and Russia's space program, how many times has it failed miserably? How many people have died? If it were any normal public company it would have simply went bankrupt. It was only after the first missions were pioneered did we have an idea what was needed and what precautions were required. Space-X and other Private Venture used technologies and knowledged pioneered by others for its own program but it hasn't don't anything revolutionary, other than be Private. I am afraid I simply didn't explain as well Vesicles did. Hopefully his better explanation is easier for you to understand.

 

[RedMercury]

Re:

I can't help but think if SpaceX was a Chinese venture, NikeX would be shouted down as a wet-dreaming fanboy ten pages ago