Chinese Moon Landing Planned
By Wanderlaugh
@Wanderlaugh (1622)
Australia
February 8, 2007 10:48pm CST
There's been a lot of talk about where China's going with its new economic and technological power, not least in China.
One of the destinations is definitely going to be the Moon. The programme is apparently gathering momentum. Xinhua English edition recently published details about the debate over a Chinese Moon Rover.
The whole game in space has changed, with the announcement of China's intention to land on the Moon.
The US has been treading water for some time as it deals with the need for new technology to replace the shuttles. Space exploration has now grown a bit, and the big picture is now of a return to the Moon and a Mars landing.
But now, NASA's base level technology isn't a US exclusive. Things have changed and technology has grown up a bit since the original Moon landings. The rest of the world is now getting up to a believable level of space payload capacity, even if lacking the US technological edge. The EU Mars lander Beagle 2, even if a failure, proved how far Europe has progressed.
Now the question:
Can the human race extend its rivalries into space? Not "is it a good idea", because obviously, it isn't.
Is it possible for the nations of the world to take all their global problems with them into space?
Can someone find a way around all the talk of "non-militarized" space, and eventually "non-politicized" space, and start a stampede for positions on other planets and elsewhere in the Solar System?
If so, what do you think would happen?
1 response
@microzeta (245)
• United States
9 Feb 07
Not only is it possible for the nations' problems to be carried into space, I believe it is unfortunately inevitable. I personally cannot explain it; I simply don't understand how SO many people can be so overly nationalistic (either for pride or for other less honorable, IE bias, means) and refuse to understand the benefits of all the nations of the world uniting resources and moving towards a common goal for the betterment of all mankind.
As a natural-born American, I find myself associated with a country that doesn't necessarily represent my ideals. I'm also on the receiving end of much of the global anti-American sentiment. I take no offense to such sentiment, because, being in my position, I can see their points, and they are valid indeed. I personally strive towards understanding and acceptance of other nations, and only when there is reciprocated respect will there be global peace and the ideal of a future united space possible.
1 person likes this
@Wanderlaugh (1622)
• Australia
9 Feb 07
Well said.
We can't keep dragging these useless feuds around with us. The world's much too small, and the problems are much too big for any war to solve.
Maybe space will prove how much our incessant conflicts are preventing from happening. Everyone who's been in space says it changes their perspectives. Any change in humanity's current perspectives could only be for the better.
The future will blame us for failure to deal with the problems of this world, and if we can't even find our way out of the terrestrial bassinet because we're such fools we can't even recognize the interests of fellow humans, the future will be right.
