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Chinese Manned Space Flight Set For Autumn
brandido writes "According to an article at Space.com, "Chinese space officials remain on schedule for the first piloted flight of that nation's Shenzhou spacecraft. Chief designers and mission directors say Shenzhou 5 will be launched in autumn, reported the People's Daily last week." Between this, the X-Prize, and multiple launches of Mars probes in the last few weeks, it looks like the space race may be heating back up?"
So, other than a cover for long range (ICBM) weapons testing, why is China revisiting the manned trip to the moon?
This is awesome news! It's great for competing nations because it gives them hope that there is something at which we won't completely dominate them. Consider the support of soccer (or football) across the globe. The rest of the world loves it because we suck at it. Everyone hates to be subjugated, but can also be calmed by minor victories. Consider Brad Pitt. The guy's probably better looking than anyone who's ever been to this site, but most people here find comfort in the fact that they are probably much smarter than him. Minor victory. But yet we are content. If we let the rest of the world fly into space in the hope that they can excel, then they just might calm down a bit. If everyone feels like a player, then there's no player-hating.
Also, if the US government begins to see the space-race as a missed opportunity, or even a threat, then they'll be forced to devote money and manpower towards space study/exploration. But this effort will not only be helmed by the government. When private enterprise realizes the opportunities in space, they will also be forced to turn their attention toward the stars.
All in all this will be a good thing. There may be some bumps in the road. Some explosions. Some burn-ups. Some wars. But in the end, we will move a step closer to ensuring our species' survival by getting off this dirt clod before it's too late!
SARS on Mars