Slashdot Mirror
U.S. Snubs China's Offer for Space Cooperation
Devar writes "According to this space.com article The US has turned down China's offer for cooperation in space because their 'technology was not mature.' "Anticipating future space cooperation with the U.S., China fitted the Shenzhou craft with a docking ring capable of linking up with the International Space Station (ISS) and has at least one launch site, Jiuquan, located at near the same latitude as NASA's Cape Canaveral, which would allow similar launch profiles." This action has prompted China to turn to the ESA."
I'm fairly patriotic, but someone needs to take stock of things and notice our space technology is so mature it's falling apart...
For great justice.
May as well just go with the status quo, where their spies just *steal* our tech!
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.
Don't forget, the main reason NASA was started in the first place is to demonstrate that the U.S. had the capability to keep up with the Russians when it comes to delivering objects (a.k.a. Nuclear Weapons) using rockets. Many of NASA's advancements in aeronautics and navigation have been used for weapons research. Sharing seeminly benign space exploration technology with the Chinesse government on leaves our ballistic missile technology vunerable because the two are inseperable.
*May as well just go with the status quo, where their spies just *steal* our tech!*
huh? I thought usa sends it's technology to china to be manufactured willingly.
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
I wish I could grab this idiot or whoever's responsible for this crap and hit them square on the noggin with a 2x4. Did someone mention to the idiot in charge that our equipment currently in use is largely based off 1970's technology? So the Chinese are using similar equipment to what we had in the 60's--that makes them 10 years behind, not 20! They're moving forward too, while we're stationary. Watch for the Chinese to announce in 2020 that they are not interested in working with NASA due to our primitive space technology.
Shenzhou 5, - Pretty sure I had that for lunch today!
On a serious note, [asbestos suit=ON] how much did our neo-con nationalistic isolationist Executive Branch have to do with this decision. I realize that China would likely get all the tech benefits of any cooperation, but the benefits don't end with technology. Johnson-Freese sounds like a highly qualified technical advisor, but not an international policy maker. Right now China is a sleeping bear. It might be wise to extend some neighborly friendship now, while China is still in a position where they can't just defacto turn their noses up at it.
It's a safe bet that in a decade or two Chinese languages will be more popular in U.S. public schools than Spanish.
I'm not saying we should be afraid of the Chinese, especially not to the point of handing them our technologies. But it's also never wise to foster the creation of a powerful enemy.
Bottom line, I certianly think the U.S. could've handled this more diplomatically. Of couse you can say that about so much these days.
Operator, give me the number for 911!
All on it's own - with a modest international coolition of willing partners.
Sound familiar?
The world will not get better through technology. We must seek to be better people.
Who do you think helps launch their rockets?
I'll give you a hint. Their name is Lockheed-Martin, and they've been busted for illegal technology transfers to china.
I think if China want's a litte "cooperation" how about they meet us half way on a few issues. Maybe they could institute freedom of the press, open their markets and stop illegally tying the yuan to the dollar. You know for starters. They can still murder anyone (who's not a member of the press) who doesn't agree with them in public, or has a demonstration, or adheres to some goofy religion, and have prison labor camps and keep all the north koreans starving on the cannibal side of the yalu river.
When republicans talk about the hate-america first crowd, they're talking about the people bitching about this, and their claim isn't entirely without merit.
One must wonder, what exactly did the Chinese ask for or offer? What exactly was NASA's response?
not things like high-precision laser ring gyros, terminal guidance avionics and rocket engine technology. Nope. No chance in hell of China, within the next 5 years, manufacturing something like the Space Shuttle SSME high pressure turbopump. Hell, Pratt & Witney can barely get it right and they've had 25 years of experience.
To think the shuttle program hasn't had ONE in-flight SSME failure boggles my mind.
Is this the result of Bush Foreign Relations policy?
Don't be so quick to blame Bush, recall in the early days of his administration how a Chinese fighter pilot made a dangerous pass at a big slow US Navy aircraft and collided with it. How the aircraft had to make an emergency landing, the crew held as guests for a few days, the aircraft siezed and stripped. Contrast this to a Soviet aircraft that made an emergency landing at a US Base in Alaska. Things are a bit more complicated and a bit less one sided than you suggest.
I think Bush's advisors are smart enough to realize that we don't yet have a solid enough relationship with China to give them info that could be used against us.
After we establish a better relationship with them, and can be fairly confident that they aren't going to turn on us, then we can give them that info.
Politicions are sneaky bastards by their nature, so they have a hard time trusting anyone. We have to give them some time to figure out how they and their counterpart sneaky bastards over in China can both make themselves look good/get rich by cooperating.