Slashdot Mirror
China's Second Manned Space Flight
desert island writes "As if to coincide with Russia's space tourist, Beijing News speculated that China's second manned space launch will occur after the October 1-7 holiday. The spacecraft Shenzhou VI, with two astronauts, will be launched from the Jiuquan Space Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu province and will last 119 hours." From the article: "The mission will differ markedly from China's first manned space voyage, the Shenzhou V, which was a solo flight that lasted 21 hours in October 2003. China's space program is still shrouded in secrecy with little known about events until several days before they happen. However since the success of the first manned flight, authorities have shown a little more transparency."
It would be nice to have more information about this. I wonder what China's plans are as to space, and whether their centralized government will be able to make better progress than the American system. Then again, beauracracy is beauracracy, so I don't have high hopes on China getting much further than developing extra-long range rockets.
Then again, if you pump enough money into the system, even with a considerable amount of bureaucratic friction you might get somewhere. They could also be sending interplanetary probes soon...
The thing about working in a centralised system is that they can seriously get their act together and do things. The western world is ripe with examples of what happens when you work in a free market and have to find a consesus, ideally through competing in the said market.
Look at the old Soviet Union; yes, they were governed by spectacularly stupid men, but bigods they could get their act together and DO things on a huge scale. And the Chinese can too, plus they are seriously clever. If they want to go to the Moon or Mars and establish a colony, then that is what they will, I'm sure. And they will probably get there before Bush & Co. can get their brains into first gear.
... i dunno if you noticed this or not, but the Cultural Revolution is long since over, and China has moved on.
.. China is awake. China is un-stoppable.
If you can't see examples of how Chinese centralized planning is affecting modern China, you haven't been there. Until you've been there, you won't really get it
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
How many countries would just rebuild a destroyed city? Or for that matter, rebuild destroyed nations like Afghanistan, Iraq, or Japan and Germany? It takes enormous centralized wealth and control to do these things. The big advantage of the US is that it allows a large sphere of free economic activity that generates wealth and talent, which are then available for ultra-projects.
Have you wondered why China is pushing so hard for Space exploration? If I may interject this, they have realized that a Space Program is the fast lane to technology. Case in point, the USA Space Program. We have more than just Tang to thank the space program for. Most of the technolgy we have today is either a direct or indirect result from space exploration. Who likes football? Who likes the abilitiy to watch every football game if they want? That's right Direct TV's Sunday ticket. Hmmm... satellite TV, Howard Hughes, government funding of video and GPS projects in the 70's. That is just one and it is entertainment orientated. Advances in polymer science, computer science, minaturization; all these effect things from Ipod's, microwaves (especially microwaves), LCD technology, safety gear that firemen use to save lives. I think you see the picture.
I eat Karma for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That's why I don't have any.
Besides as pointed out elsewhere, taikonaut isn't an official term. Why should it be applied?
In the post cold-war and freer-trade era, there are few zero-sum games around, but apparently someone hasn't told some folk on here that the world has moved far beyond them.
Two years ago, the Chinese and their space program were dismissed as repeating missions accomplished back in the early '60s. Back then it was redundant, not progressive, not scientific or just not necessary to a lot of Americans, including a few Slashdotters.
Visions of faulty foam panels aside, I just thought it was interesting that this particular mindset is running late this morning.
Chinese space exploration budget: ~US$2B
NASA budget: ~US$16B
China population: 1300M
US population: 295M
1 Chinese Citizen's Share: US$1.54
1 US Citizen's Share: US$54.24
1:35
China GDP per capita: US$5600
US GDP per capita: US$40100
1:7
China GDP: 7.26T
US GDP: 11.75T
"Obsolete equipments"? Have you worked in the NASA building rockets and spyed in the Chinese space agency? When Chinese goverment got something working it's ALWAYS because of a draconian government (so is when something goes terribly wrong). Dude, US government is taking effectively 5 times more than the chinese government for your space program.
"...Mars shot and be done with"? Not before the Republican wins again and they boost the budget by 10 times, not counting the additional number of years.
"a draconian government mandate at the back of its ten millions of poor destitute citizenry". In US, we have Bush and 37M people in poverty.