The Why of Space Program Races

Deinhard writes "USA Today is running a story about the "why" behind the newly rekindled international space race. From the article: 'The science of space raises levels in areas such as computers, space materials, manufacturing technology, electronic equipment, systems integration and testing.' While it is a matter of national pride, China in specific also sees this as a way to increase the reputation of its high-tech exports."

Comments

Space race? What space race?

[Anonymous Coward]

While it is a matter of national pride, China in specific also sees this as a way to increase the reputation of its high-tech exports.

I strongly suspect the driving force for the Chinese space program (much like the US and USSR), is to build ICBMs. If you can put a man in space, you can put a nuke anywhere in the world in 30 minutes or so. And it's very hard to shoot down an ICBM.

Re:Space race? What space race?

[Andy Tai]

But mainland Chinese have had ICBMs since the 1970s...

Re:The original reason for the space race

[Guppy06]

"An ICBM warhead is a satellite whose orbit happens to intersect the surface of the earth."

Wrong limiting case. Orbit is a ballistic arc that continually misses. It's easier to put something in a ballistic arc (Freedom 7, SpaceShip 1) than it is to put something into orbit (Vostok 1, Friendship 7). Anybody that can put something into LEO can build an ICBM, but not everybody that can build an ICBM can put something into LEO.

The USA/USSR space race was pure politics that spun off from missile technology. It just so happens that, at the time, Soviet nuclear weapons were considerably heavier than their American counterparts, even heavier than a manned capsule, so it was simple to modify an existing Soviet ICBM to put a lighter payload into orbit.

Re:The original reason for the space race

[photon317]

We haven't completely replaced all of those technologies.

Drafters still like to use drafting boards, even when they've got advanced CAD tools sitting right next to them. Technology has not managed to obviate the need for a drafting board.

Adding machines? Have you been in a store lately that wasn't run by a multi-national meglomaniac corporation? Many smaller stores and businesses still don't put a PC at the front desk, instead they use big fat 70's looking calculators. Even when they do have PCs, they often still stick to the little electonic adding machines because it's more convenient than firing up a calculator app at a computer terminal. (Ok, I know you meant the big room-sized calculating computers, but I had to have something for this item, so I'm feigning ignorance. In any case transistors were already around at the time, all we've done since is shrink them, not replace them...)

Most POTS telephone lines in the US still support rotary dialing AFAIK (at least they did last time I cared, maybe 5 years ago). While it takes a little longer, it is more reliable (even with a broken dialer, you can tap out the numbers manually with the hangup switch). And many customers, especially if older aged or living in rural areas, actually possess rotary phones.