Will China Beat the United States Back to the Moon?

MarkWhittington writes "During an address on the space economy to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the start of the space age, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin made the assertion that China would beat the United States back to the Moon. 'Americans will not like it, but they will just have to not like it. I think we will see, as we have seen with China's introductory manned space flights so far, we will see again that nations look up to other nations that appear to be at the top of the technical pyramid, and they want to do deals with those nations. It's one of the things that made us the world's greatest economic power. So I think we'll be reinstructed in that lesson in the coming years and I hope that Americans will take that instruction positively and react to it by investing in those things that are the leading edge of what's possible."'"

Comments

Re:Does it really matter?

[b0s0z0ku]

Yes, I know China is not a terrorist organisation, but it's close enough for the US government to use it as an excuse when convenient

Could have fooled me -- they TERRORIZE their own citizens. Step out of line and you might end up in a laogai (corrective labor camp), in prison, or even with a bullet to the head. If you think the War on Terror is bad, look at China.

-b.

Re:Does it really matter?

[Seumas]

Either way, I'm tired of supporting (through building walmarts, sending them our jobs, etc) a country that employes what is essentially slave labor to achieve such cheap prices. It's funny when people say "you have to compete on a global playing field,a s an employee". How in the hell does one compete with forced labor and massive human rights violations? How dare I not want to work in a place where the fire doors are chained shut and I'm forced to sleep on the floor under my desk! What a spoiled fucking american pig!

Poorly Worded

[haakondahl]

"Will China beat the U.S. back to the moon?"

Excuse me? "back"? Yes, I take the intent, but this is a pretty wrought example of trying to imply one thing while saying another. China cannot beat the U.S. "back" to somewhere it has yet to go. But the other way to phrase it, "Will China beat the U.S. to the moon?", sounds, well, out of date. Not so alarming.

While I don't think that anybody will be confused, I would simply appreciate either a bit less hype or a bit more substance.

Thank you.

Re:Does it really matter?

[b0s0z0ku]

You mean, they have community service, and jails, and executions?

The US hasn't had an execution for a crime that wasn't murder since the late 1950s. China has many more capital offenses and the laws are applied often. "Laogai" or "GULAG" isn't equal to the community service given in Western countries. Perhaps the closest thing would be an old-school chaingang but with even worse food and living conditions.

-b.

Re:Does it really matter?

[ShieldW0lf]

Ahh. I guess that makes it all different then. Bloody monsters, those Chinese are, eh? Man, we should send em all to a Triple-Guantanamo. That would learn em.