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Physicist Admits Sending Space-Related Military Secrets To China

Posted by timothy on from the he-was-young-he-needed-the-money dept.

piemcfly writes "Chinese-born physicist Shu Quan-Sheng Monday pleaded guilty before a US court to violating the Arms Export Control Act by illegally exporting American military space know-how to China. The 68-year-old naturalized US citizen, pictured here on his company profile, admitted handing over the design of fueling systems between 2003 and 2007. Also, in 2003 he illegally exported a document with the impossibly long name of 'Commercial Information, Technical Proposal and Budgetary Officer — Design, Supply, Engineering, Fabrication, Testing & Commissioning of 100m3 Liquid Hydrogen Tank and Various Special Cryogenic Pumps, Valves, Filters and Instruments.' This contained the design of liquid hydrogen tanks for space launch vehicles. He also admitted to a third charge of bribing Chinese officials to the tune of some 189,300 dollars for a French space technology firm." Here's the FBI press release regarding Shu's plea.

4 of 278 comments (clear)

  1. A crime called 'Treason'. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Only a few years ago, this would be called 'TREASON' and possible punishment could be death, but more likely life imprisonment.

    What say he goes free...

  2. Re:hmmm. by frieko · · Score: 5, Informative

    Karma whoring here.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tu-144
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buran_(spacecraft)
    Interesting reads both. As I understand it the aerodynamic shapes were copied from photos, but the guts were completely different.

  3. Re:Industrial espionage by Shakrai · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If you can't get good scientists internally then you are putting your secure projects at risk.

    Umm, wasn't he a naturalized American citizen? Or do you mean to suggest that it's a risk to employ anyone who wasn't a natural-born citizen on secure projects? This traitorous asshole notwithstanding, most immigrants to this country are fiercely patriotic. You tend to have an appreciation for the United States if you immigrate here from a poorer/more oppressive country -- whereas those of us who were born here tend to take what we have for granted.

    --
    I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
    We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
  4. Re:Industrial espionage by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 5, Funny

    I don't know, man. The name of that project sure indicates he was born for government work:

    > the impossibly long name of 'Commercial Hydrogen Instrumentation Nomenclature
    > Affairs Reacquisition Officer -- Onboard Liquid Supplies Using Special
    > Distillation Resevoir of Oleaginous Oxygen Lysimetrification System'

    He worked on that? Lol.

    Zomg, look:

    Commercial
    Hydrogen
    Instrumentation
    Nomenclature
    Affairs
    Reacquisition
    Officer --
    Onboard
    Liquid
    Supplies
    Using
    Special
    Distillation
    Resevoir of
    Oleaginous
    Oxygen
    Lysimetrification
    System

    --
    (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.