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China Plans Manned Space Mission This Month
jamstar7 writes "From an Associated Press report: 'China will launch three astronauts this month to dock with an orbiting experimental module, and the crew might include its first female space traveler, a government news agency said Saturday. A rocket carrying the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft was moved to a launch pad in China's desert northwest on Saturday for the mid-June flight, the Xinhua News Agency said, citing an space program spokesman. The three-member crew will dock with and live in the Tiangong 1 orbital module launched last year, Xinhua said. The government has not said how long the mission will last.' China, who is not an ISS partner, plans to see if its Shenzhou 9/Long March 2F system can get the job done like the Dragon/Falcon9 system can. They plan on two missions this year to dock with their Tiangong 1 module, which was launched in September 2011. Their eventual plans include building a complete space station by 2020, though one of only about 60 tons, compared to the ISS's 450-ish tons."
compared to the ISS's 450-ish tons
Journalism! JOURNALISM! Where did it go? Someone, help me find my journalism! We lost our journalism!
USA legal teams develop relationship with patent troll Lodsys. Strategy? Wait for China to succeed in space and then sue their butts off for patent infringement.
Does anyone have a clue why they want to do it by them selves?
I applaud the DIY mentality there, but it doesn't seem to be the easiest / cheapest thing to do. And on this level "because they can" is just seems ludicrous.
Anyone?
rm -rf --no-preserve-root /
Hard to believe human beings would think it logical to duplicate an engineering feat such as a space station due to nationalism. You'd think the average educational norm could be slightly higher than the nationalistic primal urges, but no.
Just ask the Europeans.
Thanks, buddy. Waste of a click. Thankfully, _they_ haven't decided to tax those yet.
NASA pulls out of astrophysics missions
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Anybody care to provide a link that isn't paywall'd?
Meh.
Might have a women crew member.
Won't disclose how long the mission will last.
Just another long line of China BS disclosing just the bare minimum to garner some "face" for their "great" space accomplishments.
Of course nothing that goes wrong will be reported. They're barely a step above NK for their PR releases, but wait, they prop up the US economy so lets all give them a rousing pat on the back.
So golf clap for China, they've stolen enough IP to duplicate what US/USSR did back in the 80's.
this female astronaut, will she be hot
google search for candidates seem to indicate, hell yeah!
You do realise this exact same shit was said about Japan years ago. All they do is copy... not innovate...
China is copying to catch up. Once they catch up they will go shooting past - and all the MBAs, financial instruments and lawyers that the US has wanked away its educational estasblishments and brainpower on producing won't be worth a piss in a wind storm.
What I find most interesting is the difference between the Chinese Space Program and organizations such as the ESA, NASA, and POCKOCMOC (Russia) is the amount of secrecy. Whenever any of the other space agencies makes a manned launch, you normally hear about it years before the actual mission flies, and the crew assignment is normally announced shortly after the mission is. With China, you hear about it almost days before launch day!
Sig: I stole this sig.
So, I was a little confused by your Japan example. I could be missing something, but it seems like you are saying they are a model China should try to imitate.
Japan is an economic joke! Their economy has been in recession or barely growing since the early nineties. They've basically stagnated for the last 20 years. Their government is so in debt (230% of GDP) that they make Greece (165%) and Spain (69%) look fiscally responsible! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_public_debt)
China should not aim to be like Japan.
You do realise this exact same shit was said about Japan years ago. All they do is copy... not innovate...
China is copying to catch up. Once they catch up they will go shooting past - and all the MBAs, financial instruments and lawyers that the US has wanked away its educational estasblishments and brainpower on producing won't be worth a piss in a wind storm.
I can't find a link to any web based version but there was an interesting story on NPR about two months ago that I heard while driving home from a business trip. It went into how Chinese youth are being raised and trained in a fashion where they do exactly what the GP stated. They do not learn how to innovate, they learn how to copy and be good cogs in the machine. Now, that might change in the future but it is ingrained in their culture at the moment. You will not see much innovation out of China anytime soon. That is not meant to be disparaging; it's just a simple fact.
It's not really that it's the Chinese Space Program being secretive, that's just China.
Pretty sure the GP was talking about Japanese innovation and not their economic model.
It's on America's tortured brow, That Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
Competition is good for some things, but not all. For instance, there are ideas which can't be done by just one group/country due to massive amounts of $$$ needed, amongst other things. An expedition to Mars would need a collaborative effort, going by what it'd take to get there.
I think it's a little sad to think that a figurative dick-waving is what you have to do in order to get anything done, the idea that "haha, we're better than you!" urging us on instead of, "OMG, if we'd all stfu and combine resources, we could be on Mars by such-n-such a year!"
Remember, if Keith, Princess Allura, Pidge, Hunk, Sven and Lance had this attitude, they never would have been able to fight off the Robeasts. Amirite?
You want to know how to help your kids? LEAVE THEM THE F*&K ALONE. --George Carlin
Japan is an economic joke!
Japan's GDP per capita is only $4K less a year than the USA and higher than Germany's. Some joke!
That describes most Southeast Asian (and increasingly, American) educational systems in general. Rote memorization is so heavily pushed that creative thinking is discouraged. (ie. If you ask how or why something is done the way its being taught, you'll simply be told "thats the way its always been done")
china will always be a 2nd choice, in terms of goods quality. well, for as long as it took japan to get their act together (20 years or so, roughly).
china simply does not understand customer satisfaction, long-term company reputation, local support, customer service or any of the other things that western businesses assume and take for granted.
unless you stand over them, the quality of goods from china is less than putrid. as someone who services the broken shit from there that is sold to us, I've about had it with buying their junk. its dangerous in so many ways its not funny. electrically, chemically, you name it.
japan was never this bad, at least as far back as I can remember (I'm in my 50's). china stuff is mostly to be avoided and I see zero slope in the improvement curve. zero. no desire. just keep selling shit and screwing the customer. customer won't be back but another sucker will! they figured this out and they're OK with it! fully ok with this ethic.
its bullshit. as if they capacitor syndrome was not bad enough to fuck over the world (world supply of bad electrolytics still is an issue, even 10 years after it happened).
no, they will not surpass the west for a LONG time. not with the quality attitude they have. and they total lack of business ethic.
--
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
Japan is an economic joke! Their economy has been in recession or barely growing since the early nineties. They've basically stagnated for the last 20 years. Their government is so in debt (230% of GDP) that they make Greece (165%) and Spain (69%) look fiscally responsible! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_public_debt)
It's worth keeping in mind that if Japan had the same quality of fairly ruthless leadership that it had in the 50s through to the 70s, it probably would have rebounded quickly. The severe recession of 1990-1991 was a good time to weed out the failures and allot the weaker performing keiretsu among the remainder (likely in the process encouraging new players to enter the ranks). That didn't happen and is in large part why things haven't improved very much for a long time.
As far i remenber the capacitor syndrome ocurred in taiwan (for a bad formula) not in China, they already moving in the value chain and they already automatizating more, if you subestimated them they will eat you.
The Science Lite ISS boondoggle will weigh a lot less once it de-orbits.
China Launches First Willing Manned Mission Into Space - YouTube
ALL YOUR SPACE STATIONS AND MOON BASES ARE BELONG TO US!
Which they will proclaim were always in fact a part of Communist China, eh JC?
Just like Tibet... And everyone in China is SO FREE or else... ;-)
GreekGeek
That's taking a little naive look at it. Japan's debt is domestic dept, and their can print their own money. So their debt problem is not the same as Greece (who is on hock to foreigners, and can't print their own money), Spain, Italy and Ireland.
Ironicly, Ireland is one of the countries Americans create shell corporations in to hide their assets. Go figure. Raise the tax rate in Ireland and the that solves one of America's problems automatically.
You do realise this exact same shit was said about Japan years ago. All they do is copy... not innovate...
China is copying to catch up. Once they catch up they will go shooting past - and all the MBAs, financial instruments and lawyers that the US has wanked away its educational estasblishments and brainpower on producing won't be worth a piss in a wind storm.
I can't find a link to any web based version but there was an interesting story on NPR about two months ago
I support NPR, with my money and my time in volunteering
But I do understand that NPR is not perfect
NPR is not that much different from many other Western media - that their report on other part of the world routinely tinted with the Western bias
I am not from China but I do have businesses in China - and in my many trips to China, I have to say that the average Chinese are way more innovative than the average American
While it is true that if we compare the top American researchers the Chinese have nothing to compare to - their top researchers are still light years away from the West - but that does not mean that the Chinese people are a dumb bunch
The lack of innovativeness in China is caused by the damage done by the Cultural Revolution in the 60's and 70's. Two generations of top Chinese scientists were wiped out (many were forced to suicide)
China is still suffering the consequences
But if you talk about Chinese - as a people - they are not dumb
Go to Hong Kong or Taiwan or even take a look at the Chinese Americans - they are way more innovative than the average Americans
It's time you guys stop deceiving yourself. The Chinese are playing catching up, and once they are at par with America, you guys will eat dust, literally
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
China, who is not an ISS partner, plans to see if its Shenzhou 9/Long March 2F system can get the job done like the Dragon/Falcon9 system can
Let's just say the Dragon/Falcon can only aspire to catch up with the Chinese.
The Chinese already performed automated docking a few years ago, whilst the Dragon had to fly to within the reach of the CanadaArm, and it's up to the arm operator to exercise some mad joystick skillz.
And of course the Chinese trample on other's IP rights.
They're just getting even for gun powder, and paper.
Obligatory Onion:
" China Launches First Willing Manned Mission Into Space "
http://www.theonion.com/video/china-launches-first-willing-manned-mission-into-s,14273/
Anybody care to provide a link that isn't paywall'd?
http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2011/04/19/nasa-pulls-out-of-astrophysics-missions
Google is always very helpful
Don't you think so?
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
We need to bring China in on the ISS. I'm not saying that I am not excited by the prospect of competition possibly spurring innovation in space travel, but rather I don't want nations excluding others from vital human frontiers. Today we're ahead, tomorrow they may be and if that means only China going to Mars, why would they transport our people?
China could be a paper tiger and the U.S. may drastically improve.
Or the opposite. Or something unimagined.
(If Canada ever becomes a super power, I'm offing myself.)
Who knows how the next several decades will unfold.
Less because I think china will do anything meaningful in space exploration at least for a long time to come. But Americans in particular take space more seriously when they think they're competing for it. So this could mean a serious reprioritization of resources in favor of space exploration by the US.
Again, I think it's great the chinese are interested and I wish them the best. I think it's great that more countries are getting involved. I just think in the short term the best news here is that it's likely to get more established countries more involved as well.
I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
It's all a ruse!
Just like the pc game Homefront :) except with China instead of North Korea...
The "space station" will detonate a massive EMP over the U.S. disabling much of the nation's grid preparing the way for invasion.
Most all our national debt is owed to China and they are coming to collect.
At least let me make sure my tinfoil hat is on straight.
unless you stand over them, the quality of goods from china is less than putrid.
Oh really?
I think it's the other way around. China will manufacture products as cheap and as nasty as their clients request. If a Mattel subcontractor specifies lead pain for children's toys, Chinese manufacturers will supply the product. It's not their fault if American marketers have no qualms about poisoning children.
The neither of these space stations "weigh" anything, they only have mass............
They previously put a small habitat into orbit. Now they're sending some people up. The US had Skylab, the USSR had Mir, and China is now doing something in roughly the same scale. Why not?
but we can't spend any money to do it.
So, um, get to it. For country and for free, nerds.
They're in a cold war with every major power on Earth. It's an economic and technological war rather than a shooting war, but the principal is the same - you beat on your chest and shout "We are mighty!" to inspire your own people and make your opponents nervous. China has been an also-ran in the world for a long time, significant only because of the sheer size of their population. Their development and economic growth has been phenomenal over the last several decades, but they started out so far behind that it's been hard to take them seriously on that front. That's starting to change. They still have a long way to go improving their per-capita numbers, but if you look at the just the top 25% of the population you get a very different picture, and they still outnumber the entire US. They're starting to become a major player, and they want to make sure everyone knows it.
--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
Sigh, here we go again.
You should read the Myth of Japan's Failure --- a great piece on perception vs. reality of Japan's economy. Hopefully, this will clear your misconceptions and not have you spewing forth silly rubbish.
Slashdot, where geeks who do not know or understand economics talk about it, and sound like idiots doing so.
Japan had twice the per capita GDP over America... twenty years ago. While substantial, they are dealing with some very tough problems.
One of the largest problems Japan has been facing is that they have a huge population of senior citizens compared to the number of children that have been born. It has forced Japan to deal with very different issues than many Islamic countries are facing which have a large youth population. These issues are also going to be facing America relatively soon, particularly when the Baby Boomers finally start to hit retirement age (they already are right now and are arguably a part of the housing price collapse).
So does this mean that the Chinese will be the ones who will invent the next Tang, Teflon and Velcro?
. . . and even more exciting urban legends?
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
*It went into how Chinese youth are being raised and trained in a fashion where they do exactly what the GP stated.
and this is EXACTLY the same shit you heard about Japan. There's nothing new. Keep kidding yourself that American innovation will save you. Incidentally... US industries started out copying pretty much everything they did from Europe - until they caught up and surpassed them.
Decent enough article although a lot of hyperbole and ignores a lot of inconvenient facts.
Firstly to say that the lost decade (or twenty) years has been a creation of western psychology is silly. There's a lot of pessimism in Japan among Japanese about the last twenty years and with generally good reason. The system of lifetime employment has collapsed and a new social underclass of non-permanent workers has been created. The number of families relying on government assistance has massively increased and the 4.4 or 5% unemployment rate is only being maintained because the government is literally paying companies to keep people employed. Government debt has ballooned to 200% of GDP and shows no signs of slowing down. Meanwhile the healthcare and pension systems are lumbering towards collapse requiring evermore government (debt) funds to make up the massive funding shortfalls.
To say that there was any policy choice to decrease the birthrate is silly. Policy makers have spent the last decade or more worrying about and doing nothing about the low birthrate. I think decreasing the population is eventually a good thing but to say that there has been a deliberate choice and that Western commentators have missed that is silly.
Trade pressure has eased on Japan in part because the markets have opened up somewhat and in part because production has shifted overseas. The Japanese current account surplus these days is much more based on earnings from overseas assets. However the pressure is not completely gone. Just go have a look at the TPP talks..
Innovation is more than a slogan. It seems like many people assume innovation/invention equates to mere imagination and making things up out of thin air. You need much more than good fundamental, basic knowledge and, unfortunately, to be good at playing the patent game these days.
If anyone or any country manages to begin from scratch, jump through the learning/imitation phase, and start innovation right away, it might as well try to patent that, as this has never happened before, not Europe, not USA, not Japan, not Korea.
Slashdot, where geeks who do not know or understand economics talk about it, and sound like idiots doing so.
And this differs from any financial forum, financial institution, TV news show how?
---
I hope they burn up. That would be some karma for them.
If I had fifty cents for every time someone abused moderation against me...
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
AFAIK, one of the drivers behind the man on the moon mission was because Russia was busy with the same thing, so this may actually restart the NASA funding.
However, I'm concerned because every nation "up there" has been amusing itself with saturating the place with satellites for various purposes (not in the least military), and now another club is joining - one that now holds all the cash.
It's getting uncomfortably crowded up there, and if something gets out of orbit a hard hat won't exactly be enough. That "out of orbit" could be accidental or deliberate.
*Not* good.
Insert
Japan had twice the per capita GDP over America.. [citation needed]
Just read it. Fair points, I wouldn't contend that the people of Japan are all running around in poverty. It's not an across the board awful country or something.
That said, your article basically says, yeah, GDP isn't great but look at all these other good things! My point is that their GDP isn't growing. They are in ludicrous amounts of debt. Their companies are losing their competitiveness (have you seen how much money Sony has been losing lately?). They are facing serious long term demographic challenges related to their population aging. Hell, they can barely keep the lights on! (http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/25/japan-power-minister-idUST9E8EM02G20120425). Heck, we can trade articles, I think this makes my point quite clearly: http://www.economist.com/node/21556596.
It has been bad for them lately, and things are only going to get worse if (when) interest rates on their debt rise.
As for the ad hominem, I double majored in Mathematics and Economics at a top 10 school in the US; I graduated with high honors. I wrote my thesis on sovereign bonds. I do, in fact, know what I'm talking about. Do you?
So basically, it's exactly like the U.S. educational system.
If it were true, it would be published in places I didn't need to log in.
Yet there is far less poverty in Japan (and Germany). The US might have a high per capita GDP but that's just an average, the spread is very unevenly balanced. It also doesn't account for the fact that both Japan and Germany have universal healthcare.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
well said. lol sad but true America seems to be a dying empire. How will our economy function when we run out of elderly to steal retirements from and minorities no longer buy our adjustable rate mortgages.
I agree with the others. An interesting article. But I lost my warm fuzzies after several paragraphs and no where finding something about how that in Japan you really care about your neighbors. Bummers. I mean, here in the US the main focus amongst your peers is how to take what your peers have. And all the tricks there between. Ah, it would be refreshing to have a society that actually cared for each other despite their differences. Don't troll me back damnit, you know its true you guys. There is generosity but its Freudian. Except for me I'm perfect.
Don't you love these Soviet Style missions?
If only they built the Falcon 12 years ago!