Houston Firm NanoRacks To Take Chinese Experiment To International Space Station

MarkWhittington writes: The Houston Chronicle's Eric Berger reports that for the first time a Chinese experiment will fly on the International Space Station, thanks to an arrangement between a research group based at the Beijing Institute of Technology and a private firm in Houston called NanoRacks. The deal seems to have been designed to avoid the prohibition against space cooperation between the Chinese regime and NASA, since the space agency is not directly involved. The experiment, which involves the effects that space radiation has on DNA, will be carried to the ISS by another private firm, SpaceX. Presumably the experiment would be run by a non NASA crew member to avoid any direct involvement with the space agency.

Comments

NanoRacks

[Anonymous Coward]

Some sort of tiny-titty porn?

So...

[martin0641]

China is a regime? Just trying to update my axis of evil chart...

Re:So...

[donaggie03]

No, but the regime in China is definitely a Chinese regime, which is what the summary said.

Why is this news?

[captainpanic]

We have a global economy. China has long ago stopped being the evil commies that they used to be (although TFA still thinks they are, judging by the 1st paragraph). And this appears to be a peaceful scientific experiment.

All kinds of scientific cooperation, trade, and exchange of materials and technologies takes place in partnership with China all the time. I don't see why it is news that this one takes place in space?

Re:Why is this news?

[drinkypoo]

We have a global economy. China has long ago stopped being the evil commies that they used to be

Right, now they're a different kind of evil. We, however, are the same old boring capitalist evil we've always been.

Re:Why is this news?

[Applehu Akbar]

Why in hell are we keeping China out of the ISS, anyway? We should be welcoming them instead. They would probably double its size and boost it into an orbit that doesn't have to be continually refreshed due to atmospheric drag.

Re:Why is this news?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's news because NASA is banned from working with China or Chinese nationals. (We don't have much against them, but Congress seems to have some kind of beef, and it rolls down the Hill onto us.)

Re:Why is this news?

[Anonymous Coward]

China is a second-world country. Second-world being defined as the USSR, China, and their allies. While it's been over two decades since the end of the Cold War, the US government is still very protective of things being exported to second-world countries(that includes services, like flying a foreign national into space). Like it or not, but the US and China are not allies. As far as "All kinds of scientific cooperation, trade, and exchange of materials and technologies takes place in partnership with China all the time." goes, you may have a point for the private sector, but this is absolutely not true for any government agency, and defense contractors have a lot of red tape(ITAR/exports) to go through to do work for the Chinese.

It's a nice thought to think that civilian/scientific activity could be separate from the clashes of government, but NASA is part of a government just as much as it is a participant in the scientific community. I imagine a lot of /.ers have this flowery view of how open and wonderful the world is. The free exchange of ideas, unimpeded by political agendas. Here's your reality check: we don't live in that world. North Korea is still threatening war with South Korea, and North Korea's biggest benefactors have always been the USSR/Russia and China. Things like that just can't be ignored(and are not ignored by the US government, which still stations a strong contingent in the Pacific theater as a precaution). It would be duplicitous to aid our ally's enemy in securing advanced technology. Allowing the private sector to do so is probably an attempt to mend relations with China, and possibly sway them to our side. North Korea would probably capitulate within hours of such an agreement. They could not hope to withstand a war on two fronts, with their biggest benefactor not supporting them. But we're still a long way from free exchange of technology between the US and China.

Re:Why is this news?

[Anonymous Coward]

While it's been over two decades since the end of the Cold War

That's just what they want us to think, they are lulling us into a false sense of security. Then WHAM!!!!
The free world NEEDS a clear and present danger.

Re:Why is this news?

[cheesybagel]

The Chinese themselves see space technology as in the military sphere. The launchers are controlled by the Army. The satellites are considered defense projects. Don't assume they have a concept of civilian uses of spaces like you do.

What happened to the Chinese space lab?

[Anonymous Coward]

What happened to the Chinese space lab, has been conspicuously out of the news the last few years. Seems like this should go there....

Re:What happened to the Chinese space lab?

[cheesybagel]

Tiangong? They are waiting for their new launchers to come online to do the bigger version. Wait until Long March 5 becomes operational. It's been delayed a bit.

We should just get rid of the ban

[JoshuaZ]

The ban in question dates back to the 1990s and was over concern about China's human rights record. Obviously, China did have, and still does have a terrible record. But we have cooperation with Russia who also has a terrible record. The primary result of this ban has been for China to go and develop its own space capability which means we have less input into what they are doing, so from a pragmatic perspective it doesn't even accomplish anything. In any event, where the future of humanity is concerned we should be willing to work with countries we disagree with. If we could do the joint Soviet-US Soyuz-Apollo mission we can work with China.

chinese fantastic four?

[Anonymous Coward]

effects of space radiation on dna? Obviously they've been getting comic books over there.

Not worth the bad PR

[Anonymous Coward]

SpaceX shouldn't be using Congress $$$ to circumvent acts of Congress.

They already have enough arrows in their back from congress-critters looking for an excuse to bring more Pork back to their home districts.

What possible benefit could SpaceX get from this to justify the risk of congressional backlash?

Re:Not worth the bad PR

[cheesybagel]

In case you didn't get it SpaceX is a NASA contractor in a flight like this. Ask NASA why they are letting Nanoracks do it. I know Nanoracks is suppose to work with commercial operations. But I wonder if something like this was in the menu...

I'm living on a Chinese Rack

[Rinikusu]

All my best things are in... hack?

Truth Be Told ...

[Anonymous Coward]

Clever way to finally get a root-kit aboard ISS.

Chinese space walks have bubbles from suits!

[Thing 1]

So are the Chinese really in space? Or are they in a pool, faking the footage?

Why did an astronaut's helmet recently start filling up with water? And why did they announce, on MSM TV, that they were converting half of the tubing inside the suit into snorkels? See this one, of many, articles on the subject: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

Why would an astronaut need a snorkel, in space?

NASA is becoming a laughingstock. The fake footage might have fooled us in the 60s, but these days we have the "Internet hive mind" to look through and discover anomalies, like the square box surrounding the Earth in pictures from the moon, visible when you play with the optical settings in Photoshop -- i.e., it was added, it was not a part of the original picture.