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Houston Firm NanoRacks To Take Chinese Experiment To International Space Station

Posted by samzenpus on from the for-the-first-time dept.

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.

5 of 21 comments (clear)

  1. So... by martin0641 · · Score: 2

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

  2. Why is this news? by captainpanic · · Score: 3, Insightful

    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?

    1. Re:Why is this news? by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 3, Insightful

      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.

  3. We should just get rid of the ban by JoshuaZ · · Score: 2

    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.

  4. Re:What happened to the Chinese space lab? by cheesybagel · · Score: 2

    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.