China Plans Manned Space Mission This Month 168
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."
Re:Question... (Score:5, Insightful)
They don't want to. They wanted to join the ISS but a certain North American country said "get lost".
Re:Question... (Score:5, Insightful)
If you try to do it with the US, it would never happen. Just ask the Europeans [sciencenews.org]. It's not like they're on great relations with the Russians, the only other country that can put humans into space.
So you're left with the Iranians, North Koreans and a couple of crazy amateur [copenhagen...bitals.com] in Denmark.
Sounds like solo is the best approach.
Re:It's true.. (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
Re:what an insane world (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:It's true.. (Score:2, Insightful)
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.
Re:It's true.. (Score:5, Insightful)
Sigh, here we go again.
You should read the Myth of Japan's Failure [nytimes.com] --- 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.