Houston Firm NanoRacks To Take Chinese Experiment To International Space Station 21
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.
So... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Why is this news? (Score:4, 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?
Re: (Score:2)
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? (Score:4, 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.
Re: (Score:1)
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 C
Re: (Score:2)
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? (Score:1)
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: (Score:3)
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 (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
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 (Score:2)
All my best things are in... hack?
Chinese space walks have bubbles from suits! (Score:2)
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/... [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 "Interne