The New Space Race

[Woggles]

An interesting article from SpaceRef.com

Excerpt; "Recent media reports suggest that China is stepping up their program to send people to the Moon just as America appears to be standing down from it. This circumstance has re-awakened a long-standing debate about the geopolitical aspects of space travel and with it some questions. Are we in a race back to the Moon? Should we be? And if there is a "space race" today, what do we mean by the term? Is it a race of military dimensions or is such thinking just an artifact of the Cold War? What are the implications of a new space race?"

Long read, you been warn!! Lol.

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1376

 

[EarthlingX]

Nice read, worth the trouble

I agree that the Moon has a strategic position in the Earth-Moon system, just one word: lander.

Can NASA buy it from Bigelow, or someone else ? I think we will find out soon.

 

[bushwhacker]

Very good read, Thank you.

 

[crix098]

There is no new space race. We have six flags on the moon and the Chinese want to get one up there? Where's the race?

We are very far from deciding which language / religions / etc will be the dominant one in the solar system.

 

[Gravity_Ray]

Indeed a good article (balanced too).

To this day I wished President Bush had funded VSE better when he could. The problem is still there; The American public is ignorant of the importance of a space program and as such reminds me of the old saying, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.

I hope the new vision will incorporate both private and public advantages into a unified space program rather than one made up of political grand standing.

IMHO NASA should fully focus on ISRU, lunar rovers, space suits, power sources for bases off-world, and referee and help private companies to develop the hardware to get us to the Moon and beyond.

 

[Valcan]

Indeed a good article (balanced too).

To this day I wished President Bush had funded VSE better when he could. The problem is still there; The American public is ignorant of the importance of a space program and as such reminds me of the old saying, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.

I hope the new vision will incorporate both private and public advantages into a unified space program rather than one made up of political grand standing.

IMHO NASA should fully focus on ISRU, lunar rovers, space suits, power sources for bases off-world, and referee and help private companies to develop the hardware to get us to the Moon and beyond.

Amen. No private company in any feild could make a proffit with the rules and regulations nasa deals in. Nasa is a grade A research facility though.

 

[jakethesnake]

Great article!

 

[bdewoody]

Great article. He stated very precisely what I would have liked to have stated in many of my previous posts. To me he says that the moon is the key to all future manned space ventures.