|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Chinese space station
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches...ns_031016.html
The Chinese have announced they will soon launch a space-lab and after that a space station. I'm baffled what could be gained from this? There's hardly any usefull science that can be done in space (except the eternal experiment what happens to humans and all of God's creatures under zero grav circumstances) that can't be done here on Earth. Why aren't the Chinese smart and wise and planning to send a manned capsule around the moon? That would be a *huge* PR stunt. |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Chinese space station
Dr. O wrote: http://www.space.com/missionlaunches...ns_031016.html The Chinese have announced they will soon launch a space-lab and after that a space station. I'm baffled what could be gained from this? There's hardly any usefull science that can be done in space (except the eternal experiment what happens to humans and all of God's creatures under zero grav circumstances) that can't be done here on Earth. Why aren't the Chinese smart and wise and planning to send a manned capsule around the moon? That would be a *huge* PR stunt. I believe earlier it was hoped space stations would be "base camps" to the solar system. True, it takes more delta-V to stop at a space station and then proceed outward. But rockets are subjected to great stress and vibration as they climb out of earth's gravity well through a dense atmosphere. A space station could be a good place to check and repair a craft before it goes on. It could also be a good place to launch low thrust ion engines that can't be launched from the earth's surface. Maybe earth orbiting space stations could play a role in a program shooting for the moon and planets. -- Hop David http://clowder.net/hop/index.html |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Chinese space station
In article ,
"Dr. O" dr.o@xxxxx wrote: http://www.space.com/missionlaunches...ns_031016.html The Chinese have announced they will soon launch a space-lab and after that a space station. I'm baffled what could be gained from this? There's hardly any usefull science that can be done in space (except the eternal experiment what happens to humans and all of God's creatures under zero grav circumstances) that can't be done here on Earth. Maybe they're not interested in doing science on it. Maybe they realize there is a lot more that could be done in space than science. Maybe, unlike most of the U.S. authorities, they actually have a clue why space is important and how to develop it. Why aren't the Chinese smart and wise and planning to send a manned capsule around the moon? That would be a *huge* PR stunt. How is performing a PR stunt smart and wise? ,------------------------------------------------------------------. | Joseph J. Strout Check out the Mac Web Directory: | | http://www.macwebdir.com | `------------------------------------------------------------------' |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Chinese space station
"Joe Strout" wrote in message ... In article , "Dr. O" dr.o@xxxxx wrote: http://www.space.com/missionlaunches...ns_031016.html The Chinese have announced they will soon launch a space-lab and after that a space station. I'm baffled what could be gained from this? There's hardly any usefull science that can be done in space (except the eternal experiment what happens to humans and all of God's creatures under zero grav circumstances) that can't be done here on Earth. Maybe they're not interested in doing science on it. Maybe they realize there is a lot more that could be done in space than science. Maybe, unlike most of the U.S. authorities, they actually have a clue why space is important and how to develop it. Why aren't the Chinese smart and wise and planning to send a manned capsule around the moon? That would be a *huge* PR stunt. How is performing a PR stunt smart and wise? It wil put them (at least on paper) ahead of both the EU and Russia. I'm already convinced that the Shenzhou launch will help their commercial satellite business enormously, there's already talk that the U.S. satellite manfucturers are petitioning Congress to allow them to launch on Chinese launchers. That could spell trouble for the U.S. and European launch businesses. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Chinese space station
In article ,
"Dr. O" dr.o@xxxxx wrote: Why aren't the Chinese smart and wise and planning to send a manned capsule around the moon? That would be a *huge* PR stunt. How is performing a PR stunt smart and wise? It wil put them (at least on paper) ahead of both the EU and Russia. You believe that China is engaging in some sort of show-off game? What would the winner of this game win? I'm already convinced that the Shenzhou launch will help their commercial satellite business enormously, there's already talk that the U.S. satellite manfucturers are petitioning Congress to allow them to launch on Chinese launchers. Well, yes, having a man-rated launcher does suggest a good launch capability. But by putting this in the same paragraph with your answer to the above, you seem to be suggesting that a manned lunar flyby would somehow help the satellite business. That would make sense if there were customers interested in flying their satellites around the Moon. Not unheard of, but not much of a market either. Also, I find it hard to believe that a manned lunar flyby (an enormously expensive project) would pay for itself as a marketing gimmick. ,------------------------------------------------------------------. | Joseph J. Strout Check out the Mac Web Directory: | | http://www.macwebdir.com | `------------------------------------------------------------------' |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Chinese space station
"Joe Strout" wrote in message ... In article , "Dr. O" dr.o@xxxxx wrote: Why aren't the Chinese smart and wise and planning to send a manned capsule around the moon? That would be a *huge* PR stunt. How is performing a PR stunt smart and wise? It wil put them (at least on paper) ahead of both the EU and Russia. You believe that China is engaging in some sort of show-off game? What would the winner of this game win? Survival of their race. I'm already convinced that the Shenzhou launch will help their commercial satellite business enormously, there's already talk that the U.S. satellite manfucturers are petitioning Congress to allow them to launch on Chinese launchers. Well, yes, having a man-rated launcher does suggest a good launch capability. But by putting this in the same paragraph with your answer to the above, you seem to be suggesting that a manned lunar flyby would somehow help the satellite business. That would make sense if there were customers interested in flying their satellites around the Moon. Not unheard of, but not much of a market either. I'm not implying that (or at least I didn't intend to) a lunar flyby will help their commercial launching business, but a man-rated program will. OTOH nobody knows how the Chinese man-rated their vehicle in the first place. It may well be that hardly any changes were made and that they just relied on better inspections. Also, I find it hard to believe that a manned lunar flyby (an enormously expensive project) would pay for itself as a marketing gimmick. The Chinese have revealed that they spend about $2billion on their entire manned-space project (encompassing over ten years). That's dirt cheap compared to the U.S. or Europe and even much cheaper than Russia. That puts a lunar flyby within financial reach, certainly within a decade, probably far less. Someone already pointed out the the Long March 3 can lift big enough payloads to perform a lunar flyby (although they would have to man-rate the thing). In short, they can do it with minimal financial impact. |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Chinese space station
Joe Strout wrote:
In article , "Dr. O" dr.o@xxxxx wrote: http://www.space.com/missionlaunches...ns_031016.html The Chinese have announced they will soon launch a space-lab and after that a space station. I'm baffled what could be gained from this? There's hardly any usefull science that can be done in space (except the eternal experiment what happens to humans and all of God's creatures under zero grav circumstances) that can't be done here on Earth. Maybe they're not interested in doing science on it. Maybe they realize there is a lot more that could be done in space than science. Care to enumerate examples? Maybe, unlike most of the U.S. authorities, they actually have a clue why space is important and how to develop it. Care to explain what makes it 'important'? (In reality I doubt the Chinese are in space for any reasons different than anyone else currently. National prestige along with a few practical usages.) D. -- The STS-107 Columbia Loss FAQ can be found at the following URLs: Text-Only Version: http://www.io.com/~o_m/columbia_loss_faq.html Enhanced HTML Version: http://www.io.com/~o_m/columbia_loss_faq_x.html Corrections, comments, and additions should be e-mailed to , as well as posted to sci.space.history and sci.space.shuttle for discussion. |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Chinese space station
"Dr. O" dr.o@xxxxx wrote:
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches...ns_031016.html The Chinese have announced they will soon launch a space-lab and after that a space station. I'm baffled what could be gained from this? There's hardly any usefull science that can be done in space (except the eternal experiment what happens to humans and all of God's creatures under zero grav circumstances) that can't be done here on Earth. Except of course for all the useful science that can be done in space... Why aren't the Chinese smart and wise and planning to send a manned capsule around the moon? That would be a *huge* PR stunt. And why should they engage in a PR stunt at all? D. -- The STS-107 Columbia Loss FAQ can be found at the following URLs: Text-Only Version: http://www.io.com/~o_m/columbia_loss_faq.html Enhanced HTML Version: http://www.io.com/~o_m/columbia_loss_faq_x.html Corrections, comments, and additions should be e-mailed to , as well as posted to sci.space.history and sci.space.shuttle for discussion. |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Chinese space station
I'm not implying that (or at least I didn't intend to) a lunar flyby will
help their commercial launching business, but a man-rated program will. OTOH nobody knows how the Chinese man-rated their vehicle in the first place. It may well be that hardly any changes were made and that they just relied on better inspections. Just the USA has manrated a rocket by it selv, and its free for everyone to see how well that went. The russians and the chinese has rated a system also incorperating an escape system. .... far less. Someone already pointed out the the Long March 3 can lift big enough payloads to perform a lunar flyby (although they would have to man-rate the thing). In short, they can do it with minimal financial impact. Not that fast. It's fully possible to go for a LEO assembly where the crew enters with a safer system. Not very unlike the russian approach to space stations. Sincerely Bjørn Ove |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Chinese space station
"Derek Lyons" wrote in message ... "Dr. O" dr.o@xxxxx wrote: http://www.space.com/missionlaunches...ns_031016.html The Chinese have announced they will soon launch a space-lab and after that a space station. I'm baffled what could be gained from this? There's hardly any usefull science that can be done in space (except the eternal experiment what happens to humans and all of God's creatures under zero grav circumstances) that can't be done here on Earth. Except of course for all the useful science that can be done in space... MHO: The science currently done in space is a distraction. I think the real trick is Space Engineering - generating artificial gravity, improving (mostly) closed-loop systems, designing a vessel for human habitation, growing food, etc. It's not new science, it is new applications of existing science. I hope the Chinese have the goals of exploration and discovery, and don't get sidetracked into a dead-end space station. --- Dave Boll http://www.daveboll.com/ |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
National Space Policy: NSDD-42 (issued on July 4th, 1982) | Stuf4 | Space Shuttle | 150 | July 28th 04 07:30 AM |
European high technology for the International Space Station | Jacques van Oene | Space Station | 0 | May 10th 04 02:40 PM |
International Space Station Science - One of NASA's rising stars | Jacques van Oene | Space Station | 0 | December 27th 03 01:32 PM |
International Space Station Marks Five Years In Orbit | Ron Baalke | Space Station | 9 | November 22nd 03 12:17 PM |
International Space Station Marks Five Years In Orbit | Ron Baalke | Space Shuttle | 2 | November 20th 03 03:09 PM |