China's space program

[Websorber]

China’s counter-space capabilities

Interesting article on armscontrolwonk

http://krepon.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/4043/avoiding-scrapes-with-china#more-4203

[Blackstar]

Attached is a 4-page summary of the hearing on “the People’s Republic of China’s Counterspace Program and the Implications for U.S. National Security.”

[JosephB]

Those last two key points are telling.
The last one was bit of a surprise.

 Witnesses disagreed on the level of value that diplomatic tools such as “rules of the road” or a “code of conduct” played in a U.S. multi-layered strategy.
 There is less communication between the U.S. and China on space-related issues than there was between the former Soviet Union and the United States on space matters during the Cold War.

[Blackstar]

Those last two key points are telling.

 Witnesses disagreed on the level of value that diplomatic tools such as “rules of the road” or a “code of conduct” played in a U.S. multi-layered strategy.

Not a surprise if you follow the "code of conduct" debate (which, I'll admit, is pretty boring and so you cannot be blamed for not following it). Read some of Michael Listner's articles on The Space Review. There's a question about the value of these provisions. There's also concern that even if they are "voluntary," in the West they will end up enshrined in law and/or policy, whereas they won't be by China.

From what little I know or understand of this, I think there's a little bit of bunk behind that argument. One could establish the code of conduct unilaterally and then encourage others to do so. And there are already things that happen this way, such as the U.S. requiring space debris minimization provisions (for example: you cannot launch a satellite out of the U.S.--getting a launch license--without having a demonstrated plan for minimizing debris).

[Steven Pietrobon]

This was shown, presumably by the Chinese students, at the International Space University Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program held here in Adelaide a few weeks ago. Note that there is no official cooperation between the US and China on a Lunar landing.

[simpl simon]

Thanks for the image, Steven, and thanks also for your feedback on the Chinese Space Station earlier this month.

I find it ironic that images like the one above are only possible with the degree of realism that they convey because the original pictures of the U.S. flag on the lunar surface 45 years ago are available for manipulation.

I would have more respect for the Chinese efforts if they simply put humans on the Moon rather than spending their time playing around with the NASA pictures.

[Blackstar]

Well, to be fair, this was probably produced by some students. I don't think we should consider photoshoppery to be official government policy.

I've been impressed with China's human spaceflight activities, but also frustrated at their pace. They take big strides, but very few of them. And I think that has finally sunk in. If anybody can remember back to the distant year of 2000, there was all kinds of speculation about China's human spaceflight program. People thought that they were about to burst out with all kinds of activity. And there were news articles about every six months or so where people ominously warned that China was going to land humans on the Moon by 2017, or even--GASP!--2010!

By the middle of the decade the Chinese started talking publicly about their plans: gradual steps to a space station by 2020. And at least initially it was popular for some of the hyperventilating types to say "They're all commies, you cannot trust anything they say." But we've now seen that China has essentially been carrying out the plans that they publicly revealed back around 2005/6.

[plutogno]

the latest issue of Scientia Sinica Technologica has several technical papers in Chinese on rendezvous and docking techniques as well as a paper on the use of finite elements for launch vehicle structural dynamics

http://tech.scichina.com:8082/sciE/CN/volumn/volumn_6804.shtml

and the latest has a series of papers on Tiangong
http://tech.scichina.com:8082/sciE/CN/volumn/volumn_6819.shtml

[RonM]

Here's something interesting from Xinhua:

"China has no lunar base project: leading scientist"

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sci/2014-03/01/c_133152009.htm

[luhai167]

That statement is more or less inline with the MIIT white paper in 2009.
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=26848.msg1128077#msg1128077

[Websorber]

The "masters" behind China's lunar rover Jade Rabbit

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Feature_The_masters_behind_Chinas_lunar_rover_Jade_Rabbit_999.html

[plutogno]

there is a good interview to the director of the Chinese National Space Science Centre on the Nature website:

http://www.nature.com/news/head-of-china-s-space-science-reaches-out-1.14797

[Satori]

From Xinhua: China Focus: "Space Odyssey": China' s aspiration in future space exploration.


"We plan to send a manned mission to the moon. The Earth is our cradle, and humanity will go out from here someday. The moon is the nearest: if we cannot land on it, where else can we go?", Ye Peijia, a top scientist with the Chang'e-3 lunar probe mission.

[plutogno]

and more goodies (in Chinese) on TG-1 and Shenzhou in the latest Scientia Sinica Technologica
http://tech.scichina.com:8082/sciE/CN/volumn/volumn_6832.shtml

[input~2]

"China aids in cutting down space debris"
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-05/13/content_17503167.htm

A surveillance and early warning system has taken shape

[simonbp]

"China aids in cutting down space debris"
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-05/13/content_17503167.htm

A surveillance and early warning system has taken shape

Considering that China made a large fraction of that debris with their anti-satellite test, one would hope so...

[Satori]

Bolivia receives China's bidding to build satellite.

[Sean Lynch]

The good news is that Rep Wolf (R-VA) is retiring. I live in his district (VA 10th congressional district).
He's been the primary antagonist to cooperating with China in space citing human rights violations. Its a religious thing for him, (while at the same time Wolf is supporting massive increases in prisons and the war on drugs).
Anyway, perhaps we can stop trying to legislate morality and get on with some science and peaceful cooperation in space with China once Wolf is out of the picture.
There's hope for cooperation in the future.

[Star One]

The good news is that Rep Wolf (R-VA) is retiring. I live in his district (VA 10th congressional district).
He's been the primary antagonist to cooperating with China in space citing human rights violations. Its a religious thing for him, (while at the same time Wolf is supporting massive increases in prisons and the war on drugs).
Anyway, perhaps we can stop trying to legislate morality and get on with some science and peaceful cooperation in space with China once Wolf is out of the picture.
There's hope for cooperation in the future.

I really doubt his retirement will make much difference as there are plenty more of a similar way of thinking.

[plutogno]

yet another issue of Scientia Sinica Technologica with a lot of papers on CE- and the lunar exploration program
http://tech.scichina.com:8082/sciE/CN/volumn/volumn_6889.shtml