One Step Closer to Moving to the Moon
by Steven Rossi on January 6, 2009 in In the News
(via Bloomberg.com) Looks like Obama is preparing a partnership between the military and NASA with the goal of getting more Americans to the moon quicker. According to this article, USA’s next manned spacecraft won’t be taking off until 2015, which apparently is too far in the future. China, on the other hand, will be doing launches in 2010 to prepare for its 2012 flight of a lunar rover which will further prepare for a manned moon mission in the following few years. This article promotes the idea that a space race with China has begun (although perhaps to a smaller extent than that of the Cold War era) as the Obama administration works toward speeding up the process of space exploration. Apparently the government worries that China’s progress in this area poses a threat to an unprepared United States.
I guess this article has me wondering whether or not this is all a bit premature. Do you think that hype is carrying this story or that there’s weight to what’s being said? Do you think that China poses a true threat in the area of space exploration, or does the US just want to be in control? Brings up some interesting questions. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
ht Fanboy.com (currently down due to the Digg effect)