SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the in-space-nobody-hears-your-tantrum?? dept.
The Guardian reports on the Tianzhou-1's, China's first automated cargo spacecraft, first mission to the station:
China's first cargo spacecraft docked successfully with the Tiangong-2 space lab on Saturday, the official Xinhua news agency reported, marking a major step towards Beijing's goal of establishing a permanently manned space station by 2022. ...
The Tianzhou-1 cargo resupply spacecraft made the automated docking process with the orbiting space lab after it had taken off on Thursday evening from the Wenchang satellite launch centre in the southern island province of Hainan....
The cargo spacecraft mission provides an "important technological basis" to build a Chinese space station, state media have said. It can reportedly carry six tonnes of goods, two tonnes of fuel and can fly unmanned for three months.
Seems like Cold War era again:
President Xi Jinping has prioritised advancing China's space programme to strengthen national security.,,,
The US Defense Department has highlighted China's increasing space capabilities, saying it was pursuing activities aimed at preventing other nations from using space-based assets in a crisis.
China insists it has only peaceful ambitions in space, but has tested anti-satellite missiles.
2007 - Chinese anti-satellite missile test
1985 - American anti-satellite missile test
Chinese exclusion policy of NASA
Related: China Launched its Second "Heavenly Palace" Thursday Morning [Updated]
China's Shenzhou 11 Docks at Tiangong 2 Space Station
Space Race 2.0: China May Already be Testing an EmDrive in Orbit
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 23 2017, @05:26PM (10 children)
All this nostalga for the good old cold war days, seems to really be about need for equal competing powers to get some progress. As much as i dislike rampant commercialism, healthy competition really is a good way to see progression of technology.
I really was expecting to have 2 or more moon bases by now, with all the same disagreement and brinkmanship that goes on about antarctica. Guess discovery of moon penguins would have helped that along.
Good on China for bringing it, about time someone gave the 'dominant' power a challenge.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 23 2017, @05:40PM (9 children)
Space tech is hard, takes a while to build up to orbital space station. Too bad we're stuck in our warring nation state mode, if the world worked together we'd totally have moon bases and more by now.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 23 2017, @05:55PM (8 children)
You know what also helps space tech? Earth money. China has lots of it, and is willing to spend it on science and engineering rather than useless entitlements.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 23 2017, @06:17PM
Where the hell did China get this "earth money" from? The illegal aliens brought it in from Betelgeuse or something? Along with illegal alien technology? No wonder the chinks are so far ahead of us now. We need to declare war on Betelgeuse, or wherever they came from! Yo, Trump! Make America Great Again!
(Score: -1, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday April 23 2017, @06:18PM (1 child)
You know how Chinese are potty-trained? Their pants have a hole between the legs so they can piss themselves in public.
India also has a space program, and yet they too shit in the streets. In fact they named a satellite "SCATSAT" because they are that much into scat.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 24 2017, @11:55AM
And how are Americans potty-trained? Thats right, they just shit in their pants, then leave those shitty pants lying around. Don't worry, I'm sure hole technology is coming soon to the US, right after you get decent healthcare.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 23 2017, @06:27PM
But isn't China omg socialist? I thought you couldn't do anything like going to space if you were Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, or Venezuela?
Are they no longer omg socialist? When did they become Randian bootstrappers?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 23 2017, @07:10PM (1 child)
Fuck off you moron.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 23 2017, @11:17PM
Triggered much?
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Sunday April 23 2017, @10:44PM
They don't have entitlements, it's called "extra money" instead and knowing the party boss of your region ;)
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Monday April 24 2017, @10:41PM
> is willing to spend it on science and engineering rather than useless entitlements
And water infrastructure
And clean power
And rail infrastructure
And manufacturing efficiencies
And road infrastructure
And Infrastructure in Africa to bring goods to ports, headed for China
And spaceships/nukes/rockets/carrier-killers/strategic islands/stealth fighters/...
And urban infrastructure
And Useless Entitlements, like any good commie-ish country
And a competitor to the World Bank
And ...
Holly shit! It as if China was investing in its future, despite having more entitled people than the US. Maybe after 5000 years they know something about taxation and priorities which the US doesn't?