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from the there's-an-HTML/CSS-joke-in-here-somewhere dept.
China just invited the world to its space station
At a time when NASA and its partners are trying to decide how long to maintain the International Space Station, China has taken the significant step of inviting the world to its planned orbital station. The China Space Station, or CSS, could become operational as soon as 2022.
"CSS belongs not only to China, but also to the world," said Shi Zhongjun, China's ambassador to the UN and other international organizations in Vienna. "All countries, regardless of their size and level of development, can participate in the cooperation on an equal footing."
Such an announcement represents potentially the greatest soft power threat of the last six decades to US and Russian dominance of spaceflight. In the public announcement of this policy on China's state news service Xinhua, Chinese officials said the country stands ready to help other developing countries interested in space technology—and in having their own space programs.
This inclusive approach (though just how inclusive an authoritarian government can be remains to be seen) offers a rebuke of sorts to the US government and the International Space Station. By law, the US forbids direct involvement between China's space program and NASA. Some at NASA want to change this, but Congress has established such rules to prevent technology transfer.
Also at The Verge and Popular Mechanics.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Friday June 01 2018, @05:11AM (1 child)
And we needed the Texas Superconducting Supercollider so the US could maintain its dominant position in elementary particle physics.
Why don't we study science because it's the _right_ thing to do?
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by suburbanitemediocrity on Friday June 01 2018, @06:12AM
Still bummed about this. I worked on my state proposal and knew at least half a dozen graduate students that became quants over this. Probably the reason for the 2008 crash. But hey, at least we know how rats pee in space. Because all human knowledge is useful and progresses us to be a space faring species. Or something.