NASA Goes to China?
The China story is getting more interesting. I only found out a couple of days ago that China has a space program, and some pretty ambitious plans to go along with it. At the time I wasn’t sure how serious the news was as far as the U.S. space program is concerned. Now I find out, via The Write Stuff again, that apparently it’s serious enough that NASA may send someone to China to check things out.
Chinese space officials have invited NASA Administrator Michael Griffin to visit their country in the fall, possibly as early as September.
During an informal visit to NASA headquarters in Washington, April 3, Luo Ge, vice administrator of the China National Space Administration, met with Michael F. O’Brien, NASA associate administrator for external relations, to discuss a potential trip by Griffin to meet with Chinese space officials and visit their facilities, possibly as early as September.
“I made a joke with Mr. O’Brien that if we need to get married some day, we have to meet; otherwise we cannot get married,” Luo said in an interview here following his morning keynote speech April 5 at the 22nd National Space Symposium. Luo described the visit with O’Brien as “only a drop in” with two purposes:” to see an old friend” and to discuss Griffin visiting China.
Marriage proposals aside, that’s rather interesting news. Granted, it’s only an invitation, I haven’t heard whether it’s been accepted. But Lou did speak earlier about China’s willingness for space collaboration, and given Tom DeLay’s rather dire warning about the "space race" with China, it might be smart for NASA to at least give the Chinese program the once over; especially considering who else could be entering the "space race."
If Matt Tompkins over at DefenseTech.Org is right when he says "Don’t Freak" over reports that China is set to overtake the U.S. in technology development, NASA may find it has nothing to worry about. And with China concerns about its U.S. debt holdings, and news that Iran is entering the space race too, some kind of U.S. – China partnership could be advantageous for both.
Mind you, I’m just a newbie who’s trying to sort all this stuff out. And I wouldn’t’ mind a little help.
