How about a thumbs up to the Chinese space program, eh?

[DrWeird]

Only the third to put a person into space. And the only one in the world right now that's actually making progress.

[MrBenchley]

1. Wish we still had one...

Thanks, GOP....

[sexybomber]

3. i'll bet

this does something for the space program in this country. I mean, one would think that Bush would never allow the "godless commies" to surpass us...

[MrBenchley]

26. Let's hope so....

I often illustrate the difference between liberals and conservatives this way: A liberal President, JFK, challenged us to go to the moon. We did. We planted the flag there and began exploring it.

The conservatives shut the Apollo program down. A conservative billionaire, Rupert Murdoch, has spent millions of dollars in the years since to convince you that the moon landing never happened.

[bif]

2. In about 30 years, they'll catch up to us.

n/t

[Maple]

4. Catch up to what?

You aren't doing anything.

[Forkboy]

6. lol...the US Space program in a nutshell

up,down,up,down,up,down,up,down,up,crash,wait,up,down,up,down....

[thom1102]

8. I would just alter it this way:

up,down,up,down,up,down,up,down,up,crash,wait, repeat.

[bif]

11. Obviously.

But we've taken the program pretty far,--putting man on the moon, Hubble telescope, Mars explorers, etc. And then they go and cut the funding. (Hey, let's put a ton of money in SDI--there's a great use of funds!)

[DrWeird]

13. They've got plans for a man on the moon.

I think in about ten or fifeteen years. Which would match US's highwater mark. How would that be for kicking Uncle Sam in the nuts?

[bif]

16. How so?

50 years after we landed there they do the same? Kick in the nuts? Hey, maybe we can announce that we just discovered fireworks! And pasta!

[DrWeird]

20. It's been pretty much down hill since we got to the moon.

And we haven't been back. So when they're up on the moon, all we'll be doing is blowing up space shuttles. Oh, and it's been 34 years.

[bif]

22. 34+15=49 years

n/t

[KFC]

24. Yes, huge accomplishment, China

Next big accomplishment will be an internal combustion motorcar!

[Shyriath]

5. Being a space exploration enthusiast...

Make that TWO thumbs up to China.

And a good kick in the rear to NASA to get it going again. Where's the moon bases? Hell, where's the MARS bases? Where's the cheap and effective transportation that will replace those creaking Shuttles and make space travel affordable for at least SOME ordinary people?

And why aren't the Europeans working on THEIR own manned spaced program? (Or are they? I haven't heard anything about one, at least.)

[Blue-Jay]

17. More importantly, Where's my flying car?!?

I was promised a flying car by now, and I friggin' want it!

[jmowreader]

27. The Europeans don't need a manned space program

Why bother? when they can pay NASA to send their astronauts up on our shuttle.

The European Space Agency is all about launching satellites for money. There's nothing wrong with that.

[commander bunnypants]

7. you go china

DDQM

[monkeyboy]

9. And you know what this means, right?

If they have the technology to put a man in space and orbit the Earth 14 times, they also have the technology to put nuclear warheads in rockets and hit any U.S city within, what, 30 minutes?

[commander bunnypants]

12. Yep

and we can hit Bejing in oh about 30 minutes


DDQM

[TXlib]

14. They've had ICBMs for quite some time.

Ballistic missiles are rather easier than manned space flight.

They've had ICBMs capable of putting warheads in mainland America since the mid 70s.

[TheBlob]

10. You got it!

:thumbsup:

Here's hoping this gives our program a kick in the ass.

[TXlib]

15. Way to go China!

They announced some time ago they planned to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.

They also announced intentions of a manned Mars expedition within 20 years.

I hope this becomes a truly international effort. I, for one, would love to see a joint US-Chinese manned Mars expedition.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

18. sure, it's great that they finally got somebody up there!

but the government run TV refused to broadcast it! China definitely still has a long way to go... but this was cool to hear about.

[underpants]

19. Wow they deliver EVERYWHERE!

I'm sorry I apologize I shouldn't have posted that but I couldn't help my self.

Other Subject line possibility was "If they had waited a few years they could have taken the elevator"

[qwertyMike]

21. Watch STAR WARS

SDI take off now.
The friggin' Sputnik, 1959, about the size of a basketball, STARTED THE ARMS RACE AND THE COLD WAR

According to my dad it also changed the weather and was the cause of Cancer

[Throckmorton]

23. OK, then all those B-36's, B-47's and B-52's that we built

before 1959 were not part of the cold war then. My bad, I guess I'll have to throw out most of my history texts.

[Ellen Forradalom]

25. China is one of the biggest stories right now

Rapid economic development, huge population, enormous technological strides--China is poised to become the next superpower. But you never hear anything about it in the American press or from the U.S. government. Even the fact that this story was second on Yahoo after the 'High Court to determine if Pledge of Allegiance is legal' reveals how insular we are. We seem to have no policy at all to address an ever-stronger China. I would very much like to hear the Democratic candidates discuss the American relationship with China in the future.