Is the world enteriing into a new "Space Race"? If so, will it be more important militarily or scientifically

Question

A Japanese probe is already orbiting the moon

A Chinese moon lander was launched yesterday, and they aim to put a man on the moon.

India are engaged in their own space programme.

George Bush has announced a new US space exploration programme, starting with a return to the Moon.

Answer 1

Yes it is. Take it from me, I work with a lot of companies doing the research and development that will make the thing a reality. At the moment, there's a race for the control and utilisation of the space we already know about. The US - and most specifically the US Military - currently controls GPS. The military has access to frequencies and accuracies that the public will never see, and they have them on the rationale that they need them more than we do. The President - in his role as Commander In Chief - has the right to switch on "selective availability" again, which would make GPS pretty much useless for the rest of the world unless the US allowed its use. That's why China's developing its own Compass network, why the Russians are getting GLONASS up and running, India have their own plans and Europe, bless it, is bickering to buggery about Galileo, their own version of GPS. They're all doing this because, ultimately, they don't trust the US to control all the satellite navigation functions available to military units worldwide based on its own strategic goals. It's really not happening because people are driven to be clever buggers.

While this goes on, there's been a wake-up among the military-industrial communities of the world that there are soon going to be new battles, new technologies in which to excel. Who's got a base on the moon, to shoot down missiles? Nobody. Who's got access to whatever the hell is on Mars? Nobody - yet. It's all driven by the ache to get more and more of a military advantage. The same is actually happening on Earth too - who's developing cars that can drive themselves? DARPA - the US Defence Agency - so they can send them into warzones. There are people developing miniature flying machines that work like flies - why? So they can get intelligence behind enemy lines and deliver toxic payloads for assassinations.

It's depressing as a background for employment, but it'd be kidding ourselves to pretend that the races that are being run will have more pure scientific value than military value.

Answer 2

Japan and India are pretty much allies of the US and Europe so they won't be racing each other militarily.

China's space programme is basically following the Soviet model but at a slower pace (which they can afford) so it doesn't really seem like anyone is actually in a race.

The Shrub's programme will probably end up cancelled or at the very least severely cut back when a new president takes office next year.

I'd say it's the private sector that'll be where the action will be, Spaceship One whilst it hasn't gone very far (no where near orbit) was an impressive achievement and the successor craft should be able to open up space tourism and get some money flowing in that can finance expansion (tourism is good because it wouldn't matter if it is more expensive in space than on Earth whereas pretty much everything else that we could use like space mining or energy production could be done cheaper on Earth, at least at first).

Answer 3

Competition is the only way forward for the Human Race. Competition in space is far better than war.

One small minor and insignificant point to bear in mind in all of this. When it comes to brains both the Chinese and Japanese are at least 10 points ahead of the best brains of any Caucasian. I say this without predudice since I am myself a white Brythonic Celt with hardly any brains at all who's main approach to everything is shoot first and ask questions afterwards.

There's a Chinese rocket headed for the Moon right now. Not sure exactly what it is going to do, but think it's got a landing probe - so wait and see.

Back in 1969 the Americans should have staked their claim to the entire Moon. No one to stop them and boo to anyone who wanted to try and stop them. Now, not possible.

While everyone is focused on the Moon the Yanks and the Brits are busy laying claim to the seabed of the Southern Ocean, particularly around the Falklands and the 200 mile exclusion zone oil area thing.

Answer 4

I hope the world is entering into a new space race! I think any good race will drive the countries to develop more and new scientific achievements.

On the Military side there is a great race taking place here on planet earth in the Antarctic on who owns the resources.

I just hope that the countries involved understand that in every good race there are winners and losers but the goal remains everyone’s and in this case I hope the winners are the people of the earth who someday will walk on the moon again and look up and watch an earth rise.

Answer 5

There's been a new space race going on for several years. The importance is not military--it is focused on scientific and applied research, with long term goals of establishing orbital manufacturing, etc.

Bush's "new program," however, is fake. He refusedto support NASA's request to develop a next-generation shuttle and the NASA budget has been cut every year Bush has been in office. There is no funding for a return to the moon and Bush has never asked Congress for any.

Answer 6

I don't think we have a reason for another space race. During the cold war, the US and the USSR were fighting with each other for dominance. The US and Japan aren't really fighting each other.

Quite frankly, I think we should ignore the moon and mars and focus on the asteroid belt. That's where all the precious metals are. If we want to explore space, we'll have to make it profitable. Millions and millions of tonns of "free" metal has the power to do that.

Answer 7

I wouldn't say it's a new space race, but I know what you mean. I really hope it will be scientific. There's so much out there to see and know...

I'm not sure why they're still trying to get to the moon... again! I personally think we should look to Mars or something for exploration.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

This shows that China is becoming the new rivals to the US rather than Russia. Is it really necessary to spend billions just to be the first person to get to Mars anyway? In both countries they have starving people.

Sorry this is a quick answer!

Answer 10

hopefully scientifically. if you ask me, we havent done enough in space yet. we spend all our money on war and crap like that but have gotten really nothing done in space at all. they've been "building" that space station forever and it still looks the same. we need to speed these things up. but with an idiot like bush in the office, i dont think thats gonna happen anytime soon.