Comment on US concerned NASA will be overtaken by China's space program
doctorcrimson@lemmy.today 10 months ago
They must have made some huge advances since the last time I checked in on them because they haven’t exactly been considered sophisticated in the art of rocketry for a couple centuries now. They first had a person in space in 2003 and they’re still using the same Shenzou line of rockets since that time.
Argonne@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Yeah you missed the part where they have a fucking space station and a growing private sector of reusable launch vehicles that are copying SpaceX.
doctorcrimson@lemmy.today 10 months ago
We’re impressed by a space station? What is this, 1976?
I’ll admit it’s an improvement over their situation before the early 80s where 88.7% of people in China were below the poverty line.
Argonne@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Yeah, a space station is actually pretty impressive given that no other country besides the US and Russia have one, and that will be gone by 2030 with no plans for a replacement. So in a few years China will have the only space station in space. They launch multiple rockets per week while the US just has SpaceX launching at a similar cadence. Go stick your hand in the sand if you want, but the Chinese have a great space program and just saying “we did it x many years ago” is completely irrelevant to today. All of the tech isn’t here anymore. There is no space shuttle. The SLS is a boondoggle that will never fly after a few expensive Artemis missions. Today is what matters and I believe Chinas space program is in a much better place than ours. Today.
doctorcrimson@lemmy.today 10 months ago
The ISS was designed and built in various countries across 4 continents in the 80s and 90s, I would hardly call it only Russia’s and the USA’s. I honestly respect India’s Aerospace more than China’s current level of technology. Even the UK, who historically have had no interest in the field, are in the midst of planning 2 massive Space Ports in England and Scotland.
I’m not dismissing the failures of USA Space Program, I’m just striving for accuracy of Chinese Failures. They’re not currently neck and neck with us, at all. When they figure out how to make coal powered rockets, then maybe I’ll sweat a little, lol.