China’s first spacewalk – political posturing or worthy mission?
By Dave Parrack
During China’s third manned space flight, taikonaut Zhai Zhigang successfully completed the country’s first spacewalk. But is China’s space program a worthy mission that could carry on where Russia and the US left off, or merely political posturing?
The Americans and Russians may have beaten them to it by 50 years, but in 2008, China is finally endeavouring to be a presence in space. The Shenzhou VII spacecraft successfully launched on September 25th, although we knew it was successful even before the craft had taken off.
Today saw the long-awaited spacewalk occur, the next big marker on the road towards China becoming a bona fide member of the space-travelling nations in the world. According to Space.com, taikonaut (or Astronaut to the rest of us) Zhai Zhigang spent about 20 minutes outside of the craft floating around and collecting a piece of solid lubricant that had been placed on the outside of the vehicle prior to launch.
The whole thing, which took place between 08:40 and 08:58 GMT, was broadcast live, and vast sections of China halted while the historic event was taking place. They saw Zhigang emerge from the spacecraft before proudly waving the Chine flag. You can see a video of the event embedded below.
This is just the start of a prolonger effort by China to emerge as the most powerful space going nation of earth, with further missions thought to include an effort to put a man on the moon. The ultimate aim seems to be to have a space station or spacelab ever present in the sky above us. But with America putting a man on the moon in 1969, and the International Space Station already in orbit, what is the point of it all?
Space may have once been the final frontier but it’s now been conquered, at least as far as out immediate surroundings are concerned. Until stellar space travel becomes a reality then surely any country embarking on this sort of mission has to have an ulterior motive.
It could simply be political posturing, with China eager to flex its financial and technological muscle in an area that no-one can deny. However, there are obviously some more rather unpalatable reasons that China could be so keen to venture in to orbit, but they don’t bare thinking about.
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Stumble It!
September 27th, 2008
What reason?
China has been excluded from participation in the ISS, by the way, so it could very well be that it’s doing it’s own thing because it has to
September 28th, 2008
Reality check:
There will be no successful manned interstellar space expeditions,
Star Trek notwithstanding, ever.
Good thing: now China can dump all their extra cash into the black hole that is “space exploration” instead of taking over South America…Oh wait, they have already substantially done that…
Bad thing: they are going to be more efficient at this, because they will not be distracted by trying to prove God had no hand in creating the universe…they already know that Mao did it…
Bad thing: they are a goal directed nation, and they expect to claim the ultimate military high ground with bases on the moon; probably during the period when Russia locks us out of the “international” space station because we won’t be able to hitch a ride there…and even if we can, nobody says we get to come back (can you hear me Major Tom…?).
…and we haven’t even started to talk about Russia…
September 28th, 2008
What’s the big deal here.
Every time anyone ever went into space it was – at least to begin with – primarily for political reasons.
They are no different to any of the rest of us.
…..and Americans who want to pretend that China is somehow “taking over S America” ought to look up the history & detail of US involvement there (esp from the ‘Munroe Doctrine’ on).
In fact almost everything happening there now is a direct reaction to decades of US involvement & interference.
From funding murderous guerrilla warfare to backing military coups to trying to overthrow democratically elected Govs the US record makes claims about Chinese skulduggery, frankly, just laughable.
December 30th, 2008
americans are so ignorant of what there govenrment does around the world it amazes me everyday.
DaveBG speaks complete truth on the subject, america’s hands are tainted red in just about every underdeveloped country in the world. China, Russia and eventually India suppressing american interests is what the rest of the world is waiting for.
There is no amazing success to America, Its simply that no other developed country has 300 million people in it. Hence you are all scared of china’s economy progressing – which leads to bull crap stories like the one above.