China enters space race

Published 1/27/2012
http://dailyevergreen.com/read/opinion-CNSA

In the space race era of the 1950s through 1970s the two superpowers — U.S. and Soviet Union — spent a colossal amount of manpower and finances for achieving supremacy in space exploration. Something of the sort is happening again, with China unleashing an ambitious space exploration program.

But as they say, history repeats itself. So, the first thought that came to my mind was, "what if these superpowers had joined hands in exploring outer space?" Undoubtedly, science and mankind could have accomplished much more in a shorter span of time and with the use of fewer resources. I pondered how China, which owns 35 of the 800 active satellites in outer space, could pose a challenge to the U.S., which just a little more than 400 of them?

 

After looking at some more facts and figures, I figured out that China's plans are really ambitious and, going by its previous record, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) has an impeccable reputation of fulfilling its plans successfully. Before looking at what China plans to accomplish by 2020, let me explain briefly how and when China accomplished its space feats.

 

I was quite surprised to find out that China's space program began in the 1950s. It began when California Institute of Technology scientist Qian Xuesen, who also served on the U.S. National Science Advisory Board as a temporary lieutenant colonel during World War II, was tried on charges of being a Communist-sympathizer and deported back to China.

 

In the years that followed, Qian came to be known as the “father" of China's space program. The successful Long March missile developed by him is the backbone of the Chinese space program to this date. But it was after the Qian-era that the dragon started breathing fire. In 2003, China became the third country to send a human into space, behind the United States and the Soviet Union.

 

From October 1996 to the end of 2005, Long March rockets made 46 consecutive successful flights. Important breakthroughs were made in key technologies of the new-generation launching vehicles, which has made it a leader in the business of launching satellites and other payloads. I was surprised to note that China surpassed the U.S. by carrying out 18 satellite launches in 2011. That same year China launched Tiangong-1, a space lab parallel to the U.S.-led International Space Center. No wonder intellectuals in the U.S. see China snatching the space exploration initiative from them.

 

As if this was not enough, China now emphasizes to improve upon Long March rockets. They hope to be able to lift 25 tons into low Earth orbit, which is 600 Kg more than U.S. space shuttles could manage. In addition, China plans to upgrade its satellite networks by launching a series of high resolution Earth-observation satellites during the next five years. By 2020, China plans to put in place the Beidou satellite navigation system, a set of 35 satellites equivalent to the U.S. Global Positioning System. It also plans to send out probes to the Moon and Mars.

 

All these facts have led me to believe that the Chinese scientists have spent a lot of time, effort and finances to do what is colloquially called, "reinventing the wheel." They have simply accomplished what the U.S. had accomplished in the 1960s. It is a critical juncture in the space exploration relations of the two countries, where technology transfers and confidence building measures should be promoted instead of mistrust.

 

With Earth quickly running out of resources to support human life and existence, space exploration becomes all the more vital. In the words of leading cosmologist professor Stephen Hawking, "I don't think we will survive another thousand years without escaping beyond our fragile planet."

 

While many may be skeptical of China's feats in outer space as solely directed toward building up its military muscle, I am not. In my opinion, the 2000s have been an era in which the U.S. space program has not achieved much except for landings on the surface of Mars. The decommissioning of NASA's space shuttle Endeavour in December 2011, and the crash of Mars-bound Russian probe Phobos Grunt in January 2012, were proof enough that space exploration is no longer a two-horse race. I strongly believe that in such a scenario a third entrant into the vast field of space exploration is more than welcome.

 

To conclude, there is an immediate need to stop seeing China as a competitor and engage it as an ally at least as far as the benefit of the human kind and furthering the cause of science is concerned. Reconciliation efforts, if pursued, would be equivalent to what Neil Armstrong said after taking his first step on the moon, “This is one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”