The first taikonauts return to Earth after 15 days in space. They won't be the last (Image: ChinaFotoPress)
Red Star Rising: China's Ascent To Space Superpower -- Phil McKenna, New Scientist
China's new-found footing off-world is changing the rules of today's space race – find out how the rest of the world is rethinking its strategies
ON 14 December 2013, the top trending topics on China's biggest social networks were a popular TV show and a football match. If it hadn't been for a concerted push from China's state-controlled media, the casual observer might never have noticed that China had just become the third country in the world to land on the moon.
The news was not greeted with sweeping enthusiasm. After all, landing the Yutu robotic rover, aka Jade Rabbit, on Earth's closest neighbour was a feat human explorers had bagged many decades before. "We're now only 50 years behind Russia and USA," quipped one commenter on Weibo, China's version of Twitter. "Our country's designers have some catching up to do," wrote another, before worrying that the joke would lead to police detention.
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My Comment: This is a comprehensive look at China's space program .... a must read for those who are interested in space programs. As to what is my read .... the Chinese have the means, resources, and the political/public will to become the world's dominant space power in the next decade or two .... and at their present rate of growth my expectation is that they will succeed.
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