Nature News, Wires, BBC etc: China’s space confidence grows as orbital docking test goes exactly right
First, because it’s the best story in this group, here’s what it all means before getting to the straight news. At NatureNews (which some day I’ll have to investigate which probably means Google-around to see how far it circulates and if it’s syndicated or other such, like a real news agency – see UPDATE* below)) David Cyranoski analyzes China’s “bold” space strategy. The so-called heavenly kiss of two orbiters, with one of them just today successfully landed back in China, is just one of a “string of high profile space successes.” This is prelude to a genuine space science program, not just a display of technological and potentially military prowess. One reads this all to mean that intellectual curiosity, a hallmark of great powers and the civilizations behind them, is starting to infuse a maturing China’s leadership and the policies it values. Cyranoski reports that previously disorganized dabbles in space science are mostly going under one roof with a clear mission, and to these eyes that means to get out there and learn things that can go into journals and impress members of overseas academies of science. In addition to well-publicized ambitions to build a manned orbital lab, an X-ray observatory, a solar-observing satellite, and expanded collaboration with international space science efforts are all on the agenda, says here.
from BBC
In the meantime, several news agencies bring word of the orbital linkup’s successful conclusion:
- BBC – Jonathan Amos: China’s unmanned Shenzhou 8 capsule returns to Earth ;
- Xinhua – Wang Guanqun: China’s central authorities congratulate success of first space docking mission ; Plus Special Report with galleries of pics.
- Reuters – Sui-Lee Wee: China Spacecraft returns to Earth after docking test ;
- Space.com – Clara Moskowitz: Chinese Space Capsule Lands After Successful Docking Test Flight ;
- The Hindu – Ananth Krishnan: Space mission a success: China ; India, another budding space power, follows China’s progress keenly.
- Register (UK) Brid-Aine Parnell: China spacecraft masters the art of docking ;
- Houston Chronicle (op-ed) Rep. Peter Olson: China’s space program poses potential threat to United States ; Right. Yet another sign that China’s space program is getting respect already.
- Xinhua/Dragon Space: China space prowess benefits world ; another op-ed, a different view.
- Forbes (blog) Alex Knapp: Chinese Docking Mission A Success: Shenzhou-8 Returned To Earth ;
*UPDATE – Nature chief magazine editor Tim Appenzeller reports: I wish we knew exactly who our readers are, since it’s free and doesn’t require registration. But there are lots of them (about 1.2 million unique visitors a month). It’s syndicated to Scientific American, which is our sister publication; their site posts a large fraction of what we do, so it gets lots more eyeballs there.
- Charlie Petit
