Chinese building orbital lab by 2023 to make 'space medicine' China has told the 64th International Astronautical Congress in Beijing that it plans to have a space station in orbit within the next decade, saying it will be used to study space medicine and study the effects on humans of spending long periods away from Earth's gravity. The Nyu Wa space station, named after the Chinese …
Back in the days of Space Station Alpha, research was touted as the number one benefit. Then it, over time, morphed into ISS and, after construction had begun, all mention was quietly dropped.
The reason? Extremely high cost per seat and a strict lack of seats overall. Right now, it's all NASA can do to keep ISS crew levels up, there're just no seats and certainly no budget to get researchers up there.
China wants a multi-module space station in orbit? Great, good for them!
It's going to be a research centre? Not until the PRC can get seat prices way, way down & seat availability way, way up...
>> It's going to be a research centre? Not until the PRC can get seat prices way, way down & seat availability way, way up...
This isn't the 60's - aside an abundance of existing research and experimental results and the average first world citizen carrying a full scale NASA supercomputer in his/her pocket, there are now even commercial operators in this market; http://www.virgingalactic.com/booking/
Just take a look at the cost of computing over time; http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2010/04/computers-just-keep-getting-cheaper-and-better-and-we-should-eagerly-await-the-days-ahead/
>>there are now even commercial operators in this market; http://www.virgingalactic.com/booking/
I might agree with your general point that research in orbit becomes more and more affordable every decade, but you undermine your own argument when you put forward Virgin's little trips. I mean they're impressive and they technically get to Space, but anyone who knows about this stuff knows it's not at all like docking with the ISS or a shuttle launch.
The subhead is a bit incongruous, innit? The Middle Kingdom has long had its human rights issues at home, but since when has it ever showed particular interest in weapons proliferation? The USA and Russia are (by far) the big weapons manufacturers for the world. OTOH, China seems to be more interested in leapfrogging the West on emerging technologies, so space medicine seems perfectly reasonable.
I mean besides providing Arms for, North Korea, the Khmer rouge, Cuba and possibly doing nuclear deals with Pakistan when have the Chinese ever exported weapons, also possibly Iran, Zimbabwe and Sudan and maybe a few other states but this is China we are talking about here.
"The Nyu Wa space station, named after the Chinese goddess credited with creating humanity"
Am I the only one who finds it slightly ironic that the Chinese space section named their 'space station' after a goddess given the inherently god-free nature of communism? Seems an about-turn...
I'll admit to knowing nothing about Chinese Goddesses though.
Big brother because, well, it is China
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