China cancels manned lunar landing plans

[BigJim]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/0...eut/index.html

Can't decide if it's good or bad yet. Although I didn't think they were actually going to do it.

[Archer17]

As far as the astronomy side goes, I thinks it's bad. A serious Chinese manned initiative to the moon would've shook us up IMO.

[Jigsaw]

Yeah, it would've been cool.

And you know that somebody high-up somewhere in the Chinese power structure has lost major face over this. I'm sorry for him, whoever he is.

[Tranquility]

Why would it be good? Any space endeavour is good for humans. I doubt if any human (maybe aside from the Russian leadership) did not feel proud when Neil Armstrong stood on the Moon's surface. I know I would be proud if China made it to the Moon regardless of their nationality.

[Russ]

A moment of seriousness in an otherwise jovial conversation. I hope this means they have decided that they don't need high reliability, high lift, high accuracy ICBM capability. That's what Apollo was all about. I also hope it means they haven't found another way to achieve the same result.

[Master258]

Yeah it's too bad

[Jigsaw]

Well, one reason I can think of why it might be good would be that it would free China to focus their resources on a space station, rather than on landing yet another guy on the moon, to walk around and take pictures and pick up souvenirs and just generally do the space tourist thing, courtesy of Chinese Tax Dollars. A manned space station would be cooler than yet another Moon Tourist, because it would be long-term.

[ToSeek]

Or not:

China reiterates Moon mission plans

A Chinese space official has refuted a Western press report from 10 days ago that alleged that financial considerations had forced China to abandon plans to land astronauts on the Moon.

By our own Jim Oberg.