Made In China

Well, the Chinese have been to space again. This is a bit late because I could only write-up a short draft on the 14th.

Although they agreed to join forces with the Russians in the 1990s in developing the International Space Station, the Americans, Mr Clark [of the British-based Molniya Space Consultancy] said, still see China as a rival, not an ally. "It's not space as such that's the problem... it's what's the Americans see as technology transfer," he said.
"They don't want the Chinese to have access to American technology, because they believe, rightly or wrongly, that any technology that the Chinese get access to will immediately be applied to the Chinese weapons programme."

Not that the Americans have ever had a problem with using other nation's technology. Nor are they averse to the flood of cheap Chinese-made crap that keeps America's malls full. On the other hand...

"The Americans specified that no American-built component on any satellite anywhere in the world may fly on a Chinese rocket," Mr Harvey explained.

Anyway, we need to get back to Luna to cover-up Nixon's signature.

Also on Shenzhou VI:
An orbital manoeuvre is a sure sign of something wrong! A good example of people writing above their level. Does this qualify as news? Perhaps if atmospheric drag and the Sun, the Moon and Jupiter didn't previously exist. And I wish they'd use a bloody different illustration of Shenzhou's design - that picture of the model is ancient.

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