In the next few hours, if all goes to plan, China will launch its first man into space via a one day mission that will fully test the as yet unused but man-rated Shen Zhou spaceship.
As space commentators such as Phillip Clark from Molniya Space Consultancy in England and Jim Oberg in the US will be saying on the global news networks in the hours ahead, China has flown the Shen Zhou several times on this apx 21 hour 24 minute orbit configuration and has an excellent chance of pulling off both a strategic and tactical triumph – that will, in its own small way, set the stage for a new century of geo political games as the big powers jostle up the ladder.
Acres of analysis maybe be written about this in the days and weeks ahead as people try to find meaning from an incredible engineering feat that has cost hundreds if not billions of dollars – but which was done decades ago by Russia and soon after the United States.
But of course at this evolving juncture of time – as America remains grounded while its taxpayers keep Russia's own space minivan on life support – China is about to "set sail" like never before – and this has got to mean something more than just an excuse for pretty pictures of brave young men while smiling politicians look on.
It would be wonderful to think that America would react by reprioritizing its manned space program to go back to the moon and learn how the real space of somewhere else actually works before heading to Mars and the Asteroids.
LEO is in the end just a way station on route to somewhere else and little more.
If we are to spend 70-100 billion US dollars on manned space in the next 10 years there has got to be something better to do with all that money than keeping the shuttles flying for no other reason than shuttling three people up and down to the space station.
But today the focus is on an ancient nation in a new century and I like all space cadets truly wish China's first spacemen good luck and a safe return.
Simon Mansfield
President
Space.TV Corp
