Battleangel

Via Spacedaily: Dragon Space Special Report

I am sure quite a few people find this project a bit whacky. As pointed out, it brings little innovation to the field and essentially repeats what Gagarin did 42 years ago. Or at least that is what we as a public see. The point here is that you shouldn’t underestimate the power of a good PR show (even if it is a little stale). Also, the project has close ties to the military and one must assume that at least some of the experiments that are scheduled to be conducted during the 21 h flight will be of military origin.

And basic as it seems, this is a necessary first step on yet another long walk. And perhaps it’s a good thing to give a little proof of your progress sometimes, even if it will seem superficial to some. I’m not the average person and I can’t predict public behavior. And starting out as a new nation in this field might be more productive nowadays, given new technology and experiences. As also pointed out, catching up to the USA could only be a matter of years.

One thing that bugs me a little is that the Long March rocket (which in itself seems obsolete) in fact carries a modified Russian Soyuz capsule. Old, but proven and effective. Since there is a space collaboration between Russia and China I wonder why no one has thought of bringing one of the Buran shuttles out of storage. For the amount of time and money it took to prepare the current project I am sure they could have gotten it flying again. Yeah, I know, I should drop the Buran subject but I just can’t help ranting about it. It all depends on the cost of course. The Soyuz is still dirt cheap and that’s why it has survived for so long. I doubt we will ever know the total cost of this project though so there is no way of telling if this was the right course of action.