by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright October 14, 2003
All Rights Reserved.

etting another rude wakeup call, China secretly launched its first manned spacecraft into space Oct. 15, 2003, over 42 years after the former Soviet Union rocketed cosmonaut Uri Gagarin into a single orbit on April 12, 1961. Humbled by the event, the U.S. launched its first Mercury mission with astronaut Alan Shepard, blasting into space on May 5, 1961. Less than a year later, John Glen became the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the earth in February 1962. “We choose to go to the moon . . . and do the other things, not because they are easy but because they are hard,” said President John F. Kennedy, speaking at Rice University Sept. 12, 1962, promising to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Only four years before, U.S. was jolted out of its stupor when the U.S.S.R. launched Sputnik Oct. 4, 1957, the first of nearly a dozen satellites, officially beginning of the space race.

      Long after Kennedy's assassination, the U.S. fulfilled its promise, landing Neil A. Armstrong and “Buzz” Aldrin on the moon July 20, 1969. After a few more missions, NASA changed directions, abandoning the capsule-style craft, developing a reusable space-plane called the “shuttle.” On Sept. 12, 1981 the first space shuttle “Columbia” took off heralding a new era of reusable, spacious space exploration. Great expectations crashed and burned with the Challenger disaster Jan. 28, 1986, when “O” rings in the Saturn Rocket's solid rocket booster failed, killing the entire crew shortly after liftoff. Disaster struck again when the Space Shuttle Columbia burned up Feb. 1, 2003 on re-entry, stemming from damage to the spacecraft's heat-protective tiles, presumably caused by defective foam insulation dislodged at liftoff. Now grounded pending safety delays, the aging Shuttle program may never fly again.

      Putting all its eggs in one basket, NASA allowed the entire U.S. space program to fall into obsolescence. Content to take the easy way out, NASA rested too long on past successes, including the exciting development years of Mercury and Apollo, culminating in Apollo 17's last lunar landing on Dec. 11, 1972. Since then, NASA poured all its energy into the Shuttle program, content since 1998 to launch satellites, conduct creative experiments and help build the International Space Station. Bringing us up-to-date, China now takes center stage, launching its first manned flight in a modified Soyuz-style capsule with its sole 38-year-old astronaut Yang Liwei. “China's first manned spacecraft, the Shenzhou 5, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern province of Gansu at 9 a.m. Wednesday (9 p.m. EDT),” said China's Xinhua news agency.

      For a third-world country, known for its poverty and over-population, China etched its place in world history, preceded in manned space flight by only the former U.S.S.R. and U.S. China's maiden voyage involved 14 orbits in 21-hours, eclipsing first attempts by the U.S.S.R. in 1961 and U.S. in 1962. China has begun an ambitious program, announcing its goal of building a manned space station on the moon. “The launch of Shenzhou 5 is long-awaited by the Chinese people,” said Foreign Minister spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue, proudly declaring and promising “the peaceful development of space.” Using Russian technology, the Chinese modified the Soyuz platform, generating more electricity from extensive solar panels, a new warning system to avoid space debris and independent power and flight control systems, allowing sophisticated unmanned operations.

      Democratizing Iraq doesn't create the same imagination or pride as great nationalistic goals like the space program. Now adrift, the U.S. space program desperately needs new goals and ambitions. China expects to reap a technology dividend from its space program, spurring the same kind industries that flourished during the formative years of the U.S. space program. “It will showcase China's development in science and technology,” Li Piang, manager of China's Beijing space facility, built around a 17th century brick tower constructed by Jesuit missionaries. “It will give a boost to Chinese stocks that have an aerospace connection,” said Xhao Peng, a young employee in a Beijing investment firm, expecting only good things to come out of China's big day. Though only in space for 14 orbits and 20 hours, China has acquired international prestige only gained from manned space flight.

      Jolted again, the White House must look beyond terrorism and federal deficits to give new direction to NASA and establish the next great American goal. Battling terrorists doesn't whet the appetite of Americans still longing to conquer new challenges in science and space. Though clearly national security must be on the front burner, it's no excuse for abandoning great nationalistic goals, like visiting Mars or building the world's first permanent manned space station on the moon.. No superpower can maintain its preeminence without leading the world in science and technology. “Within a decade, China's space activities may well surpass those of Russia and the European Space Agency,” said James Oberg, a veteran NASA engineer, concerned that the U.S. could lose its edge in space science and technology. Before that happens, it's time to take inventory, establish priorities and set new goals.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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