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        In October 2003 China became only the third nation to launch a human into space aboard its own rocket. Colonel Yang Liwei, China's first taikonaut, orbited the Earth for barely a day before returning, slightly shaken, to a landing in Mongolia. It was a significant technical achievement for a country that has been struggling to modernize its economy and its technology, and the Chinese government trumpeted it to its people and the world. Although Yang's flight received considerable attention around the globe, what was almost ignored is the fact that after his feet were firmly on the ground, the orbital module from his Shenzhou spacecraft continued to circle the earth, carrying several military payloads. The module is apparently equipped both with a reconnaissance camera capable of spotting objects on the ground about a yard long, and an array of antennas for intercepting radar and other signals from hundreds of miles away. Despite this, Shenzhou is not something the United States should be concerned about, but should actually encourage.

    China is pursuing a human space program for three primary reasons: international prestige, domestic pacification, and industrial policy. A human space program enhances China's status as a major power, at least within the Pacific region. It also feeds nationalist hunger among the populace, making them proud of the achievements of their country even while they realize that they live under an authoritarian and corrupt government – bread and circuses for the masses. Finally, a Chinese “white paper” about space makes clear that the Chinese anticipate numerous technological developments to flow from their space program. Building a space capability requires improvements in manufacturing, computers and materials that the Chinese hope to use in other areas of their economy. Because China is a rival to the United States, it is not in American interests to see them gain international prestige, pacify an oppressed population, or improve their technology.

         But now that China has entered the human spaceflight arena, and President Bush has proposed a new exploration plan, America's best move might be to engage the Chinese in future cooperation in human spaceflight, such as dangling the possibility of sending future missions to the International Space Station, and possibly even future competition in this realm as well. For several years the Western science press has been filled with articles about China's space ambitions. Reporters have claimed that China has bold plans for a large human spaceflight program, including everything from space stations to Moon landings. Many of these reports, however, have generated bad translations of articles originally published in Chinese, or handwaved away the laws of physics. China's space ambitions are in reality much less dramatic and the requirements to achieve some of these goals much higher than the press has implied. Although most of these stories are false, it would be in America's best interest if they are true, and a shrewd strategy to encourage China's peaceful exploration of space, with humans, is called for.

        Human spaceflight is enormously expensive, even in places where labor is cheap. Despite the slow and deliberate pace of the Chinese human spaceflight program so far, it is clear that China has spent a considerable amount of money to acquire this new capability – nearly $2 billion. In addition to developing a spacecraft and launching four previous unmanned missions, China has also built a new rocket, a new launch pad, and a large assembly building for integrating all of the equipment, as well as various other support facilities, such as a tracking station in Namibia and several tracking ships. Recovery forces such as helicopters and aircraft cost additional money. China may also demonstrate the value of spaceflight at diverting domestic attention from government oppression and corruption. But the Chinese government is going to do this anyway with other events, such as the 2008 Olympics. As for China's industrial policy, the United States long ago learned that the spin-off argument is a weak one; although developing spacecraft does produce some useful technologies, it is generally inefficient. If you want a faster computer chip, then develop one; there is no need to go to the Moon to do so. The only demonstrated payoff of human spaceflight is prestige. 

Source: Available at: http://www.thespacereview.com/article/137/1. Accessed on: April 30 , 2026. (Adapted.)