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Two things I came across today in science news:
On the one hand….
Will US and China be friends in space?
The US may be at odds with China over issues such as weapons proliferation, trade practices and human rights, but this week could mark a turning point in relations between the two countries in space.
As New Scientist went to press, NASA chief Mike Griffin was in the midst of the first official visit to China by a serving head of the agency. Though Griffin has been at pains to keep expectations realistic for his visit to Beijing, Shanghai and the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, officials expect discussions to be wide-ranging.
NASA Administrator Welcomes China to Ranks of Spacefaring Nations
“One of the points I tried to annunciate over and over again to our meetings with various groups of people,” Griffin said in a September 28 statement, “was to welcome China to the rank of spacefaring nations by virtue of their ability to put people into orbit entirely on their own resources. That is a milestone accomplishment and one to be proud of.”
Accompanying Griffin were Associate Administrator for Space Operations William Gerstenmaier, Assistant Administrator for External Relations Michael O’Brien and NASA astronaut Shannon Lucid. [note from grant: Born in Shanghai!]
“This trip really accomplished what it was supposed to do,” Gerstenmaier said, “which was a kind of get-acquainted overview of the China space activity. Next steps will bring in a little more lower level detail in and more specifics about where we’re going.”
…Griffin talked about the evolution of the U.S. space program, from one born of competition to one built on cooperation. “The International Space Station set a pattern for cooperative programs to follow,” he said. “I believe someday China will be part of that.”
Which is swell.
On the other hand….
China Attempted To Blind U.S. Satellites With Laser
China has fired high-power lasers at U.S. spy satellites flying over its territory in what experts see as a test of Chinese ability to blind the spacecraft, according to sources.
It remains unclear how many times the ground-based laser was tested against U.S. spacecraft or whether it was successful.
…Pentagon officials, however, have kept quiet regarding China’s efforts as part of a Bush administration policy to keep from angering Beijing, which is a leading U.S. trading partner and seen as key to dealing with onerous states like North Korea and Iran.
Even the Pentagon’s recent China report failed to mention Beijing’s efforts to blind U.S. reconnaissance satellites. Rather, after a contentious debate, the White House directed the Pentagon to limit its concern to one line. In that one line, the report merely acknowledges China has the ability to blind U.S. satellites, thanks to a powerful ground-based laser capable of firing a beam of light at an optical reconnaissance satellite to keep it from taking pictures as it passes overhead.
According to top officials, however, China not only has the capability, but has exercised it. It is not clear when China first used lasers to attack American satellites. Sources would only say that there have been several tests over the past several years.
“The Chinese are very strategically minded and are extremely active in this arena,” said one senior former Pentagon official. “They really believe all the stuff written in the 1980s about the high frontier and are looking at symmetrical and asymmetrical means to offset American dominance in space.”
