http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993452

Well... China's already planning and doing as we speak.

The US is a world power, and there is not a lot of competition. There should be more money put into the space program. I hate to mention as an example about the shuttle Columbia, but NASA does not have enough money to maintain these vehicles at the best conditions.

Living in the space coast is awesome, and I enjoy watching the shuttle launch, or a rocket. Unfortunately some people take it for granted.

Apparently a lot of people living here are dependent on the Space Program for jobs and tourism. Cape Canaveral has its beaches (Ron Jon Surf Co.), the Space Center Visitor Center, and the Cruise Line Industry (Disney has two boats out there). With this war on terrorism going into effect, it may hinder other countries from joining the community of space and exploration.

Being Chinese meself, I of course have to support China in this. Everyone should have a nice space program...and like someone above me said, it'll give a little pressure on the US to give some more funding to NASA....

Sure, they've got the right to try, but America *ought* to go back there and reclaim the Moon and pick out the most useful/tactically advantageous positions first for our own use... Actually, we should be on Mars by now, building up bases there, but eh well.

I personally think that its very good for other countries to advance their space technology. Whether ppl like it or not the world is inevitably getting more and more globalized by the day. Talking about Space the United States and Russia are no longer the only contenders. In the past few decades many other countries have come up, i praise this advancement. The most important part of this is that as more and more nations have a well developed and technologically advanced space program, the more nations that can contribute towards a global space agenda. And being and Indian myself, i am a 100% in support of the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) and its wishes for moon and manned missions.

-Cipher X

Hell yeah India!! [I'm Indian, that's why I'm saying this]

India has an awesome space program (though it's not in the media as much as NASA or the Russian Space Program) that includes satellites, rockets, and parts for the ISS. (I have heard that India is giving a few parts to the ISS) As far as satellites go, I'm pretty sure that India has put up more satellites than any other developing nation (I'm not sure about China's statistics).

However, the U.S. lunar landing took a HUMONGOUS SUM OF MONEY!
Take the total transactions in the whole FIRST program (that includes the central administration, NATIONALS, Regionals, As well as ALL 1100 OR SO TEAMS in THE WHOLE 12 YEARS) and multiply it by 1000. Yes. it took multiple billions of dollars (i'm not sure exactly how much, but I think it's in the 100s of billions). The U.S. could afford to do that because of its strong, stable economy, and because many of its more dire problems (illness, infrastructure) were solved. Basically, it was a developed nation.

If a developING nation tried to do the same, it would produce catastrophic results. For example, instead of building a probe to go to the moon, China should try and stop some of its more dire problems (SARS and pollution) and India should build its infrastructure while reducing its pollution. For either country to go to the moon, it would take a lot of money, and by taking money away from solving these problems, would cause disaster.

The best option for the two countries right now is just to go up in space and help build the I.S.S.

Note the US could single handedly build the ISS. It will probably end up costing $30 Billion. Originally it was projected @ 18 Billion and last time I saw Estimates it was 24 - 26 Billion. Maybe 10 Billion to run for its expected life time. Our Gov wastes more money than that on trillion $$ tax cuts (which dont do anything I consider a waste) and other things that basically end up in it getting wasted or lost. Also if we didn't waste and lose money and have 1 billion here and there vanish we could have a far better medical system and a buch of other stuff that were behind in.

I pay more attention to these thing b/c I am a space fanatic. The longer it takes to build the ISS the more it will cost. B/c you will end up paying ppl to do nothing while their waiting to be able to send up parts. NASA is deeply under funded as well are most space agencies around the world. Originally before NASA there were plans to go to Mars in the 70's.

One reason is its under funded is that a congressional panel oversee's its funding. People who aren't scientist and who don't work for NASA or are even related to the space field oversee NASA's funding. Recently they have decided that NASA doesn't need the OSP (Orbital Space Plane) which is/was going to be use to ferry austronauts to ISS (After ISS is completed) instead of the Shuttle.http://www.space.com/missionlaunches...e_0305212.html. This will/would have enabled the ISS to operate at full staff (instead of its 3 now, 2 people). In addition, the shuttles, which were going to originally be retired in 2010ish, are now slated for 2020.

The ISS and the Shuttle Program makes a majority of NASA's budget thats the reason we aren't going to the Moon/Mars anytime soon unless some country tries to initiate a new Space Race with us to the Moon/Mars.

If the shuttles were to be replaced. I think they should be replaced by either modernized RSA Burans or some other type of system (I do prefer a modernized RSA Buran unless that syustem involed sum kind of "mothership" that would be used to go to other planets use a OSP to board it and "the mothership" would never land. All suplies could be ferried up to it. In a nutshell a more complex ISS capable of more movement rather than small boosters).

Another note. Should other countries go to the moon or beyond. Yes, why? B/c its awwinspiring and magically beautifully. Space is not just for the US, Russia, and China (soon any ways) (in ability to launch people in to space). Its for all life in the universe....