China-EU space cooperation
The Chinese and Europeans are discussing joint space missions before the end of the current decade by bartering for seats aboard Chinese Shenzhou spacecraft in the same way it has long done with Russia and the United States, AP reports. "I would welcome a European astronaut flying aboard a Chinese spaceship," said Thomas Reiter, a German ESA astronaut and veteran of Russian Soyuz and American space shuttle flights, logging just over 350 days in space, the most by any non-American or non-Russian.Long March w/Shenzhou
Reiter, the head of ESA's human spaceflight division said his agency is exploring the possibility of joint space missions with China as part of a wider cooperation with the country. ESA is planning to slowly deepen cooperation with its Chinese counterpart and could aim for joint missions in "the second half of this decade." The 19-nation European Space Agency (EAS) plans to hold a series of MEETINGS WITH ITS CHINESE COUNTERPART, the China National Space Administration, to explore CLOSER COOPERATION in the areas of astronaut training, spacecraft docking and developing life support systems.
European taikonauts in works?
"In fact, some of our astronauts have started Chinese language training," Reiter told the media in Berlin. "As I would welcome a European astronaut flying aboard a Chinese spaceship it would be of course a very, very powerful political sign to have CHINA ON BOARD THE ISS," said Reiter. The Europeans have had no human-rated spacecraft with none in the development pipeline. The Europeans, a partner in the ISS, have been taking Russian and American space taxis. Now the Europeans look to the Chinese as a future space access ride alongside taikonauts.
The United States policy has been to reject ANY PROPOSAL to include China in the international space technology collaboration at the 100-billion space station orbiting the Earth for more than a decade despite calls to do otherwise.
Credit: mysteries-and-strangeness.blogspot.com
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