On Sun, 18 Jul 2010 19:13:22 -0700, John Ayres
<jyanjyan@rocketmail.com> wrote:

Just trying to think on the safe side. Even though the Chinese may
have the very first, state sponsored, extraterrestrial space craft for
space flight, don't they have to get every thing in order, first,
before they decide to go out of the stratosphere?

Don't they have to catalog and map every object they can that could
possibly collide with their space craft and dent or disable them?
Otherwise, their shiny new space craft could end up a twisted, mangled
piece of wreckage lying at the bottom of an ocean somewhere.

Let's say, just to speculate, they have recently come out of the work
shed with their shiny new space craft. Now comes a period of labor
where they list and catalog everything so that they don't fly into it.
That would take considerable time, but to get out of this universe,
wouldn't they have to catalog everything out there, and then beyond to
as far out as where ever it is they're planning to go? 

Isn' that part of good seamanship? Making the maps to sail by? 

If they actually have got a space ship, it is going to take them
awhile to get enough cataloged, or mapped out, to allow them to even
go and visit Jupiter or Saturn, isn't it?

I'm not a sailor, of course, but it seems good seamanship starts with
good charts, and good charts start with good knowledge. This could
take a very long time to get accomplished, couldn't it!

They would need a fleet of ships working on it, just to get it
started. Oh well. Just some thoughts on the subject. I guess
everything needs to start somewhere.

John Ayres

Okay. You can all relax, now. It is going to be some time before the
Chinese get to the next level where they have cataloged and mapped out
enough for them to be able to exit the high earth orbit safely and
head on out for a trip around the moon.

Boy this business of mapping out the solar system and beyond is really
going to be labor intensive. Maybe they should start thinking about
collaborating with the Yanks, and others on this one.

They're going to eventually need some pretty advanced systems to
assist them.

It sure would be handy if some of these others in our galaxy would
give us a helping hand.

By the way, you may say I'm dreaming, but it ain't so. I've seen two
interplanetary vehicles in my life, and the last one, in 2005, was so
awesome. No one can tell me they don't exist.

John Ayres