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Posted by Sherman in Idaho [72.47.9.37] on Sunday, August 26, 2012 at 15:35:09 :
In Reply to: Re: It's too bad his footprints will be there forever posted by CSCameron [68.228.198.56] on Sunday, August 26, 2012 at 15:06:06 :
Just going by history here, China has never been a nation that cared much for exploration. The Chinese empire expanded until it took up roughly its present boundaries a long time ago, and then stopped. Although it had the technology, wealth, and government to explore the Americas and Africa during the great age of exploration, they never did. They even had one emperor who ordered the country's entire navy scuttled just so they wouldn't go out and contact the rest of the world.
Right now, China cares about pride and wanting to prove that they're a big grown-up country, so they have a real space program, but so long as nobody else is sending men to the moon, I think they'll be satisfied with a space station, which of course they can also use for spying.
America, on the other hand, was founded by explorers, from the Indians who hiked across the Bering land bridge during the Ice Age, to the Vikings who landed in "Vinland", and then all the most adventurous (or unpopular at home) Englishmen, Spaniards, and Frenchmen who explored the coasts of both continents, and then the US that explored and conquered the interior.
Americans, by nature, like to explore. Chinese, by nature, don't. Or at least that's what history tells us. Now the problem is American and Americans are old. Exploration and adventure are for young men. Old people are burdened with poor health and fears of losing their money. Old countries are burdened with bloated, unsustainable budgets, immovable bureaucracy, and citizens who care more about health care and retirement security (because they're old) than about adventure and exploration.
Personally, I wouldn't mind if China sent men to the Moon and to Mars. I'd rather that we did it, but I'd rather somebody do it than that nobody ever go. I just don't think they have it in them to be adventurous like that. Plus, if they're not careful, they're going to have another revolution to worry about pretty soon.
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