A U.S.-China space race?
Not only has China now built the world's fastest supercomputer, surpassing a U.S.-built machine, they're also looking to surpass the U.S. in space:
It's too early to call it a race, says Henry Hertzfeld, research professor of space policy and international affairs in the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University. But China's Martian orbiter may indicate a second destination for the country's space program....Hertzfeld nevertheless cautioned that the differences between the 1960s and the 21st century make for a very different competitive landscape. There are more countries now with space capabilities and access to space; there is much more cooperation among nations; and the costs are astronomical.
"I think it's too early to tell if we will engage in a true 'race' to Mars as we did with the USSR to the moon," he said.
But the official messages from governments seem to tell a different story, with the U.S., India, China, and Russia all declaring that they hope to reach Mars at around the same time.
I would be really surprised if we get a replay of the Cold War-era space race. As America's own space program demonstrated, there's a real difference between space exploration as a bauble of Great Power status (the moon landings) and any kind of strategic, long-term space program. Landing people on Mars just to prove you can do it is a ridiculous waste of money absent a serious strategic vision.
