GoBananaSlugs t1_ixf9793 wrote on November 23, 2022 at 12:12 AM

During my lifetime, landing on Mars has always been about 15 years in the future (along with fusion power). I suspect that will continue until the Chinese land there. The American political system just isn't built to sustain sort of long term programs that will be necessary to go to Mars.

simcoder t1_ixfb4q8 wrote on November 23, 2022 at 12:27 AM

The Chinese are not really the juggernaut of doom that so many people make them out to be. If you live in that neck of the world, sure, be concerned about what China is doing.

But if you're worried about Chinese hegemony in space, you can stop worrying because the Chinese are in the middle of demographic collapse. Among several other ongoing collapses.

GoBananaSlugs t1_ixfs4g5 wrote on November 23, 2022 at 2:44 AM

They don't have to be a "juggxrnaught of doom" they just have to be able to make funding commitments that last more than eight years, something the US has proven incapable of over the last four decades.

simcoder t1_ixfvncw wrote on November 23, 2022 at 3:13 AM

Well they do have that going for them. Score one for authoritarian socialism/communism/whathaveyou I guess.

But one of the downsides of that sort of govt is something like "the one child policy". Which is at the heart of their demographic collapse. A whole pile of financial collapses can also be laid directly at the foot of centralized authoritarianism.

So, it's a bit of a mixed bag.

GoBananaSlugs t1_ixg5ffo wrote on November 23, 2022 at 4:42 AM

Yeah, I don't want to live in China, I just think, looking at the matter objectively, they have the best chance of getting to Mars first. This system where every President pledges to land on Mars in 20 years, with all of the serious spending delayed until to first two years of the succeeding Administration, just doesn't cut it. Maybe if the US revoked the 22nd Amendment......