14 DAY TRIAL // With the first of its components launched into Earth's orbit in 1998, the International Space Station is now the absolute largest artificial body to be flying over our heads, circling our planet.
Since it officially opened for business, the laboratory has welcomed well over 200 astronauts from a total of 15 countries. Not one of these space explorers was from China.
China wants in, reports say
In a recent interview with CNN, Chinese astronaut Nie Haisheng admitted that he and his colleagues at the China National Space Administration would love to be invited aboard the International Space Station.
“As an astronaut, I have a very strong desire to fly space missions with astronauts from other countries and I look forward to the opportunity to go to the International Space Station,” he said, as cited by DM.
The trouble is that, at least for now, legislators in the US are refusing to let NASA bring a Chinese crew aboard the space laboratory. Their argument: China doesn't play well with others.
In 2011, US lawmakers inked an order banning NASA from collaborating with China on any space venture, regardless of its nature. They brought up national security to justify this ban.
To this day, US legislators say that China cannot be allowed to join the International Space Station program because it would only use this opportunity to grow into a military and economic colossus.
And yet things might soon change
DM tells us that, in a recent interview, former cosmonaut Alexei Leonov said that, to his knowledge, the US and Russia were not too long ago in talks to allow Chinese astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
The Russian side didn't need much time to make up its mind and give the green light to such a collaboration. The US, however, said it needed more time to think. It's been pondering the issue ever since.
“Last year a request was received by the International Association of Space Activities Participants (IASP) from the Chinese to authorise a visit for the Chinese to the ISS [International Space Station],” Alexei Leonov reportedly said.
“The Russian side has agreed to it, and now it is being discussed by the Americans,” he added. For the time being, US space agency NASA has refused to make any comments on these rumors.
China isn't just waiting to be noticed
It might be that NASA isn't allowed to share its toys with it, but this doesn't mean that China is just sitting around waiting to be noticed and invited to the party.
It was in 1992 that the country cut the ribbon on its very own manned space program. It has since launched 10 Shenzhou spacecraft, 5 of them manned missions, and a space lab, the Tiangong-1.
Besides, reports say that, come 2022, China hopes to debut yet another fully functional space lab, the Tiangong-2. Like the International Space Station and the Tiangoing-1 before it, this planned station will essentially be a microgravity laboratory in Earth's orbit.
