This week we learned that
CALT has contributed expertise in aerodynamic design to the recently-formed (2016) Chinese Olympic bobsled team, with the team planning to compete in the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics. Depending on their performance, we will be on the lookout for any follow-on films to the 1993 classic
Cool Runnings, but with a 21st century rocket science twist.
On January 15, the opening of
the Huizhou Space Science Museum was reported, 2 weeks after its opening on January 1st. Designed and built by a subsidiary of CASIC, the museum covers a total area of ~1,400 m² and is located in the Guangdong Haina Modern Agricultural Ecological Park. The public can learn about China’s space program, including about the mythological references behind spacecraft’s names, observe models of the main rockets and satellites (i.e., Long March series, Dongfanghong satellites, Beidou satellites, Tiangong, among others), and about space science more generally. This is the second museum dedicated to space to open within an ~8 months period, after the largest astronomy museum opened in Shanghai in July 2021 - which may show that the Chinese government wishes to promote interest and support for space exploration among the public.
Speaking of which – last but not least, a paper written by American academic and China hand Lincoln Hines,
released this week, outlines China’s public opinion towards space, and how it impacts the space sector. This should be an area of increasing importance given the role of national pride in China’s space program.