"Spacewalk"?

FFS, wake up, China - that is *so* last century.

Frumpy old space science doesn't grab journos' attention. If you want to maximise headlines, build a Large Hardon Collider, invent the world wide web, release a Ubuntu rival or something cool. "Spacewalking" is synonymous with tie-dye, flares and Raleigh Choppers. Do keep up!

Mine's the silver one with NASA stencilled across the back

"Large Hardon Collider" - sounds painful!

Is Ron Jeremy available?

"How can you tell?"

"There's a nip in the air"

Gorrit already.

Has to be said that they are progressing very well. Yes, they seem to be 30-40 years behind the US, Russia, EU. But even so. At this rate, they'll have Moon Base Crouching Dragon all set up before NASA has a chance to sneeze.. I feel that the Chinese will surpass the rest of the world in a matter of years.

Am sure this will ruffle feathers in a few years, but hopefully this will also urge the rest of the world to get back in the saddle and push the boundaries of science in Space Exploration...

Buck Rogers is cleared for more nonsense! "Ok, Buck!"

(...as long as Wilmar is there in all her spandex, lipgloss and charm... ooohh... what a woman! A Cold Cloth is needed!!)

Mine's the one with the 1981 Buck Rogers Annual (25th Anniversary) in the rather large pocket..

...that China will be the first to establish a base on the moon.

They don't have their hands tied behind their backs like NASA do.

Hope they land in the Sea of Tranquility so we will finally know if the USA did land on the moon.

We all have our opinions; I don't expect people to accept mine, but at least I can be allowed to state them. The gratuitous inclusion of comments, which appear to me to be snide or sneering in the context in which they are used - such as 'communist' and 'comrade' in this article, are irritating and bordering on being offensive. They devalue an otherwise interesting, informative and important article. They are not necessary.

The wrtier seems to want to imply that the Chinese state is inferior to ours because it is communist. I recommend he should visit China for a few weeks and travel there extensively . He will find that the term 'comrade' is unused in personal and professional relationships. These relationships are stronger, more important and more effective in China than they are here in the west - in my personal expereince. Even I am surprised to find that China is, in fact, a nice place to live.

More importantly, the Chinese state has far, far out-performed our own Government in improving the lives of its citizens. This specialised, IT-focussed forum alone records a huge, embarrassing, and even depressing history of UK Government failures, on both Policy and professional levels. Under Government control of the past 15 years or so we have been moving towards third world country status - at an accelerating pace. The communist state of China is moving a far larger mass in the opposite direction - at an accelerating pace.

I agree with you whole-heartedly, these commies need a boot up the arse, I want to see a massive moonbase when I look up at night!

Why Paris, because zero G would be an enhancement the press would love!

Hoo boy - you're gonna stir the possums with that one !

:) <-- old style smiley for nostalgia's sake.

Have you been here before?

El Reg has a long history of poking fun at anyone and everything, if you are looking for a non-humorous bare fact (boring) source for your news I expect you will continue to be upset by articles here, the rest of the readership and I however, will not!

Let's not kid ourselves here - comments sections were added so people could brainfart their jokes and politically-incorrect opinions in a relevant manner.

I'd be surprised if anybody here actually believes most of what they comment. I found some of the comments quite funny, and I'm in no way prejudiced against China. I am friends with several Chinese, have the upmost respect for the Chinese people, actually want to visit there on holiday, and although I'm sure their government can be sly and devious, they do seem to be able to keep the country running smoothly, and keep the majority of their countrymen happy.... which is far more than I can say for the sly and devious British government.

So yes, they have made some huge accomplishments and are fairly forward thinking, but I really don't think anybody is really going to say that in the el reg comments section. That's like expecting a intelligent, non bias and non-sexist article in The Sun. Never gonna happen.

Warning: Merkin's above icon

On only their third mission? That's a pretty impressive level of development. The Soviets only attempted it on their eighth manned mission, the US on their ninth. Even allowing for technology transfer from the Russians, it's clear that the Chinese are very confident about their hardware and their crews.

Let them link up with the ISS. THAT would be something! Then it would be truly international in scope. When they do a mission like Apollo 8 (to the moon and back!) they will have done something. Of course, you need BIG rockets for that. Saturn-5's are on display in Houston (maybe not after IKE) for copying purposes.

Yes indeed. They may be late to the party but they are there now and it should scare the bejeesus out of everyone.

The Chinese leadership want to dominate (yes, they are trying to be capitalists as well). Think back to their laser shot into space.

Now think about them having a space based laser shooting back down to earth.

Anyone laughing now....

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This is no longer fun and games. Russia now has money again, and they are going to up the space ante.

At the pace China is going, they very well may have a moon base before we do.