Red Moon
A NYT piece outlines the upcoming space rivalry between the US and China (link via Gregg Easterbrook):

Some analysts contend that China's manned space vehicle is specifically designed for potential military uses. The Chinese, meanwhile, saw the technological prowess displayed by the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq, and are now emphasizing the importance of "information warfare," with the need for a presence in space.

Easterbrook speculates that Bush's space initiative is an Star Wars-style attempt to spend the Red Chinese into the ground:

If Beijing wastes inexpressible quantities of yuan building some kind of installation on the Moon, its regular armed forces will be starved for funds and impotent for decades.

I don't give the Bush people that much credit. I think the Mars talk is just an election year attempt to sound Kennedyesque - and a failed attempt at that. The space initiative was conspicuously absent from the State of the Union speech. As far as the Bush administration takes the space program seriously, I think they see it as a defense industry corporate welfare program/intergalactic pork barrel - just like another Texas president.

As for the Chinese, they are not bluffing. They missed out on the last great age of exploration, and spent the next 500 years holding the short end of the stick. I don't think they're about to let the roundeyes win by default again. When the Zheng He lands on the Moon, don't say I didn't warn you.

Marc

Addendum: What is the threatening nickname for the Red Chinese threat? Russian is to Bear as Chinese is to... Dragon? Panda? Cast your vote.