Andrew S. Erickson

Evan Osnos, “China’s Rendezvous in Space,” Letter from China, The New Yorker, 18 June 2012.

Chinese astronauts, back in space for the first time in four years, have achieved China’s first manned docking with a space lab in orbit, a coupling infused with such emotion and expectation that it sounded, from the language on television, positively human. Adding to the excitement is the fact that this mission includes China’s first female astronaut, Liu Yang, a seasoned pilot in the Chinese Air Force. She had been rising through the Chinese space program for several years, but her presence on this mission was kept a secret until the last minute. …

Over the last decade, China has moved with purpose, putting its first person into space, completing an inaugural spacewalk, and launching two lunar orbiters. But it is not doing anything rash; the pace, four missions in four years, is a stately one. “China’s careful, sustainable approach cannot be compared to some early Soviet ‘firsts,’ which took safety shortcuts in order to achieve politically-timed space spectaculars,” according to Andrew Erickson, of the U.S. Naval War College. “By working on its own terms, on its own time, Beijing is building for the future.” The caution also reflects the risk that when a project becomes so closely identified with national pride, its success or failure becomes doubly significant. …

For the original posting cited here, see Andrew S. Erickson, “Making History in the Heavens: Liu Yang Becomes 1st Female Chinese Astronaut in Orbit as 3-Person Shenzhou-9 Mission Heads for Docking with Tiangong-1 Space Laboratory Module,” China Analysis from Original Sources, 16 June 2012.