China has launched the fourth Shenzhou-class unmanned spacecraft in further tests designed to create a native Chinese manned space program in the next few years. It is possible that China will be successful in this endeavor before too long.
The Chinese seem to realize the political value of manned space flight in terms of national morale and technological achievement. Unfortunately, it will likely take a Chinese manned vehicle on the Moon before the US realizes the opportunities lost by the NASA bureaucracy.
