ASK OCE — September 20, 2006 — Vol. 1, Issue 14
China and Russia are currently finalizing plans to collaborate on a joint mission to Mars, according to a leading Chinese space research scientist.
Ye Peijian, a scientist with the Chinese Research Institute of Space Technology, made the announcement on August 23, 2006, at a forum on Chinese space technology development. The 2009 launch will feature a Russian-launched craft equipped with Chinese survey equipment.
The objectives of the mission will be to land a spacecraft on one of the planet’s small moons and bring samples soil back to Earth.
In July, at an international space conference, Sun Laiyan, administrator of the China National Space Administration said that China will map out its deep space exploration plans over the next five years. The focus will be on lunar and Mars exploration.
In This Issue
Message from the Chief Engineer
Leadership Corner: Rickover on Doing a Job
This Week in NASA History: JFK Challenges U.S. to Reach Moon by Decade’s End
First-Person Perspective: NASA History
Reaching for the APEX at Ames
Government Brief: FAA Publishes New Commercial Space Safety Standards
Copy That: Progress in Rapid Prototyping
A View from Outside: Russia and China to Collaborate on Mars Mission
Archimedes Archive: The Turtle
