China's Space Program

It's a nice touch that China named it's latest satellite that will orbit the Moon after the Moon Goddess (as in Moon Festival). Good background on China's Space Efforts by the Wall Street Journal. I hope that China's effort in space leads the US to do more real space exploration, like the Delta Clipper promised, but was killed by politics. The private efforts in the US are interesting. It would be so neat to actually have the chance to get into space!

If you ever have a chance, read the report by Dr. Feynman on the first Space Shuttle disaster. The last sentence is key: For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled. I was lucky enough to attend in High school summer school at Cal Tech, and Dr. Feynman came in one day and did a lecture. He also used the same piano tuner my parents did (small world). Dr. Feynman also wrote a series of physic books that are still classics and his biography is a fun read! I remember where I was when I heard about both Space Shuttle disasters. For a previous generation, it was where were you when you heard about the President Kennedy being assassinated.

My daughter attended a Sally Ride Festival in Middle School that is hosted at Universities to interest girls in a career in science. If you have a chance to have your daughter go, it's nice and reasonable. I liked the sponsor booths where a previous employer of mine had pictures of some of their women engineers (the CEO got his PhD from Stanford as did Sally Ride). For higher price, there is the Sally Ride space camp which is a couple of days long.

Relevant Books:

The Moon Lady by Amy Tan

Moon Festival by Ching Yeung Russell

	Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes