China’s giant, quiet step in space, Leroy Chiao, CNN “I have seen China’s space technology. It is impressive. What the Chinese lack is operational experience. In that, we are still far ahead. But we in the know hear footsteps. It’s time not for another government space race, but for expanded space cooperation and collaboration — an effort the United States would lead, as it does today with the International Space […]

Farewell, my space shuttle, Leroy Chiao, CNN “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But hard as they tried, nobody else ever got it right. The development of the Soviet Buran shuttle, which flew only once and without a crew, nearly brought the Soviet program to its knees. The French Hermes and Japanese Hope spaceplane designs never lifted off of their respective drawing boards. Our soon-to-be-scuttled shuttle stands as a […]

An Astronaut Explains How We’ll Fall In Love With Space Again, Leroy Chiao, Gizmodo “The Constellation Program was a reasonable path, five years ago, when the Vision for Space Exploration was first formulated. Since then, budget shortfalls have caused significant delays. Moreover, the goals evolved into a focus on getting astronauts back to the Moon, to the development of the Ares family of rockets and the Orion spacecraft. The public […]

Keith’s note: The following is a transcript of an interview I conducted on 19 October 2004 with Expedition 10 Commander and NASA ISS Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Expedition 9 NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke aboard the International Space Station.