Is the United States in a Space Race to the moon with many other challengers of free enterprise and Nation State Sponsors? It appears so, in fact the Space Race to the Moon is heating up and people are forming teams, alliances and partners. China is accelerating its space program too and planning over ten launches in the next five years, which will take humans into orbit.

China is also planning heavy-lift boosters to take large satellites or space lab size projects into orbit. Of course this is part of a larger program, which also includes robotic lunar exploration as well. Looks like Russia and China will be working together and Russia and USA too. Now it appears all three will be working in cooperation. Maybe this Space Race is more than just a moon shot; maybe this can also insure cooperation and trade, that means peace. That is a good thing.

By interlocking the worlds super powers in a common cause will indeed show a new positive step for the forward progress of mankind. Of course one problem critics cite is that much of the technology exchange will indeed be available to be used in military exploits, which bothers a few folks.

China either way is planning a robotic probe to the moon in 2012 and expecting to send a probe and sample return by 2017. So they are moving their game plan forward in a big way, with or without our assistance. Consider all this in 2006.