The next generation will be even more familiar with the word "taikonaut"

We grew up accepting the words "cosmonaut" and "astronaut" to describe the same thing, and it may be that the next generation will be even more familiar with the word "taikonaut", after China's second manned space mission launched successfully this week. The Chinese space programme is ambitious, but pedestrian in comparison to the US-Soviet "space race" of the sixties. Two years have gone by between the first taikonaut going into space and the current two-man spacecraft, and there's no sign that the next steps will come any faster.

But why should they? There's no "race" this time. Russia has a competent but relatively unspectacular space programme in progress, which does not seem to have plans for anything as ambitious as sending cosmonauts to the moon. The US does have some big targets, but the programme is in some disarray, and it's unlikely any astronauts will be setting foot on the moon again much before the end of the next decade.

Meanwhile, the Chinese have the ambition, the confidence and the technological capability to get to the moon much sooner. A space walk is planned for two years' time, followed eventually by a Chinese space station and a permanent base on the moon. I'm not someone who likes to ascribe specific characteristics to entire nations, but as an observer from a country which has only ever been involved in space exploration as an enthusiastic partner, it's fascinating to watch the different approaches of China, Russia and the US, and the differing results. Latest news at http://www.spacedaily.com/

Update: Successful prototype test of Japan's National Experimental Supersonic Transport aircraft - http://www.engineeringtalk.com/information/japan-sst-editorial.html