Chinese? You're not welcome

The American government views China's space programme with suspicion. Chinese taikonauts are, for instance, banned from the International Space Station, which despite its name is largely an American venture. Most recently, this frosty attitude was on display at an international space conference that took place in Beijing at the end of September. NASA—the world's biggest space agency—was notable chiefly by its diminuitive presence. Its boss, Charles Bolden, had to seek a special dispensation even to be there. Read more