Six hundred years ago China was unrivaled on the global
stage, a dominant economic power with technological skills that were unmatched
by India, the Ottoman Empire or any of the European powers. It was a medieval
superpower who’s Yongle Emperor, Zhu Di determined to reinforce the preeminence
of the Chinese Han after centuries of domination by the Mongols.
He launched a series of wars against Mongolia to consolidate
his northern borders; Established Beijing as the capital of China; dredged and
restored the Grand Canal from Beijing to Hangzhou; Commissioned the Yongle
Cannon the largest encyclopedia of its time and ordered Admiral Zheng He to
carry out a series of voyages of exploration with the Chinese Imperial Fleet.
Admiral Zheng He commanded an impressive armada of 317 ships
carrying 27,000 men to establish diplomatic contacts and develop trade with
nations in South East Asia, India, the Arabian Peninsula and Africa. Over 27
years in a series of seven voyages the Chinese Imperial Fleet reigned supreme
over large areas of the South China Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. Some
researchers believe that they entered the Atlantic Ocean and may have visited
the Caribbean nearly a century before Columbus.
Abruptly, the maritime expeditions of Admiral Zheng He were
brought to an end because of the cost of maintain the fleet. An imperial decree
made it unlawful to construct ships with more than one mast and China began a
period of introspection and inward focus resulting in a long period of decline.
The age of exploration was over for China and the nations of Europe would
command the oceans of the world in the centuries ahead. The Age of European exploration
would lead to European dominance in economic and military matters.
A short 50 years ago President Kennedy challenged his nation
to embark on another voyage of exploration, this time into space and the
objective to put a man on the moon. Implied was an exploration of the solar
system and beyond. In a few short years Americans walked on the surface of the
moon and developed a constellation of satellites that circle the globe,
providing a vast array of services.
Communications, global positioning and weather satellites
are but a few that we all benefit from. They led in the construction of the
International Space Station and developed the remarkable shuttle program that
resupplied it and rotated the crews that manned the facility. America’s
technological and human feats in the exploration of space have been
unparalleled but now with the end of the shuttle program and with no clear
replacement it seems that another imperial edict has abandoned the leadership in
space exploration as America retreats from its unchallenged position. It seems
as though it has turned away from taking man to the frontiers of space with an
absence of vision for the future.
It is but another example of a lack of leadership that would
maintain America’s role in the forefront of space exploration and technological
innovation. It is a retreat from lofty goals of space exploration that benefit
all mankind. Instead it is one more expression of Obama’s vision that America
is not extraordinary or exceptional but is willing to pay the Russians double
the price for delivering its astronauts to the International Space Station now
that they have a de facto monopoly on the service.
Indeed it is ironic that it is the descendants of the Yongle
Emperor have articulated a goal of establishing a colony on the moon during the
third decade of this century.
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