Space race now between U.S., China

Stuart Loory, Lee Hills Chair in Free-Press Studies, Missouri School of Journalism: Space exploration began with the launch of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik in October 1957, and the first man, Yuri Gagarin, flew in space in April 1961. When hydrogen leakage problems are fixed and the space shuttle Endeavor takes off, perhaps on July 11, it will carry the 500th person to fly in space. Manned lunar exploration started and stopped with the Apollo Program, and now has started again. But, the new competitor for the United States is China, not Russia. The Saturn rockets used to launch the space shuttles have been in use for 40 years. Why is this hydrogen leak such a problem, now?