The manager rang up the sale, and I chatted with two buyers who were students at the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

NEWYORKER: Green Giant

"There are loads of ideas floating around, and they're serious about implementing them, " said UK space scientist John Zarnecki, who is a visiting professor at Beihang University, the new name for the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

BBC: Rocket launches Chinese space lab

One of them is Adam Bruckner, Chairman of the University of Washington's aeronautics and astronautics engineering program.

NPR: Tech Tycoons' Dream: My Own Private Spaceship