(the other: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4156153)
And both of them with gratuitously editorialised titles, at that.
http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
Please don't do things to make titles stand out, like ... adding a parenthetical remark saying how great an article is.
You can make up a new title if you want, but if you put gratuitous editorial spin on it, the editors may rewrite it.
There were a multitude of important stories happening on Sunday outside of China: Egypt democratically electing its first president, for example. Editors make a call on which stories readers will find most interesting. The front-page is what sells the newspaper.
It is not as if the story was ignored - I think most Western news sources gave it coverage (certainly the ones I read did). But I also think in many countries right now other domestic and international issues (the Arab Spring, the Eurozone Crisis, the US election, etc etc) are of far greater interest to the public. And that's what sells newspapers / gets hits.
But I think you are right, the story of Chinas successful start was not ignored by mass media. It just was not front page material.
Although, there is the risk that space becomes militarised, which would probably be worse that the current situation: scientific satellites would be at risk, especially Earth-observing ones, and we would have a second Cold War.
But USA would probably just accept it lost the race, and not bankrupt.
