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China-Japan-Koreas |
China to Launch Manned Spacecraft this Month |
2012-06-10 |
[An Nahar] China will launch a spacecraft this month to conduct its first manned space docking, state media said Saturday, the latest step in a plan aimed at giving the country a permanent space station by 2020. The Shenzhou-9 spacecraft and its carrier rocket have already been moved to the launch platform at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China, the Xinhua news agency said, quoting the country's manned space programme. The launch -- China's first manned space mission since September 2008 -- would occur "sometime in mid June", it said. Officials said the mission would involve three astronauts manually docking with the Tiangong-1 module currently orbiting Earth. In March state media said China may send its first woman into space this year after including female astronauts in the team training for its first manned space docking. Niu Hongguang, deputy commander-in-chief of the manned space programme, has said that the Shenzhou-9 crew may include female astronauts, Xinhua reported. China sent its first person into space in 2003 and has since conducted several manned missions, but has never included a woman. After the space rendezvous, two of the astronauts will move temporarily into the Tiangong-1 (Heavenly Palace), where they will perform scientific experiments. One of crew will remain on board the spacecraft as a precaution in case of an emergency, according to the official quoted by Xinhua. |
Posted by:Fred |
#13 Competition is good, but I would say our commercial space steps this last week or so puts us in a better position long term. |
Posted by: rjschwarz 2012-06-10 23:18 |
#12 Well, they'll never beat NASA's Muslim outreach program. So nyah. In Obama's America, we know how to prioritize. |
Posted by: charger 2012-06-10 18:46 |
#11 Yeah, but neither is James Hansen, so I'm sure it evens out. |
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2012-06-10 14:34 |
#10 Adam Smith weren't no astronaut. |
Posted by: Pappy 2012-06-10 13:15 |
#9 If you close down most of NASA you'll get rid of a Drag On the economy. |
Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2012-06-10 12:43 |
#8 Our private sector is already there doing that. I love the fact SpaceX named the capsule "Dragon" - bet the ChiComs were irked about that |
Posted by: Yosemite Sam 2012-06-10 10:46 |
#7 Marxist economy has to let it's economy go capitalist to afford marxist space program. |
Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2012-06-10 10:40 |
#6 "robbed of its high-pressure pure oxygen environment" no that can't be correct. It had to be a mix of gases. Pure oxygen would burn the lungs. Oxygen supports combustion only. Procopius2k, Apollo seems so long ago now. |
Posted by: Dale 2012-06-10 10:13 |
#5 ...yep, constructed by one of the lowest bidders. Seen that before. |
Posted by: Procopius2k 2012-06-10 09:53 |
#4 Good luck to them. The corruption is so bad in China who knows what they are working with. Cheapest parts and technology with most of it being information stolen from other countries. |
Posted by: Dale 2012-06-10 09:38 |
#3 Will this be before or after they broadcast a successful launch? |
Posted by: swksvolFF 2012-06-10 08:58 |
#2 Doing the jobs that Americans won't. |
Posted by: Perfesser 2012-06-10 08:29 |
#1 Bully for them. |
Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2012-06-10 03:15 |