China To Launch Manned Mission This Month
Written by Nancy Atkinson
China's Long March rocket. Credit: Xinhua
China will launch its third manned space mission in late September, sending three astronauts into Earth orbit. The mission will feature China's first-ever space walk, according to the Xinhua News Agency, the official news agency of China. The Shenzhou 7 launch will take place sometime between Sept. 25 and 30, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Gansu province. The space walk will be broadcast live using cameras mounted on the inside and outside of the spacecraft.
The Long March rocket was loaded with fuel on Sunday. "All the major systems involved in the launching are now in the final preparation. The main tests for the spacecraft, the Long-March II-F rocket, suits for the space walk and a satellite accompanying the fly have also been finished," said the spokesman.
On April 12, China launched a new space tracking satellite to assist with the Shenzhou-7 spacewalk mission. The new space tracking ship is the sister ship of the Yuanwang-5, which was put into use a year ago. Xinhua said the two vessels will play a key role in the Shenzhou-7 mission.
In 2003, China became the third country in the world — along with the United States and Russia — to send a human into orbit. It followed with a two-man mission in 2005.
China also launched the Chang'e 1 moon orbiter in October of 2007.
Source: Xinhua
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September 10th, 2008 at 7:43 am
I thought they were called "taikonauts".
September 10th, 2008 at 8:32 am
According to Wikipedia "Official English texts issued by the government of the People's Republic of China use astronaut while texts in Russian use коÑмонавт (kosmonavt)" and goes onto say, "the term taikonaut is used by some English-language news media organizations for professional space travelers from China."
However, "for the most part, 'cosmonaut' and 'astronaut' [and taikonaut for that matter] are synonyms in all languages, and the usage of choice is often dictated by political reasons."
So if you consider Wikipedia an authority on such matters then "astronaut" is perfectly acceptable.
September 10th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Here comes China… Personally, I think they will have somebody on Mars before the US and Russia.
Actually, I can't wait until this new high-stakes space race kicks off. Give it another 10 years I reckon, and China will have come close to matching the space-going technical ability of the US and Russia. Another 15 – 20 years and the US and Russia will soil themselves all of a sudden because they've let their own manned space programs wander in the doldrums for 40 years, and then it'll be 'game on' in space race v2. India may even be in on the game by then.
And they're all going to want to prove themselves in a big way…
September 10th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
June 3, 1965 – July 20, 1969
It took America only four years from the first spacewalk to the first landing on the moon.
September 11th, 2008 at 6:38 am
Here we go again! Another space race! Someone get the military on high-alert and instruct the treasury to authorize money-printing overtime. Life is good!
September 11th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Hello Mr. Chuck Lam,
don't you overstretch the phrase of the "struggle of life"?
Then if not, how can you hinder the nations to go to space?
September 11th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Will the Chinese spacecraft be visible from Earth if I'm out stargazing?
September 11th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
To: Mr. Dollhopf, I don't believe I 'overstretch' anything All I see the world getting out of the billions and billions of dollars spent investing in space are a handfull of usefull devices and a whole lot of paychecks. And perhaps, most important, a mild feeling of security. I truly hope China and other nations make it successfully to the moon and beyond. Again, lots of new benefical devices and paychecks. My bad feeling all this space activity is nothing more than a military super race. I believe this will, unfortunately 'hinder' world growth in some way at all levels. My comments on the subject of space exploration isn't intended to be philosophic, just private observation.
September 12th, 2008 at 1:38 am
Dear Mr. Lam,
I guess that your "Theory on the Negative Impact of a Military Super Space Race on Global Economics" would be better revisable if you had a more mathematical and formalized approach. I mean if you would be less "private" but more precisely?
In my country every third inhabitant has his living from the transfer payments of the welfare state. The expenditures for the social system are higher than the combined expenditures for military, traffic and education. So we do have a "welfare super race" here. I guess it hinders us constantly to participate on your "military super space race". What do you make of this? Is this okay then?