China may soon launch manned spacecraft

[Nottingham]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/world/2120699

China may soon launch manned spacecraft
Associated Press
BEIJING -- China's first manned spacecraft could be launched "as early as next month" from a pad in the country's remote northwest and will probably contain one crew member, the official Communist Party newspaper reported Thursday.

People's Daily, in its online edition, gave no further details on a timetable for the manned Shenzhou 5, which the government has said will hurtle into space by 2004. The flight will probably last 24 hours, the newspaper said.

The mention of the schedule in a lengthy article about China's dreams of manned spaceflight was the most specific signal yet by the Chinese government that such a launch is imminent.

"No doubt that the successful flight of a piloted Shenzhou 5 would catapult China into top-drawer status in terms of nations capable of doing heady things in space," People's Daily said. It said success would propel China into "an exclusive country club."

....more

Look who is getting into the Space Race Now! :bounce:

[drewb]

1. Awesome!!!!!

If they can produce manned space craft we can buy them. That should bring our costs down and our quality up!

Sweet!

[Howardx]

2. hmmmm

wasnt one of the pnac's goals to have the US dominate space and not allow other countries up there?

[7th_Sephiroth]

3. Space-race

i'd like to see china develop in depth space travel methods and i'l like to see another space race

[PsychoDad]

4. It hasn't been a race for a while

The Russians don't have the money and the US is apathetic about space except for military uses of near space.

The chinese clain that this is a step toward the moon, and if the Chinese are serious, it could result in chinese control of luner space and resources.

It will be very hard for us to pose a real threat in this race. We have no assets currently capable of reaching the moon, no plans for returning, nor the money or resources to do so if we could.

Thanks to tax cuts and perpetual warmongering...

Thanks to Bush, we may have a Red Moon on the horizon.

[7th_Sephiroth]

5. Float a rumor

of oil on the moon and halliburton will be up there in 6 months.

[David__77]

6. Needlessly anti-China

There's nothing to fear from China's space program. That country doesn't have a single foreign military base. They are primarily interested in peaceful economic development. I applaud the Chinese scientific endeavors and accomplishments. As Clinton said, we and China should be strategic partners.

[kodi]

10. the people are great, but their government runs over them with tanks

i think that you are damnned wrong when you call concern about what the chinese government does as anti-sino.

do not mistake, and certainly don't label those of us who do not trust that government as being "antichinese." the government is not the people over there.

and yes, the chinese government is ready to spend what it takes to put their astronauts on the moon in the next decade. what that implies is development of missiles also capable of carrying as payloads nuclear weapons that can reach the entire US by that time.

as to your comment ...

"That country doesn't have a single foreign military base. They are primarily interested in peaceful economic development"

go tell that to the people of tibet.

[Trek234]

8. Don't forget about the EU

They are making damn good progress.

[David__77]

7. Congratulations to China!

I wish China the best of luck in leading the way for the developing countries in space travel and other technological achievements. One of the only positive fruits of the post-9/11 paradigm is that it had diverted the neo-conservatives away from attacking China and demonizing it. It's still on their list, but has been knocked down toward the bottom, which is good for the one in five human beings who are Chinese citizens. It may give them time to further develop national strength.

[Boat Guy]

9. Chinese Space Program

The Chinese are well-known for being even more conservative than the Russians when it comes to testing & deploying hardware. They've completed four successful unmanned tests of their orbital vehicle, and if the next flight is manned, it would actually represent a rather aggressive acceleration of their program.

Long-range plans call for launching an orbital platform, as well as a possible manned lunar landing by 2020...