Ram Posted September 25, 2008 Posted September 25, 2008 China has launched its third manned space mission - which is to feature the country's first spacewalk. The Shenzhou VII capsule soared into orbit atop a Long-March II-F rocket from the Jiuquan spaceport in Gansu province in the northwest of China. The 70-hour flight will include a spacewalk undertaken by 42-year-old fighter pilot Zhai Zhigang. Mr Zhai is joined on the mission by two other "yuhangyuan" (astronauts) - Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng. The rocket lit up the darkness as it blasted off from Jiuquan at 2110 Beijing Time (1310). China's president Hu Jintao met the three astronauts before the lift-off, wishing them success on the nation's riskiest space mission yet. The rocket will put the Shenzhou capsule in a near-circular orbit more than 300km above the Earth. Mr Zhai will conduct his extra-vehicular activity (EVA) on either Friday or Saturday He will retrieve an externally mounted experiment and oversee the release of a satellite. At the end of the mission, the Shenzhou re-entry capsule will target a landing in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Dr Roger Launius, senior curator at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC, told BBC News: "It is a demonstration of technological virtuosity. It's a method of showing the world they are second to none - which is a very important objective for [China]." China became only the third nation after the United States and Russia to independently put a man in space when Yang Liwei, another fighter pilot, went into orbit on the Shenzhou V mission in October 2003. Two years later, Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng completed a five-day flight on Shenzhou VI. According to the Associated Press, China's official news agency posted an article on its website prior to the lift-off that was written as if Shenzhou VII had already been launched into space. The article reportedly carried a date of 27 September and came complete with a dialogue between the astronauts. Chinese media report that this latest mission is the "most critical step" in the country's "three-step" space programme. These stages are: sending a human into orbit, docking spacecraft together to form a small laboratory and, ultimately, building a large space station. The Shenzhou VIII and IX missions are expected to help set up a space laboratory complex in 2010. China launched an unmanned Moon probe last year about one month after rival Japan blasted its own lunar orbiter into space http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7634404.stm --------------------------- A significant step for China, in their quest to project their 'soft power'.
Ram Posted September 26, 2008 Author Posted September 26, 2008 I shudder to think China will be, in another 10-15 years. Their growth story hasnt been anything short of a miracle. Edit: Our Chandrayaan - 1 lunar orbiter is scheduled for launch next month. That will be a big boost for our global image and standing if we manage to do that.
Captain of Bhangra Posted September 28, 2008 Posted September 28, 2008 Great. There's not a single place on the planet where you can go for a drink without being harrassed to buy illegally copied DVDs. Now there won't be a place off the planet to do the above either...
Dravid Posted September 28, 2008 Posted September 28, 2008 they have a hard time driving cars.. shuttle kaise drive kerrenge??
fineleg Posted September 28, 2008 Posted September 28, 2008 Great. There's not a single place on the planet where you can go for a drink without being harrassed to buy illegally copied DVDs. Now there won't be a place off the planet to do the above either... they have a hard time driving cars.. shuttle kaise drive kerrenge?? Good ones :thumbs_up: They can be very irritating - but then again they are everywhere like antz these dayz
Guest Hiten. Posted September 28, 2008 Posted September 28, 2008 Good ones :thumbs_up: They can be very irritating - but then again they are everywhere like antz these dayz This coming from an Indian, is quite funny :giggle:
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