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Thread ID: 4255 | Posts: 4 | Started: 2002-12-30
2002-12-30 23:16 | User Profile
China Launches Fourth Shenzhou Test Mission. Manned Launch Next? Jiuquan (AFP) Dec 30, 2002
[url=http://www.spacedaily.com/news/china-02zzn.html]http://www.spacedaily.com/news/china-02zzn.html[/url]
China early Monday successfully launched its fourth unmanned spacecraft, the "Shenzhou IV", from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest Gansu province, state media reported.
The official Xinhua news agency said the spacecraft was sent into a preset orbit by a "Long MarchII F" carrier rocket, which blasted off at 00:40 am (1640 GMT Sunday).
Space scientists at the Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Center said the "Shenzhou IV" successfully entered its preset orbit.
Su Shuangning, commander and leading designer of the astronaut system for China's manned space program, said Chinese astronauts, all of whom were airforce fighter pilots, had entered the spacecraft to receive training for the first time.
The launch of the "Shenzhou IV," or "Divine Vessel IV" is considered the latest dress rehearsal for China's eventual launch of a manned spacecraft.
Gu Yidong, commander and chief designer of the space application system, said a number of scientific experiments would be conducted while the spacecraft remained in space, including some involving the astronaut flight system, control of the spacecraft environment and life support sub-system.
While it remains decades behind the United States and Russia in space technology, the Chinese Communist Party appears to view putting an astronaut amongst the stars as an important prestige project. The launch came during a visit to China by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
In May, official Chinese media said a longer-term aim of China's fiercely ambitious space program was to establish a base on the moon in order to exploit its mineral resources.
Compared with the previous three unmanned space capsules launched between 1999 and March this year, Shenzhou IV "represents China's most sophisticated and fullest preparations to finalizing its goal of manned space flights," official media quoted Chinese Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. president Zhang Qingwei as saying last month.
2002-12-31 16:13 | User Profile
This may put a large chink in our technological lead.
2002-12-31 17:02 | User Profile
Ed, my bet is that the Chinese will eventually man the moon and with some fantastic new laser weapons be able to counter Americas desire for world domination.
"Welcome to the USA, fastest growing 3rd world country on Planet Earth"
2002-12-31 17:09 | User Profile
The Chinese copied the right spacecraft. The Soyuz is a great design. (GE's Apollo submisson was similar.)
They did something they've done before in the arms area- they have actually retraced the design process and made different decisions at some point. Case in point- the orbital (disposable) module is cylindrical, as on the original Russian design drawings. The russians eventually built their orbital modules as spheres.
Check out astronautix.com.