Gumby
10-14-2003, 03:52 PM
The worlds newest superpower China
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7566699%255E2,00.html
China launches man into space
By Christopher Bodeen in Gobi Desert, China
October 15, 2003
CHINA today launched its first manned space mission, sending an astronaut hurtling toward orbit and becoming the third country in history to do so - four decades after the Soviet Union and the United States.
The Shenzhou, or "Divine Vessel", lifts from the Gobi Desert base / AP
With a column of smoke, the Shenzhou 5 craft cut across a bright, azure north-west China sky at exactly 9am (11am AEST).
The official Xinhua News Agency immediately confirmed the launch and said the astronaut was Yang Liwei, 38.
"China's first manned spacecraft, the Shenzhou 5, blasted off," Xinhua said.
State television cut into its programming to announce the launch, though no footage of the launch was immediately shown.
It was the culmination of a decade of efforts by China's military-linked manned space program - and a patriotic moment for a communist government more concerned than ever about its profile on the world stage.
Security was tight around the remote Gobi Desert base, about 280km north-east of Jiuquan.
This morning, the only road to the launch site was crowded with traffic, including military vehicles and civilian tour buses. But private cars were turned back and phone calls to the base were blocked.
China kept details of the event secret, saying in advance only that the launch would take place between Wednesday and Friday and that the astronaut would orbit the Earth 14 times. Yang was identified as a lieutenant colonel.
The Shenzhou 5 launch came after four test launches of unmanned capsules that orbited the Earth for nearly a week before parachuting back to China's northern grasslands. State media say the manned flight is expected to last about 20 hours.
"The launch of Shenzhou 5 is long-awaited by the Chinese people," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said earlier.
She said the flight was a key step in the "peaceful development of space" - a reflection of China's effort to reassure the world that its military-linked program is benign.
The Shenzhou, or "Divine Vessel", is based on the three-seat Russian Soyuz capsule, though with extensive modifications. China also paid Moscow to train at least two astronauts.
But Beijing insists everything sent into space will be developed and made in China.
State media, trying to dispel suggestions that its triumph depends on foreign know-how, refer to Shenzhou as "China's self-designed manned spaceship".
The Associated Press
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7566699%255E2,00.html
China launches man into space
By Christopher Bodeen in Gobi Desert, China
October 15, 2003
CHINA today launched its first manned space mission, sending an astronaut hurtling toward orbit and becoming the third country in history to do so - four decades after the Soviet Union and the United States.
The Shenzhou, or "Divine Vessel", lifts from the Gobi Desert base / AP
With a column of smoke, the Shenzhou 5 craft cut across a bright, azure north-west China sky at exactly 9am (11am AEST).
The official Xinhua News Agency immediately confirmed the launch and said the astronaut was Yang Liwei, 38.
"China's first manned spacecraft, the Shenzhou 5, blasted off," Xinhua said.
State television cut into its programming to announce the launch, though no footage of the launch was immediately shown.
It was the culmination of a decade of efforts by China's military-linked manned space program - and a patriotic moment for a communist government more concerned than ever about its profile on the world stage.
Security was tight around the remote Gobi Desert base, about 280km north-east of Jiuquan.
This morning, the only road to the launch site was crowded with traffic, including military vehicles and civilian tour buses. But private cars were turned back and phone calls to the base were blocked.
China kept details of the event secret, saying in advance only that the launch would take place between Wednesday and Friday and that the astronaut would orbit the Earth 14 times. Yang was identified as a lieutenant colonel.
The Shenzhou 5 launch came after four test launches of unmanned capsules that orbited the Earth for nearly a week before parachuting back to China's northern grasslands. State media say the manned flight is expected to last about 20 hours.
"The launch of Shenzhou 5 is long-awaited by the Chinese people," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said earlier.
She said the flight was a key step in the "peaceful development of space" - a reflection of China's effort to reassure the world that its military-linked program is benign.
The Shenzhou, or "Divine Vessel", is based on the three-seat Russian Soyuz capsule, though with extensive modifications. China also paid Moscow to train at least two astronauts.
But Beijing insists everything sent into space will be developed and made in China.
State media, trying to dispel suggestions that its triumph depends on foreign know-how, refer to Shenzhou as "China's self-designed manned spaceship".
The Associated Press