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  • China hails its first man in space

    China hails its first man in space

    Chinese President Hu Jintao has described his country's launch of its first manned spacecraft as an historic step for the Chinese people.

    The president, who saw the mission blast off, said it was "the glory of our great motherland and a mark for the initial victory of the country's first manned space flight".

    The launch of the Shenzhou V spacecraft, propelled into space by a Long March 2F rocket and carrying astronaut Yang Liwei, was welcomed by space experts around the world.

    The European Space Agency described it as an "outstanding achievement", while US space agency (Nasa) officials in Houston praised the smoothness of the launch.

    China becomes the third nation to send a human into space, 40 years after the Soviet Union and the United States.

    The craft is expected to orbit the Earth 14 times during its 22-hour flight before landing at 0700 local time (2300 GMT) on Thursday.

    "I feel good, see you tomorrow," Yang Liwei told mission control from space.

    Chinese state television interrupted normal programmes half-an-hour after the launch to show footage of the event.

    The authorities had decided it was too risky to show the launch live.

    English-language channel CCTV-9 echoed the words of American Neil Armstrong when he became the first man to walk on the moon.

    "If these were small steps, then now we are taking a giant leap into space," the announcer said.

    National prestige


    Yang Liwei, a 38-year-old lieutenant in the People's Liberation Army, was only publicly confirmed as the flight began.

    The former fighter pilot was cheered onto the capsule by a group of balloon-waving children.

    Once aloft, he was said to be "reading a flight manual in the capsule of the Shenzhou V spacecraft and looked composed and at ease".

    State television said he would be eating freeze-dried shredded pork with garlic sauce and fried rice during his flight, and drinking tea.

    The Shenzhou design is based on the Russian Soyuz three-person space capsule, although the Chinese space programme has made wide-ranging changes.

    The project has become a matter of national prestige, with Shenzhou described in the official media as "China's self-designed manned spaceship".

    "I will not disappoint the motherland," Yang Liwei said before boarding the capsule.

    "I will complete each movement with total concentration. And I will gain honour for the People's Liberation Army and for the Chinese nation."

    The area around the Jiuquan launch site had been sealed off, with soldiers stopping all vehicles 35kilometres (20 miles) from the Jiuquan launch centre.

    From early on Wednesday morning, people were reported to be driving out of Jiuquan city, over 200 km (125 miles) to the south, to try to catch sight of the launch.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3193548.stm
    "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

  • #2
    China becomes the third nation to send a human into space, 40 years after the Soviet Union and the United States.
    For some reason the words Israel, Columbia and Ilan Ramon are coming to mind.

    We really need a sarcasm and a BS emoticon...
    Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

    Abusing Yellow is meant to be a labor of love, not something you sell to the highest bidder.

    Comment


    • #3
      A great and interesting achievement indeed.

      It may not be of sensational because it is 40 years late, but then for a once proverty stricken and a still fledging Nation to stride into space with a man on board, it is a matter of great achievement.

      I believe that the Divine Vessel V [I forget the Chinese name] is not exactly a copy of the Soviet Soyuz. It is better and more sophisticated.

      In fact, if there is a space engineer, or an astronaut, cosmonaut on this Forum, can he fill us up?

      Also can someone analyse this achievement in so far as the aerospace domination is concerned. Does this have any connection? Colonel, request connect this up with the info on the CDF.


      "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

      I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

      HAKUNA MATATA

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by bigross86
        For some reason the words Israel, Columbia and Ilan Ramon are coming to mind.

        We really need a sarcasm and a BS emoticon...
        An Associated Press article puts it better:
        " China launched its first manned space mission on Wednesday, sending an astronaut hurtling toward orbit and becoming the third country in history to do so on its own — four decades after the Soviet Union and the United States. "
        “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

        Comment


        • #5
          For some reason people keep forgetting about that little area of sanity (or less insanity) in the Middle East known as Israel.
          Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

          Abusing Yellow is meant to be a labor of love, not something you sell to the highest bidder.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by bigross86
            For some reason the words Israel, Columbia and Ilan Ramon are coming to mind.

            We really need a sarcasm and a BS emoticon...
            There have been people from dozens of different countries in space.

            China is the third nation to send a man into space. Israel didn't send Ramon into space, the United States did. See the difference?
            "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

            Comment


            • #7
              Yeah
              Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

              Abusing Yellow is meant to be a labor of love, not something you sell to the highest bidder.

              Comment


              • #8
                Sorry about that, I should have highlighted the relevent part of that post, instead I just slapped it up there:ermm (I'm at work and posting in between phone calls :dbanana )
                “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

                Comment


                • #9
                  BigRoss,

                  That way India had Wg Cdr Rakesh Sharma [on a Soviet launch] and Kalpana [a US citizen otherwise but of Indian birth] who was on a second launch in the illfated Challenger.

                  I believe a Kazhak has also gone up. Of course they are achievements, but then Chinese have put their own man up in their own space vehicle with their own rocket! A great achievement and we should acknowledge the same.


                  "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

                  I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

                  HAKUNA MATATA

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Ray
                    BigRoss,

                    That way India had Wg Cdr Rakesh Sharma [on a Soviet launch] and Kalpana [a US citizen otherwise but of Indian birth] who was on a second launch in the illfated Challenger.

                    I believe a Kazhak has also gone up. Of course they are achievements, but then Chinese have put their own man up in their own space vehicle with their own rocket! A great achievement and we should acknowledge the same.
                    Japanese, people from a few Western & Eastern European nations and Canadians have been up, I believe.
                    "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      One Afghani went up in a Russian Rocket too!
                      i saw that in S&T museum in DC. They ahve all those nation flags!!
                      A grain of wheat eclipsed the sun of Adam !!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Headline should be:
                        Russia completes first successful transfer of space tech.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Not really. We don't have it printed on paper written - Invented by China!


                          "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

                          I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

                          HAKUNA MATATA

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            There's also that South-African millionaire that went to the ISS with the RUssians
                            Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

                            Abusing Yellow is meant to be a labor of love, not something you sell to the highest bidder.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              It may not be of sensational because it is 40 years late, but then for a once proverty stricken
                              It still is poverty stricken, when people only make 400$ a year it tells me they are in poverty.

                              Comment

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