China plans spacewalk by end of the month
Chance to sneak ahead while US and Russia squabble
A Chinese state media agency has reported today that the country will launch a three-man spaceflight this month and all systems are already in final preparation.
In October 2003, China became only the third country to put a man in space with its own rocket, after the former Soviet Union and the USA. It sent two more astronauts on a five-day flight on its Shenzhou VI craft in October 2005.
It also launched a moon probe last year about one month after rival Japan blasted its own lunar orbiter into space, and its long-term goals include establishing a space station and landing on the moon.
![Our position's correct...except no [marks where] Aldrin ran...](http://regmedia.co.uk/2008/09/07/sea_of_tranquility.jpg "Our position's correct...except no [marks where] Aldrin ran...")
Journalist's impression of what the Chinese might find at the Apollo 11 landing site
This mission, which was confirmed for October, was originally scheduled to take place six months ago. It includes a planned spacewalk, would launch between September 25 and 30 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Gansu Province, the Xinhua news agency said.
According to the agency, all the major systems involved in the launching are now in the final preparation and the main tests for the spacecraft, the Long-March II-F rocket, suits for the spacewalk and a satellite accompanying the flight have also been finished.
The crew had conducted drills and were in good physical and mental state, the agency said. ®
COMMENTS
Made in China
Whats wrong with that, it already is for a start and I find it a sad indictment on humanity that we are happy to pay low prices for products that are produced overseas but when said overseas types start thinking above their station and aiming for the admittedly pointless target of the Moon everyone shits themselves. Good for them, go and have a look, its a dusty rock with no redeeming features. Far better to explore the deep sea here on Earth but go ahead chaps, I'm sure it will be a blast.
Made in china?
The way NASA's going at the moment, the shuttle's replacement is likely to have a "Made in China" sticker.
@Webster: nice diatribe, you complete cock!
Mythbusters ...
... did a show on whether the moon landings were fake or not.
Couple things of interest:
It was nearly impossible to emulate the walking that the images show, without being in moon gravity. Now, NASA may have had a nice moon set on a plane, but that would have been a cool trick - in the 1960s.
I guess that there was left behind a lens (I forget the name of it) that, if you shot a laser at it, it'll return the shot directly to the source. So they went to a lab that "pinged" the moon. Now, granted, the lab could be in on "the secret" so I don't know if that disproves anything - it was equipment sketching a spectrum, not a visible beam of light, that you see.
They also proved that the sand on the moon would allow a footprint, even in the absence of water (the dirt on the moon hasn't been worn by erosion, so its sharp and holds shape better when stepped in by a rude American tourist).
Good show.
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