Report:
China to launch manned space flight 0n Oct.
15
BEIIJING, Oct. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- After a decade
of preparation, China will launch its first
human being into space on October 15 in a 90-minute
flight that will orbit the Earth once, a top
government rocketry official said.
Xie Guangxuan, director of China Rocket Design
Department, were reported by Sina.com, China's
leading website.
The report implied that the flight, the Shenzhou
V, would carry one human being in its bid to make
China the world's third space-faring nation.
"China's space technology has been created
by China itself. We may have started later than
Russia and the United States, but it's amazing
how fast we've been able to do this," Xie was
quoted as saying. Xie said that he was "full of
confidence" about the success of the much-expected
launch.
The flight would take place a day after the
closing of the Chinese Communist Party Central
Committee's 3rd plenum, a major political meeting.
That schedule - coupled with the National Day
holiday last week - illustrates China's long-held
desire to hold up its space program as a patriotic
endeavor, the Associated Press said in a reported
filed from Beijing.
The launch of the 8-ton craft will be televised
nationally on China Central Television Channel
4 and 9, the report said. If the launch is completed
successfully, China would join the United States
and the former Soviet Union, the only countries
that have sent manned craft into space.
Xie was quoted as saying that Shenzhou V -
the name means "sacred vessel" in Chinese - would
orbit the Earth once before returning. It would
carry 2.2 pounds of plant seeds for research -
but no scientific equipment "to ensure the astronaut
has enough space," the report said.
Xie didn't say how many astronauts would be
participating in the maiden mission.
The Beijing Star Daily said 14 would-be astronauts
had arrived at the Jiuquan Space Centre, in Northwest
China's Gansu Province, and three would be chosen
as the finalists to soar into orbit. The Beijing
Star Daily said the Shenzhou V has "entered the
final stage of general tests."
"I can guarantee you that most of the astronauts
can fulfill their assignment successfully," one
official was quoted as saying in the report by
the Guangzhou-based Express News.
Another official who the newspaper said will
select the three was quoted as saying he was seeking
"a middle-sized figure, nimble movement, the ability
to withstand hardships and a teamwork mindset."
Those traits, he said, "are the main things we're
looking for in Chinese astronauts."
All 14 have qualified for space travel and
passed psychological tests "with honors," the
newspaper said.
The mission will also herald the debut of authentic
Chinese food in space, another Web site reported.
"They'll be able to eat shredded pork with
garlic sauce and kungpao chicken," China.com,
said. "It will be more tasty than Western food.
After the meal, green tea will be available to
increase the astronaut's spirits." Four unmanned
Shenzhou capsules have been launched so far, orbiting
the Earth for up to a week and landing by parachute
in the northern grasslands of China's Inner Mongolia
autonomous region. Like other details, the cost
of the program is secret but is believed to total
$1 billion, the Associated Press reported. (Chinadaily)
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