[RightWhale]

Go Taikonauts! or Yuhangyuan if you prefer.

[Jay W]

If all goes well, do you think that their next launch will be manned? Or will they do a few more of these unmanned flights first?

[Rebelbase]

Don't suppose they might be putting a few nukes into orbit do you?

[aShepard]

Thank you Mr. Bill Crintoon; Mr. Bernie Schrartw, Mr. Bill Richardson

[ChaseR]

Thanks to Bernard Schwartz and bastard Bill Clinton..and his whore Hillary...I'm sure this launch will be - - -a COMPLETE SUCCESS....HUH everyone!

[vannrox]

[mdittmar]

China aims to stage a manned flight by the end of this decade, joining the United States and the former Soviet Union as the only countries to have launched a person into outer space.

Remember that our money goes to their nuclear program when you go to Walmart.

I unloaded some Huffy bikes today that used to say "Made in America",they now say,"Made in China"

[B4Ranch]

I wonder if they named it in honor of the man who authorized their plans being sold the plans. The Honorable 42nd President of these United States, Mr. William Clinton at your service. (for a cash price, of course)

Sickening!

[ReveBM]

After reading the stories about the cracks in the Three Gorges dam (somewhere else on FR), I would hate to be the first Chinese astronaut, (or Taikonaut, if you prefer) that goes into space under their program.

..........

...cut to scene somewhere in space, July 2005.

A medium sized space capsule floats among the stars, with a large red Chinese flag on the side.

...the capsule door opens...

Two Chinese taikonauts emerge, wearing space suits not dissimilar to those used by the Russians in years past...

...radio gargle

...one taikonaut radios the other...

TAIKONAUT ZHANG: "Comrade Chen, Comrade Chen, is your headset working?"

TAIKONAUT CHEN: "...Yes Comrade Zhang. It is working. Finally we are in space!"

TAIKONAUT ZHANG: "Yes, it is a truly glorious day for our Motherland! Finally sons of the yellow emperor and representatives of the new socialist man have conquered space, and claim it in the name of the glorious one billion Chinese people."

[live feed captures Zhang's words and beams them to adoring millions in China]

TAIKONAUT CHEN: "Comrade Zhang, I hear a noise. Is it not true that there is supposed to be no sound in space?"

TAIKONAUT ZHANG: "Yes, but we have been told many lies by the devious Americans and incompetent Russians in the past. Now that we are in space we shall expose the reality of space to the Chinese people."

[somewhere in China, a group of government officials watching a wide-screen TV breaks into applause at Zhang's words]

TAIKONAUT ZHANG: "Comrade Chen, can you please describe the sound that you are hearing?"

TAIKONAUT CHEN: "Well, it sounds like a snake. When it hisses."

[Taikonaut Chen spots something and begins flailing about]

TAIKONAUT CHEN: "My suit is leak../

[Transmission of the space broadcast is abruptly cut from a central control area. Because the broadcast was delayed by several seconds my editors, Taikonaut Chen's last words are not seen by the audience. An educational tape on space exploration abruptly replaces the live feed. A closed Chinese politburo session only reads about the disaster many months later]