China vows to push ahead with its first manned space flight

Space Daily ^ | Feb. 3, 2003 | Agence France-Presse

[Arthalion]

China vows to push ahead with its first manned space flight

BEIJING (AFP) Feb 03, 2003 China has vowed to push ahead with plans to launch its own first manned space mission this year despite the Columbia tragedy, state press reported Monday. "China will launch its first manned space shuttle this year," said Tu Shou'e, an astronautics academic at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, according to the People's Daily

"The key work now is to learn lessons from the accident to make our program better and to make the dream of the Chinese people of reaching into space come true."

The Columbia Space Shuttle broke up Saturday over central Texas as it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts on board.

While expressing regret at the incident, Tu said accidents were bound to happen as humanity pushed back the boundaries of space exploration.

"Human exploration into space is very dangerous and very hard and accidents are inevitable, but the accident won't stop the human step into space," he said.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin on Sunday expressed condolences to US President George W. Bush over the Columbia tragedy, but he too insisted space exploration must continue.

In a message to Bush, Jiang said China "deeply regrets" the disaster and the death of Columbia's seven-member crew, the Xinhua news agency reported.

However, Jiang said he believed humanity "should continue and make further progress in space exploration despite the setback."

Officials at China's space program have told AFP their first manned mission will be launched around October.

If it succeeds, China will become only the third country to send a human into orbit, after the United States and the former Soviet Union.

[Arthalion]

This is why we cannot allow NASA or the luddites in Washington to kill manned space flight in the U.S.

[KevinDavis]

Agreed!

[BureaucratusMaximus]

This is why we cannot allow NASA or the luddites in Washington to kill manned space flight in the U.S.

No, this is why we should stop shopping at WalMart.

[Man of the Right]

By all means, let's let the Chicoms set our national agenda.

If space exploration, especially manned space flight, were the path to global technological and military dominance, Russia would be the world's most powerful nation. After all, they were the first nation to launch an earth satellite, the first to reach the moon, the first to launch a living creature into space, the first to launch a man into space and return him safely, the first to fly two astronauts simultaneously, the first to orbit a space station, the first to send probes to Venus and the first to conduct a space walk. From the 1950s until its collapse, Russia spent more on space exploration as a percentage of GDP than the U.S.

If the Chinese want to do what we did nearly a half-century ago, let them. As a matter of fact, the more they spend the better to weaken their economy.

Manned space exploration is a dead end. Let's hoist a glass to the Chinese exploration of Alpha Centauri.

[goldylight]

thats the ticket!

[bassmaner]

/donning tinfoil hat

I wouldn't be surprised if the ChiComs had something to do with the Columbia "accident", considering the fact that they have much to gain with the US space program being temporarily (hopefully) derailed. After all, since they were (with the help of Klintoon and his acolytes) able to penetrate and steal secrets from our nuclear weapons programs, why wouldn't they be able to penetrate NASA, and sabotage a shuttle mission?

Just a thought. /removing tinfoil hat

[applemac_g4]

And I suspect you won't find the Chinese shipping $15 billion in foreign aid to Africa for AIDS drugs. They're smart enough to realize that spending that on their own space program is a better investment.

[onedoug]

We'd better be able to fight in space on pretty short notice.

In the old Soviet days there was a secret military SpaceShuttle mission (Atlantis, I think) for which the launch time was only released about an hour before. When the launch did occur, the roll manuever was nearly 180 degrees, which put the vehicle on a decidedly northern (polar?) trajectory.

Around the same time I recall reading of a military satellite which the (then) Soviets had apparently lost all communication and even track of.

When that Shuttle mission returned, I think about 5 days later, I noticed on landing that the nosegear seemed to have hit the runway pretty hard after a long maingear roll, indicating something fairly heavy may have been in the cargo bay.

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it was that missing Soviet satellite.

I think we'd better keep, and even quickly enhance this capability of getting personnel rapidly into orbit.

[demlosers]

"China will launch its first manned space shuttle this year," said Tu Shou'e

space shuttle??

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I wouldn't be surprised if the ChiComs had something to do with the Columbia "accident",

I would. It's starting to look as if the heads at NASA don't need any help in that department.

[Ford Fairlane]

I had the same thought.

I wonder how many contract engineers at NASA are Chinese Nationals here on H 1 visas?

[Dan from Michigan]

I hope they do well. Competition is always good and brings out the best in people.

[Man of the Right]

A robotic vehicle can be far smaller, therefore stealthier, and manuever more robustly than a manned vehicle. What contingency do you see for a Marine rifle platoon in orbit a la James Bond?

[onedoug]

I recall a comment from a high-ranking USAF officer of the US Space Command to the effect that, "We must not only be prepared to fight in space, but to fight our way into space."

'Some indication of what they...and we are thinking.

[rmmcdaniell]

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it was that missing Soviet satellite.

Do you have any documented evidence to support your claim or is this just more tin-foil hat garbage?

[Lee Heggy]

Personally, I would like to see ALL of the Chi-coms in space heading directly into the sun.

[onedoug]

It was a "secret" military mission. Please re-read my post. I believe it's well qualified.

[rmmcdaniell]

It was a "secret" military mission. Please re-read my post. I believe it's well qualified.

A secret known only to you? You must have some information or do just enjoy making wild claims?

[onedoug]

A "secret" known, hopefully, only to the military. Do you need it documented that the mission took place? Or are you just naturally antagonistic?

[onedoug]

Please see....

The Shuttle's next military mission was put on hold after the Challenger disaster, but it was carried out by Atlantis between 2 and 7 December 1988. The mission was highly classified, so most details are not releasable. The mission was commanded by Navy Commander Robert L. Gibson, and the orbiter was piloted by Air Force Colonel Guy S. Gardner. The mission specialists were Air Force Colonel Richard M. Mullane, Air Force Lt. Colonel Jerry L. Ross and Navy Commander William M. Shepherd. Though the countdown was picked up at 0230Z on December 1st, upper level wind shear effects delayed the launch until December 2nd. The countdown was picked up again on December 2nd, but a problem with a ground feed liquid oxygen valve required a 50-minute unscheduled hold at T minus 180 minutes. Wind shear problems forced another delay at T minus nine minutes for an additional 99 minutes, but the final unscheduled hold (at T minus 31 seconds) only lasted 71 seconds. Atlantis lifted off Pad 39B at 1430:34Z on December 2nd. The Shuttle landed at Edwards Air Force Base at 2336:11Z on 6 December 1988