HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------- China will put its first astronauts into space within two years and launch another unmanned test flight by the end of 2002 following the successful third mission in its fledgling space program, leading space officials said Tuesday. "We will begin our manned space flights when our rockets and space capsules are dependable, when safety can be amply ensured and when our pilots can safely take off and return," said Wang Yongzhi, chief engineer of the manned space program. "I don't think that this will take a long time, it will probably be within two years time." Wang was speaking on state-run China Central Television (CCTV) a day after the unmanned Shenzhou III (Divine Vessel III) vessel successfully returned to earth after seven days and 108 orbits around the earth. "We still need several more unmanned test flights to raise our dependability and safety," Wang said. After China put a man in space, the country would then begin working on a docking system for an eventual space shuttle system capable of crewing and supplying a space station, the official said. Other space officials told the Southern Daily newspaper that following Monday's successful return of Shenzhou III, the Shenzhou IV unmanned test flight would be launched before the end of the year. China is aiming to become the third nation to put a human in space after the former Soviet Union and the United States. Unlike the other two space programs, which initially launched just one astronaut, China had the capability of putting three people into orbit on its maiden manned flight, Qi Faren, designer of the Shenzhou III capsule told CCTV. "Up until 1984, the capsules of the Soviet Union could accommodate three astronauts. I must say our space capsules have the capability of the Russians during this period in the 1980s," he said. Western diplomats in Beijing say China's space efforts are mainly symbolic and aimed at raising awareness of science and technology among its 1.3 billion citizens, while invoking nationalistic pride. But the program also offers significant scientific and technological advances to Chinese scientists, and additionally provides the military -- the main administrator of the space program -- with a range of space-based applications, they said. Meanwhile Su Shuangyu, another space engineer, denied Western news reports that the Shenzhou II and Shenzhou III carried animals including a monkey, a dog, a rabbit and snails, saying such tests were unnecessary in the modern era. "The Russians put a cosmonaut in outer space for 400 days and he came back in good health, so there is no need for China to make these kinds of (animal) experiments again," he said. "Secondly, we know that the capsule's environment is controlled by the environment controls and life support systems inside the capsule... and these systems are controlled by humans," he said on CCTV. The Shenzhou III's life support systems and environmental controls, including air pressure, oxygen and temperature controls, all worked according to plan in the just completed flight, he said --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================ |
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