The world woke up today to news that China had launched its second manned mission into space, sending two astronauts into space for a five day mission.
The launch, which went off without a hitch at 9 a.m., fit into an ambitious program to establish a permanent orbiting laboratory and land an unmanned vehicle on the moon by the end of the decade.
It was China’s first manned spaceflight since the nation joined Russia and the United States in the exclusive club in October 2003 by sending an unknown fighter pilot, Col. Yang Liwei, into orbit for 21 hours aboard the cramped Shenzhou V spacecraft, making him an instant icon.
U.S. specialists have suggested that China also has military applications in mind, including space-based navigation for cruise missiles and the ability to cripple future U.S. space-based weaponry. But Chinese officials described their nation’s second space shot as a medium for scientific experiments and another symbol of China’s emergence as a great economic power.
Meanwhile, the Space Shuttle is grounded, permanently I hope, and NASA is talking about returning to the Moon in oh about 15 years………
