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Space

China's Second Manned Space Flight 152

Posted by Zonk from the up-and-coming dept.
desert island writes "As if to coincide with Russia's space tourist, Beijing News speculated that China's second manned space launch will occur after the October 1-7 holiday. The spacecraft Shenzhou VI, with two astronauts, will be launched from the Jiuquan Space Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu province and will last 119 hours." From the article: "The mission will differ markedly from China's first manned space voyage, the Shenzhou V, which was a solo flight that lasted 21 hours in October 2003. China's space program is still shrouded in secrecy with little known about events until several days before they happen. However since the success of the first manned flight, authorities have shown a little more transparency."
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China's Second Manned Space Flight More

China's Second Manned Space Flight

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  • Of course we also remember that the first asian astronaut flew in space over 25 years ago. ( July 23, 1980 Pham Tuan)

  • Plagiarized? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by ReformedExCon ( 897248 ) <reformed.excon@gmail.com> on Monday September 12, 2005 @02:38AM (#13535975)
    The article is about twice the length of the writeup, with most of the content simply cut and pasted into the writeup.

    It would be nice to have more information about this. I wonder what China's plans are as to space, and whether their centralized government will be able to make better progress than the American system. Then again, beauracracy is beauracracy, so I don't have high hopes on China getting much further than developing extra-long range rockets.

    • Re:Plagiarized? (Score:5, Informative)

      by radicalskeptic ( 644346 ) <x AT gmail DOT com> on Monday September 12, 2005 @02:44AM (#13535992)
      You can find more information in this Wikipedia article [wikipedia.org]. Apparently the general time of the launch has been known for a while, because at the moment the article states a September or October launch (and a different Wikipedia article on the rockets themselves specifically states an October launch).

      By the way, it looks as though it is shaping up to be a very interesting flight

      The crew will change out of their new lighter space suits, conduct scientific experiments, and enter the orbital module. In addition, their menu will be expanded from 30 to 50 courses. A new toilet will also be available.
    • > I wonder what China's plans are as to space, and whether their centralized government will be able to make better progress than the American system.

      So far, like with much of what the Chinese do, they are just repeating what the American's and Russians have already done using 2nd hand Russian rockets. A big waste of money for a country with lots of problems. I think some of the ground breaking work done by ESA and NASA with unmanned vehicles is much more useful and exciting.

      Still if over evolved chimps
      • Well, they actually developed their own rockets.
        And they bought some sojoez capsules from the Russians.
        That really saves them a lot of money.
        The reason why one of the largest countries in the World want to go into space is because it is not only a prestige object but also necessary.
        Like the Russians they also launch their own communication and weather monitoring sattelites.
        That's also important for a large country.
        Even India is launching their own sattelites.
        You need those to monitor the weather.
        Something w
        • Yes, my point, which you seem to have missed, is that a manned space programme is not necessary for launching weather satellites etc. It is just another p*ssing contest with the Americans.

          More interesting to me, anyway, is private manned spaceflight.
          • I'm not so sure of that... if the US and Europe are planning to colonise/mine Luna and Mars - whatever the reasons - then the Chinese are going to want a piece of the pie. Taking their current political relationship and projecting that 20 or 100 years, it makes sense. I presume they are upping their manned missions to try and catch up so that by the time the US has a moon base, they won't be so far behind with their own. No one in China wants to look up at the moon and realise it amounts to the 51st state.

    • Re:Plagiarized? (Score:2, Insightful)

      by promatrax161 ( 913597 )
      It would be nice to have more information about this. I wonder what China's plans are as to space, and whether their centralized government will be able to make better progress than the American system. Then again, beauracracy is beauracracy, so I don't have high hopes on China getting much further than developing extra-long range rockets.

      Then again, if you pump enough money into the system, even with a considerable amount of bureaucratic friction you might get somewhere. They could also be sending inter

    • Re:Plagiarized? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by jandersen ( 462034 ) on Monday September 12, 2005 @03:15AM (#13536055)
      The thing about working in a centralised system is that they can seriously get their act together and do things. The western world is ripe with examples of what happens when you work in a free market and have to find a consesus, ideally through competing in the said market.

      Look at the old Soviet Union; yes, they were governed by spectacularly stupid men, but bigods they could get their act together and DO things on a huge scale. And the Chinese can too, plus they are seriously clever. If they want to go to the Moon or Mars and establish a colony, then that is what they will, I'm sure. And they will probably get there before Bush & Co. can get their brains into first gear.

      • As Gorbachev said (Score:3, Interesting)

        by panurge ( 573432 )
        The Soviet Union could build nukes but it could not build refrigerated trucks so most of its vegetables never made it to market. Centralized systems frequently fail to do important things, or put vast effort into spectacularly stupid things because there is no system of checks and balances. If China deflects its modernisation plans into space exploration, it may just run out of resource and collapse like the Soviet Union did. The Cultural Revolution hardly bodes well as an example of Chinese centralized pla
        • ... i dunno if you noticed this or not, but the Cultural Revolution is long since over, and China has moved on.

          If you can't see examples of how Chinese centralized planning is affecting modern China, you haven't been there. Until you've been there, you won't really get it .. China is awake. China is un-stoppable.

          • Been here before, you know (Score:4, Interesting)

            by panurge ( 573432 ) on Monday September 12, 2005 @07:19AM (#13536798)
            In the 20s and the 30s useful idiots told everybody how the Soviet Union was unstoppable and unbeatable, and how its tremendous resources and central planning would enable it to overtake the rest of the world. As Krushchev told the US, we will attend your funeral...almost correct, just the wrong way round.
            Chinese success stories? Taiwan - er, covertly US supported, not part of Chinese empire yet. Hong Kong - er, UK administered free market until very recently. Shanghai - interesting history, not really part of mainland Chinese economy. Beijing - well, I'd better not give identifiable information about contacts there, but don't try running a business without regular "donations" to the local party official.
            The giant Chinese economy? The one that's being funded by US indebtedness. The Chinese economic boom is already starting to strangle itself because they are not producing the necessary materials and resources themselves, so the price of oil, steel, copper and concrete has been rising rapidly. Unlike the former Soviet Union, which actually produced huge excesses of raw materials, the Chinese boom is credit and resource constrained. And all the investors are afraid to say so for fear of a lack of business confidence (i.e. exposure to reality.)
            I'm probably wrong, as about a lot of things, but to my mind the axis to watch is Russia/India. Russia has the resources. India has the people and the education. India also has a huge business presence in England which gives them access to the EU. Russia and India go back a long way together (the only successful communist governments in the world were in India.) Unless the US deliberately moves its economic and military power to support China, in an effort to stave off economic collapse, I know where I'd invest.
            • Interesitng argument, but wasn't Hong Kong also particularly resource constrained - yet they manage to thrive?

              Other economies have been resource constrained in one way or another and have thrived on the resourcefullness of their people - Germany for instance whole life blood is, still today, is essentially export (reminds me of China in that regards).

              I agree that where the old Chinese ways have to change to thrive - but isn't parts of Russia just as corrupt as China? they've never really became the global
          • Did you read my post? I was trying to say something positive about China, in case you hadn't noticed.

            As for having been there - I own a house there.
        • Thats stupid. Do you even know why countries persue space exploration? Because its a fantastic way for the government to finance high tech research and development. In the end its a net profit not loss.

        • Centralized (Score:5, Insightful)

          by Mark_MF-WN ( 678030 ) on Monday September 12, 2005 @07:22AM (#13536814)
          The US isn't really a free-market state at all. There's a remarkable amount of centralized control -- just like in every western nation. The US is just a capable of huge projects. Just look at the US highway system (the envy of large spacious nations everywhere, particularly those nations that contain the transcanada highway), the Apollo missions, the ridiculous number of space probes Nasa launches, or the 10 million or so troops that the US pulled together to send to the second world war. None of those things would be possible in truly capitalist state. The US is far more socialistic than they give themselves credit for.

          How many countries would just rebuild a destroyed city? Or for that matter, rebuild destroyed nations like Afghanistan, Iraq, or Japan and Germany? It takes enormous centralized wealth and control to do these things. The big advantage of the US is that it allows a large sphere of free economic activity that generates wealth and talent, which are then available for ultra-projects.

          • That's an interesting way to look at it. (I especially like the 401 bit.) The response that it engenders in me, oddly enough, is a strange craving to type... sudo apt-get install freeciv Must... not... fall... to... darkside. But you do have a good point or two. I'm reminded of some observations I've heard on the D-day landings--how any other nation in the world would have been decimated by the effective loss of one of the mulberries used in the invasion to a storm, but the resources were there to jus
      • There are times when it seems like it would be handy.

        "So can I spend $220 million in building bridges to uninhabited islands in my state?" Link [usnews.com]

        "No, we're going to the moon and fuck you."

        --Ryv
      • bigods they could get their act together and DO things on a huge scale.

        Centralized governments have always been responsible for more deaths then all the wars the U.S. has fought and caused (overt+covert). But, boy, they really could get their act together!

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin#Death_t oll [wikipedia.org]
        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao_Zedong#Leadership _of_China [wikipedia.org]
        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler#The_Holo caust [wikipedia.org]

        Try again.
        • you missed Pol pot [wikipedia.org]

          and Fidel Castro [wikipedia.org]

          and of course North Korea [wikipedia.org]
        • Try again.

          Why? You *agree* with him. Sounds like he got it right the first time.

          • Because destroying innocent human life is not getting things done. It's a roadblock to human progress. The individuals listed and in a followup comment contributed more, as corrupt central authorities, to mankind's detriment than anyone before. And praising governments that still exist in the shadow of their creations, without an acknowledgment of the past, is a disservice to those who've died as a result.

            Strong centralized systems lead to corruption and misguided attempts to inoculate the population with t

    • Re:Plagiarized? (Score:4, Funny)

      by tabkey12 ( 851759 ) on Monday September 12, 2005 @03:19AM (#13536067) Homepage
      Just in case you needed/wanted more information about the space flight, the ever useful Wikipedia [wikipedia.org] has this handy titbit:
      Among the experiments to be performed on the flight will be one involving the sperm of pigs from Rongchang County in Chongqing. About 40 grams will be carried both inside and outside the spacecraft, allowing scientists to investigate the affects of microgravity and cosmic rays on the sperm. It will be used to fertilise pig ovum at the Chongqing Academy of Animal Husbandry Science.
      China: Leading the way in Flying Space Pig Research
      • "China: Leading the way in Flying Space Pig Research"

        I didn't know Jim Henson was from China, since he pioneered Pigs in Space on the Muppet Show of course. Miss Piggy and Hogthrob among others were in space decades ago. And Dr. Bunsen Honeydew no doubt conducted experiments on thos piggies too.
    • NASA is a centralised agency as well. I don't think the amount of red tape regarding that matter would be much different in China (or was in the USSR) compared to the States.
    • Those little yellow red commie bastards want to contol all the green cheese. [uncoveror.com] President Bush won't stand for it!

  • John Titor (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    John Titor predicted this.

  • One would hope it isn't 21 *hungry* hours! (Score:4, Funny)

    by tloh ( 451585 ) on Monday September 12, 2005 @02:53AM (#13536012)
    I wanna know what the two'll be eating during their mission. Do you think spin-off technology would bring us instant-dehydrated-dimsum, maybe? or perhaps space-roast... *duck*
  • So China will eventually put the first man to the moon?
    • So China will eventually put the first man to the moon?

      Yeah, in case you haven't noticed in movies like 'Crouching Tiger' the Chinese special effects can now show a man/woman floating without the little strings that were present when the Americans faked the first moon landing.

    • apollo was tracked by telescopes on it's journey to the moon. there is more than just some guy going "one small step for man..." *begins fashioning a tinfoil hat for zero*
  • This is probably just my paranoia talking, but the little tinfoil hat guy on my shoulder is wondering: is one of their objectives on the moon to look around and say "Hey! Where are the Apollo modules? The Americans didn't make it to the moon, after all!"

    I wonder if they might even go so far as to destroy any evidence they do find.
  • Good work china. Despite everyone's criticisms, it's still no easy task to get ppl into space. So here's my congratulations in advance, and good luck.

  • not called astronauts (Score:3, Informative)

    by Dtyst ( 790737 ) on Monday September 12, 2005 @03:55AM (#13536142)
    Chinese (astronauts) are called taikonauts, just as the Russians should be called cosmonauts... I know nobody cares...

    • Enough with it. (Score:5, Informative)

      by slasho81 ( 455509 ) on Monday September 12, 2005 @05:51AM (#13536423)
      From Wikipedia [wikipedia.org]:
      Taikonaut is sometimes used in English for astronauts from China by Western news media. The term was coined in May 1998 by Chiew Lee Yih from Malaysia, who used it first in newsgroups. Almost simultaneously, Chen Lan coined it for use in the Western media based on the term taikong, Chinese for space. In Chinese itself, however, a single term yuhang yuan ("universe navigator") has long been used for astronauts and cosmonauts. The closest term using taikong is a colloquialism taikong ren ("space human") which refers to people who have actually been in space. Official English text issued by the Chinese government uses astronaut.
    • From wikipedia page for taikonauts,

      "Official English text issued by the Chinese government uses astronaut."
    • I'll volunteer to be the one to blast a .50BMG thought their fuel tank.

      Not that my country doesn't have issues, but China is an a different league.

      At least the homeless/poor/bums in my country are making $50k a year.

      Doesn't China have other issues to worry about?

    • My suspicion is that we're on the cusp of a golden age for goofy names for astronauts. In the past, we could have distinct names for these groups because there weren't a lot of them and there was only two real programs making them. In the future, what will we call a Russian employee of a US company in space? A Boenaut? Locknaut? Coca Colanaut?

      Besides as pointed out elsewhere, taikonaut isn't an official term. Why should it be applied?

  • Second attempt? (Score:3, Funny)

    by samesong ( 836323 ) on Monday September 12, 2005 @04:12AM (#13536179)
    I hope their technology has evolved since their first attempt [wikipedia.org].

  • Hey~ it is no news (Score:4, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 12, 2005 @04:16AM (#13536192)
    Oh~ It is no news. The media in Hong Kong and China reports the launch of Shenzhou VI few months ago, which says:

    - The spaceship will launch in the coming October
    - 2 astronauts will be onboard
    - 3 pairs of astronauts will be chosen for final stage training, and the authority will pick 1 pair before launch to carry our the mission
    - Team work ability is an important criteria during the astronauts selection process
    - The ship will fly for 5 days, five times more than Shenzhou V, and the authority claims that the stability and reliability of the ship has been improved.
    - The carrying rocket is CZ-2F (Long March 2F), same as the one for Shenzhou V
    - No spacewalk (will do it during the 3rd manned spaceflight, which is scheduled for 2007)
    - The astronauts are allowed to take off their spacesuits when the ship is in orbit, which is different from the arrangement for Shenzhou V's astronaut.
    - The astronauts will enter the "Orbit Module" and carry out experiments during the journey
    - One of the experiments is to test the response of pig's sperms under space radiation
    - Many delicious Chinese traditional food will be packed as space food for the astronauts, which will include spicy chicken, preserved vegetables, and assorted beans and rice

    Source:

    hk.news.yahoo.com
    military.china.com
    www.people.com.cn

  • Hubble (Score:2, Interesting)

    by SmellsLike ( 911771 )
    Would there be any thoughts towards NASA asking China to help out with Hubble? The chinese seem to want to spend money going out into space. Might be worth NASA sharing/selling knowledge. If the main point in the mission is making the citizens feel more nationalistic they may not care to enter any partnerships with other countries though.
    • Of course, regardless of what their purpose is, the main use to which the Chinese space program will be put in America is making people feel more nationalistic.
    • Hey, Nasa could stick Hubble on eBay (with the proviso the purchaser keeps it in orbit). Upside - they might sell it instead of burning it up in the atmosphere. Downside - they might not get much of a bidding war...
    • "Sorry, the image of Tau Ceti that you have requested is not available because it may contain Chinese State Secrets. Please remain where you are."
    • It'll take a few more than just 2 launches to prove themselves (and their technology). Congrats to the Chinese, but please steer away from the big shiny things up there until you've a bit more driving experience in orbit. I'm not trolling - it's simply too soon to be cosidering anything like that.
  • I wonder how much control the Taikonauts have over their capsual? Are they like Russian comonauts - mere passengers under control from the ground or could they decided to land in the good ol' USA if they chose. That would be cool - Levi's Jeans, Nike Trainers and Coke here we come.

    • Re:Defection (Score:5, Funny)

      by spectrokid ( 660550 ) on Monday September 12, 2005 @07:16AM (#13536776) Homepage
      euh, they can get the jeans over there too you know... Actually they are quite a lot cheaper there... Get to think of it, they are actually made over there...
    • Pardon me Sir, but as I am staying in China at the moment I have to correct you on that one, as there is nearly nothing available to the western world that hasn't been made available in China. Now for the launch, I am quite looking forward to it, but I still have problems seeing the point in these kinds of space flights, and I see them as nothing else than expensive bungie jumps for the mere prestige of the statement itself. Now a mission to Mars might have it's use in the sense of mapping the known univer
    • Damn, all of them are made in China!
  • What is the need for secrecy in the Chinese government about manned space flights? Certainly there are many military uses of space (the US has had many launches whose payloads were secret [google.com] as well), but it seems like MANNED spaceflight is usually portrayed as primarily scientific (even if it isn't, it's still easily possible to put a purely-scientific face on it). Is China being secretive for no good reason, just because they feel like it?
    • That they 'feel like it'? It's simply that they've passed a threshold leading up to launch where they feel confident enough to announce. There are *many* reasons why a launch might need to be delayed (or even scrubbed) which would be seen as an embarrasment.

  • Fast lane to Technology (Score:3, Insightful)

    by kid_oliva ( 899189 ) on Monday September 12, 2005 @08:21AM (#13537181) Homepage
    Have you wondered why China is pushing so hard for Space exploration? If I may interject this, they have realized that a Space Program is the fast lane to technology. Case in point, the USA Space Program. We have more than just Tang to thank the space program for. Most of the technolgy we have today is either a direct or indirect result from space exploration. Who likes football? Who likes the abilitiy to watch every football game if they want? That's right Direct TV's Sunday ticket. Hmmm... satellite TV, Howard Hughes, government funding of video and GPS projects in the 70's. That is just one and it is entertainment orientated. Advances in polymer science, computer science, minaturization; all these effect things from Ipod's, microwaves (especially microwaves), LCD technology, safety gear that firemen use to save lives. I think you see the picture.

    • Have you wondered why China is pushing so hard for Space exploration?

      That's easy - Having A Space Program is what Real Nations Do. And China *badly* wants to be thought of as a Real Nation and important on the world stage.

      We have more than just Tang to thank the space program for. Most of the technolgy we have today is either a direct or indirect result from space exploration.

      Sure. If you squint *reaaal* hard and handwave vigorously to disguise the technology that isn't a result of the space program.

    • Perhaps without spending all the money on space those UHF channels would actually be used. A old TV could get ~ 70 channels without needing cable. Most areas didn't have more than a handfull total though. Even if we subtract a lot of stations to account for interference (that is there is nothing on the channel at your home, but if there was it would get in the way to the channel elsewhere, where it is now strong), there was always a large lack of stations.

      For that matter, the investment in space woul

  • Enough of the BS (Score:4, Insightful)

    by marlinSpike ( 894812 ) on Monday September 12, 2005 @08:35AM (#13537285)
    Every time there's a story about China or India, I open the comments sections prepared for all the jingos and ethnocentric ignoramuses who unfortunately make the dicussion into a bar-room brawl.

    In the post cold-war and freer-trade era, there are few zero-sum games around, but apparently someone hasn't told some folk on here that the world has moved far beyond them.

    • Unfortunately, much of the American population is ignorant because of the distortion in the media and special interest groups.

      Slashdot really needs some global moderators that can mod an unlimited number of times or delete posts that are obviously biased and contain false information.
  • With any launches now pushed to 2007 at the earliest due to foam problems and hurricane damage, I wonder if the shuttle will ever launch again. It seems to be easy for NASA to find reasons not to go into space.

  • 20/20 hindsight (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Psyqlone ( 681556 ) on Monday September 12, 2005 @08:45AM (#13537389)

    Two years ago, the Chinese and their space program were dismissed as repeating missions accomplished back in the early '60s. Back then it was redundant, not progressive, not scientific or just not necessary to a lot of Americans, including a few Slashdotters.

    Visions of faulty foam panels aside, I just thought it was interesting that this particular mindset is running late this morning.

    ...still early in the day, I guess.

  • I always look forward to hearing about the Chinese working with space. It seems to push our buttons to want to compete more.
  • ...I want to know more about this 7 day holiday business!
  • As far as I know, they are not astronauts.

    Americans in space are astronauts,
    Russians in space are cosmonauts,
    Chinese in space are taikonauts.

    "Taiko" as in taikong, space. "Naut" as in nautical.
    So a Chinese-Greek hybrid meaning "space-sailor".
  • can we have our aid money back?

    Space exploration is the ultimate indulgence, yes I accept that it's probably vital for Humanity's future but when you currently accept international aid it's pretty disgusting to be putting people into space on giant billion dollar rockets.

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