Chinese space walker
1.3 billion Chinese people walk on the earth. In a few days time, one of them will walk in space.
Unofficial reports on Chinese websites say that China has chosen Zhai Zhigang, a 42-year-old fighter pilot, as this country's first space walker.
On 25 September, Colonel Zhai and two other astronauts are expected to take off on the Shenzhou VII rocket. Once the rocket gets into space, the colonel will carry out a 40-minute spacewalk. The entire mission is expected to last for several days.
They'll have quite a lot to do in space. It's been suggested that the three astronauts - all loyal soldiers - may form the first ever branch of the Chinese Communist Party in space (the party's rules state that you need three members to form a new branch - these rules appear to apply even if you've left the planet).
For decades, China has been determined to press ahead with its own space programme. In October 2003, the country sent its first astronaut, Yang Liwei, into space. China also has plans to go to the moon, and then onto Mars, and possibly even Saturn as well (why stop there?)
A year ago, China launched a lunar probe, called Chang'e 1 (named after the ancient Chinese goddess of the moon). A little later, the probe sent back its first pictures of the lunar surface. This was such an emotional moment that one newspaper ran the headline "Scientists burst into tears when they see lunar pictures."
Space is a pretty popular subject here. I went to a popular space exhibition last year in central China - a collection of rockets, space models, and astronaut uniforms. We were told that China's first man in space, Yang Liwei, would show up. But we were warned that because he was still serving in the army, he was not allowed to talk to foreign journalists. So, we were offered an interview with an eminent scientist instead. But, speaking to a serious middle-aged man - however brilliant he may have been - wasn't quite the same thing as speaking to someone who's been out of this world.
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Well done, China!
Hope the technology and quality control measures developed or accumulated here can also benefit other industries.
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Chang'e 1 is not the ancient Chinese goddess of the moon:) She is a fairytale figure who lives on the moon, along with a rabbit and a lumberjack named Wu Gang.
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The Chinese advance into space exploration has been impressive, and is to be admired.
However, and the Chinese are fully aware of this, as the Chinese become more proficient in space, they also become more of the threat to the United States. China has already demonstrated that they can blow up satellites. The American military is heavily reliant on GPS.
So, the United States has to work harder to keep ahead of the Chinese and prevent them from stealing American technology the way they've already done for missile designs (at least).
P.S. Space was huge in the United States when Americans were first sending people up there; stands to reason that the Chinese would be similarly excited, even if that's been done before by other peoples.
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We sure can work on the moon.
But can the 1.3 billion of us buy any milk not poisonous or plain faked? Or, any food available to us is clean and safe to digest, without pesticide, growth hormone, antibiotics, or industry chemical additives?
Hopefully the astronauts will bring back some food from outer space, or just outside of the Central Kingdom. That would be something beneficial to us.
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Congradulations China! Welcome to the 1960's.
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Dude, just for your chemistry and astronomy. Saturn is gaseous. Nobody can land on it.
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James is trying hard to tell the world China is communist communist communist communist communist communist communist China.
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While China is working hard to follow the western way to open up its market and privatizing its state own companies. The big mouth, U.S. is going the opposite way, by nationalizing its private companies, and practicing communism.
let us give them an advice, if they want to be a communist, First of all : "Shut their Big Mouths"
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China's just doing it's own thing in it's own time.
It's only the western media, US government and NASA turning it into a cold war space race.
In some ways China has no choice but to go it alone, especially as a hostile US government is so paranoid about China surpassing them in every field.
What's this innuendo comment about "- loyal soldiers -"? People are not robots in China, including the soldiers, programmed to follow the party line. Get out of your cold war propaganda mentality please.
And I think the astronauts will have more important things to be thinking about rather than starting a new branch of the communist party.
Another weak and poor example of your work James.
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To MarcusAurelius.
Given the fact that the education system was really bad 30 years ago, a huge percentage of Chinese labour force is nonskilled. The low paid labor intensive manufacturing jobs are still desperately needed at the moment because it provides employment to large number of nonskilled workers.
A recently passed Chinese law made it compulsory for the employers to pay health and life ensurance, and buy pension for employees. Any move that makes labour more expensive should be done carefully to avoid loosing future investments and jobs. I think the Chinese government is under tremendous pressure to improve workers' working condition and pay. My advise to them is to slow down.
In a long run, things can be done to improve the situation is education and one child policy. The country is on the right track. One day China will be able to kick out the low pay manufacturing jobs that cause so much pollution. I do not think it will happen during my life time.
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"China's plans for a new army branch, in outer space ....this is misleading
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Been there, done that. China is about 45 years behind the USSR and the USA.
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i understand your need to drag in more viewers with your title. But please don't be so "military" centric when it comes to China all the time. We both know a military pilot sent into space hardly qualifies as a "military branch" like your caption says.
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I must admit the tagline on the asia news page that read:
"China's plans for a new army branch, in outer space"
was incredibly misleading to me.
It summoned up moonraker-esque images of the Chinese going into space with whole companies of the people's army, which sounds a lot more impressive than the reality of the three cosmonaughts only temporarily forming a branch of the party whilst in orbit.
I am hopeful that the People's Army will eventually make a branch that lives and works in outer space, because frankly that would be awesome.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
1/ China is so behind the western industries, it's a joke.
2/ Space and nuclear technologies are the only two salients in China, where almost our entire talent and research has been devoted over the past 50 years.
3/ Dear god James, I swear "communist" is your fav. word.
4/ Spending less on space won't improve health or safety immediately. But bringing better social and economical stability will help future generations in being more balanced and less radical.
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I'd go when I can afford a return ticket.
Chinese communist party wants to attract more alien party members - many comments here suggest the BBC's Beijing correspondent.
The journalist rule is totally discriminatory. As a person Yang himself surely now has more honour than freedom.
Man can let man out of the world but never let man out of control.
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Someone work for PLA as a telecom engineer told me that China is at least 50 yrs behind the US in various military tech research fields, and by the way the army run things we are nowhere in catching up the US anytime. They shouldn't be too worried about it at the other side of the ocean, really.
Oh can we send our entire national football team up there as well? So they can stay there forever to be the 1st football team in space......(does this break the house rules?)
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James, next time when you join the astronauts, it would be the first Political Consultation Committee in the space. That would be nice. All China-Made. Made in Space Chinese Copyright.
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Let's not forget that the US were defeated by the Vietnamese using sticks and stones.
Haha, so much for US technology.
The only true lead the US has in the world is the size of its ego, currently over inflated. But as everyone knows the US is just a big baby and easily goes into a sulk when it doesn't get its own way and then the US gets its big stick out ands start thrashing it around the world blindly without care.
Chinese threat to the world or is it a US threat to the stability of the planet.
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It is simply the case that the Chinese, by nature, do not possess imperialist tendancies.
The great Admiral Zheng He, leading expeditions across the high seas, made a point of only going as far as South-East Asia.
If we were as 'out-going' as the British (and now, the Americans), everybody on the planet would be speaking some form of Mandarin.
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yes,one of Chinese is gong to the space,but billions of Chinese can't thinking,speaking,even breathing freely.
I'm a Chinese collage student,but I wanna get out of here.
Even die is rather than living as a brain-washed slave.
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Congratulations to the People's Republic of China for Shenzhou VII.
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watchzerg,
U R right by providing yourself as an example. But brain washed by who?
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Wow, so many hostile put downs on China by people here.
'Welcome to the 60s'
' Been there, seen it, done it'
If it were any other country apart from China all you people would be congratulating them.
If it's so easy to do and just an every day run of the mill event then why is it that only the US and Russia have the capability to put humans into space. All the other countries can talk the talk that they could put a man into space if they wanted to, but until they do so it's all hot air.
When China makes it to the Moon you critics will probably be saying the same thing.
Here's one hoping China makes it to Mars first.
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james,
when u stop talking about communism, propaganda, military control etc. you will easily make more good friends in China, but you may not bother doing so, coz you always thinking about leaving this by you be so distorted country.
why do you make everything in China so stressful and hard to swollaw?! no matter poor or rich, young or old, all chinese people believe the space programme would do china good in the future, simple like that.
you may not be interested in eating mooncakes these days though you are in china during such important and popular festival, but as u tell people outside China, please at least, be clear no Chinese would agree the moon fairy became a godess from your mouth.
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Different people have different ideas,but please do not see China with political eyes,when i
saw china launch the shenzhou-7
and the astronaut walk in the space,i felt pride for Chinese people,because i am a CHINESE,China is my motherland,althoug she is not strong now,i still love her.Yes,China is not strong and poor now,but even a dog has its day.My country is developing fast
,our people work so hard,we love peace and justice,there is a idiom in China:a man can not be in good condition forever.USA can not always be the number 1 in the world,say the UK,UK was the most powerful country in the 18st century,but later the USA surpass UK,the history is fair to every country.It is CHINA's turn now.
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it cost a lot.i have no idea if it's right to do so.and maybe not
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Well Done, China for the Space Walker...
~Dennis Junior~
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