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<title>People's Daily Online</title>
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<description>People's Daily Online</description>
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<title><![CDATA[New satellite helps space exploration]]></title>
<news_id>7437927</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/7437927.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 19:51:46</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[China blasted off a new data relay satellite, Tianlian I-02, on Monday at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern Sichuan province.   The new satellite will bolster the country's satellite communication network for space docking.   The satellite was launched on a Long March-3C carrier rocket at 11:41 pm, sources at the center told Xinhua News Agency.   The satellite separated from the rocket 26 minutes after its launch and was then successfully delivered into a geostationary tr ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[China blasted off a new data relay satellite, Tianlian I-02, on Monday at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern Sichuan province.   The new satellite will bolster the country's satellite communication network for space docking.   The satellite was launched on a Long March-3C carrier rocket at 11:41 pm, sources at the center told Xinhua News Agency.   The satellite separated from the rocket 26 minutes after its launch and was then successfully delivered into a geostationary transfer orbit, the report said.   Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the satellite is the country's second data relay satellite. The first, Tianlian I-01, was launched in Xichang on April 25, 2008.   The two satellites will form a network to bolster communications between China's spacecraft and bases on Earth, according to the center.   They will also be used to help the nation's first space docking, scheduled for the second half of this year.   As planned, China will launch space module Tiangong-1, which was designed as a platform that will dock with an unmanned spaceship, Shenzhou VIII, for the country's first space-docking mission later this year.   Two more Shenzhou spaceships will dock with Tiangong-1 next year, and one will be manned by two or three astronauts, according to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, which was the main user of the Tianlian I series data relay satellites.   "The launch of the satellite is of great significance to improve the efficiency of tracking and commanding spaceships," Pang Zhihao, a researcher and deputy editor-in-chief of the magazine Space International, told China Daily on Tuesday.   Pang said the new satellite could cover a greater area to track and command the country's space vehicles in low-Earth orbits, such as manned spacecraft and remote sensing satellites, from a higher position in outer space.   "Only three satellites of this kind are needed to form a global communication network, and China has two now," he said.   The satellite could also facilitate real-time communications with the astronauts, which will benefit the country's future manned space flights, he said.   The world's first data relay satellite was launched by the United States in 1983. The US now has six such satellites.   &$<i>&$Source:China Daily&$</i>&$ &$ <table width="620" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">     <tr>     <td height="10" colspan="3">&nbsp;</td>   </tr>       <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border:1px solid #dadada">     <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td><font style="font:bold 20px Verdana">Weekly review</font></td>         <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>   </tr>       <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style=" border-top:1px solid #dadada">       <tr>         <td><iframe marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' frameborder='0' width='280' height="60" rolling='no'  src='http://english.people.com.cn/101936/7436537.html'></iframe></td>         <td width="10" rowspan="5">&nbsp;</td>         <td><iframe marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' frameborder='0' width='280' height="60" rolling='no'  src='http://english.people.com.cn/101936/7436541.html'></iframe></td>       </tr>       <tr>  &amp ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[Tiangong 1 about to launch]]></title>
<news_id>7426647</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/7426647.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 19:52:05</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[According to China Manned Space Engineering (CMSE), the Tiangong 1 target spacecraft, which will carry out China's first space rendezvous and docking task, has been successfully gone through a series of evaluation test and was transmitted to Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on June 29 to be given a final check before launching.  Since the Shenzhou 7 successfully accomplished a series of extra-vehicular activities on Sept. 9, 2008, China has proceeded to develop space rendezvous and docking rela ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[According to China Manned Space Engineering (CMSE), the Tiangong 1 target spacecraft, which will carry out China's first space rendezvous and docking task, has been successfully gone through a series of evaluation test and was transmitted to Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on June 29 to be given a final check before launching.  Since the Shenzhou 7 successfully accomplished a series of extra-vehicular activities on Sept. 9, 2008, China has proceeded to develop space rendezvous and docking related techniques. After two years of strenuous efforts by the scientists, Tiangong 1 target spacecraft has been successfully assembled and passed through failure detection.   As scheduled, China will launch the Tiangong 1 target spacecraft and the Shenzhou 8 in the third and fourth quarters of 2011, respectively, to realize China's first space rendezvous and docking.  &$<i>By People's Daily Online</i>&$ &$ <table width="620" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">     <tr>     <td height="10" colspan="3">&nbsp;</td>   </tr>       <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">     <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td>&nbsp;</td>         <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>   </tr>       <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">       <tr>         <td><iframe marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' frameborder='0' width='280' height="110" rolling='no'  src='http://english.people.com.cn/101936/7413389.html'></iframe></td>         <td width="10" rowspan="5">&nbsp;</td>         <td><iframe marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' frameborder='0' width='280' height="110" rolling='no'  src='http://english.people.com.cn/101936/7413391.html'></iframe></td>       </tr>      </table></td>         <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>   </tr>       <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td>&nbsp;</td>         <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>   </tr> </table></td>         <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>   </tr> </table> <table width="620" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">     <tr>     <td height="10" colspan="3">&nbsp;</td>   </tr>       <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border:1px solid #dadada">     <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td><font style="font:bold 20px Verdana">Weekly review</font></td>         <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>   </tr>       <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style=" border-top:1px solid #dadada">       <tr>         <td><iframe marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' frameborder='0' width='280' height="60" rolling='no'  src='http://english.people.com.cn/101936/7421150.html'></iframe></td>         <td width="10" rowspan="5">&nbsp;</td>         <td><iframe marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' frameborder='0' width='280' height="60" rolling='no'  src='http://english.people.com.cn/101936/7421156.html'></iframe></td>       </tr>       <tr>         <td><iframe marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' frameborder='0' width='280' height="60" rolling='no'  src='http://english.people.com.cn/101936/7421171.html'></iframe></td>         <td><iframe marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' frameborder='0' width='280' height="60" rolling='no'  src='http://english.people.com.cn/101936/7421188.html'></iframe></td>       </tr>       <tr> &amp ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[China sees smooth preparation for launch of unmanned module in 2nd half of this year ]]></title>
<news_id>7366471</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/7366471.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:07:05</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[China is satisfied with preparatory work completed thus far for the launching of two unmanned space modules, the Tiangong-1 and Shenzhou-8, in the second half of this year, said deputy head of China's Manned Space Engineering Office Yang Liwei on Friday.  The two space modules will participate in the first space docking maneuver ever conducted by Chinese astronauts, said Yang.  More than 50 reporters from 33 foreign media organs visited the center on Friday to hear his remarks.  The 8.5-to ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[China is satisfied with preparatory work completed thus far for the launching of two unmanned space modules, the Tiangong-1 and Shenzhou-8, in the second half of this year, said deputy head of China's Manned Space Engineering Office Yang Liwei on Friday.  The two space modules will participate in the first space docking maneuver ever conducted by Chinese astronauts, said Yang.  More than 50 reporters from 33 foreign media organs visited the center on Friday to hear his remarks.  The 8.5-ton Tiangong-1, or "Heavenly Palace 1", is expected to dock with the unmanned Shenzhou-8 spacecraft. During its two-year lifespan, the Tiangong-1 will also dock with other two Shenzhou spacecraft, the Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10, which will be launched in 2012.  Space docking is widely recognized as a key technique used in the construction of space stations.  China will have its own space station around 2020, Yang said.  A 21-member astronaut team, including two females, is currently undergoing training for the docking procedure.  "If things go well, the team's female astronauts are expected to conduct a manned space mission in the future," said Fei Junlong, head of the team.  Yang and Fei were China's first men in space, and were sent there in 2003 and 2005, respectively. &$  <i>&$Source: Xinhua&$</i>&$   &$ <table width="620" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">     <tr>     <td height="10" colspan="3">&nbsp;</td>   </tr>       <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">     <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td>&nbsp;</td>         <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>   </tr>       <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">       <tr>         <td><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" >   <tr>     <td><a href="http://english.people.com.cn/98666/102136/index.html" target="_blank" style=""><img src="/mediafile/201104/15/F201104150934493264914851.jpg" alt="BRICS Leaders Meeting 2011" border=0 /></a></td>   </tr> </table></td>         <td width="10" rowspan="5">&nbsp;</td>         <td><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" >   <tr>     <td><a href="http://english.people.com.cn/98667/102002/index.html" target="_blank" style=""><img src="/mediafile/201103/21/F201103211546528251147473.jpg" alt="Japan in aftershocks" border=0 /></a></td>   </tr> </table></td>       </tr>      </table></td>         <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>   </tr>       <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td>&nbsp;</td>         <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>   </tr> </table></td>         <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>   </tr> </table> <table width="620" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">     <tr>     <td height="10" colspan="3">&nbsp;</td>   </tr>       <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border:1px solid #dadada">     <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td><font style="font:bold 20px Verdana">Weekly review</font></td>         <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>   </tr>       <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style=" border-top:1px solid #dadada">       <tr>         <td><table width="270" height="50" border="0"&a ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[Chinese women could be in space by 2012]]></title>
<news_id>7366193</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/7366193.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:07:27</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[China’s female astronauts could fly into space as soon as the latter half of next year, said a senior official in charge of the manned space program on Friday.  According to the program schedule, a space module Tiangong-1 and the Shenzhou VIII spacecraft will be launched in the latter half of this year in the first unmanned rendezvous and docking mission.  Yang Liwei, deputy director of China Manned Space Engineering Office and also China’s first astronaut in space, said that next year C ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[China’s female astronauts could fly into space as soon as the latter half of next year, said a senior official in charge of the manned space program on Friday.  According to the program schedule, a space module Tiangong-1 and the Shenzhou VIII spacecraft will be launched in the latter half of this year in the first unmanned rendezvous and docking mission.  Yang Liwei, deputy director of China Manned Space Engineering Office and also China’s first astronaut in space, said that next year China will launch two spacecraft to further improve China’s rendezvous and docking technologies and one of the spacecraft will be manned.  “Two to three astronauts will be sent to space in that mission next year,” he said, without elaborating.  Fei Junlong, leader of China’s astronaut team, told reporters that the two women astronauts and five men astronauts – the second batch of Chinese astronauts selected last year – have to take a three-year training course before carrying out space missions.  But Yang said that there are possibilities for women to join next year’s mission.  The two women astronauts, both pilots from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force, are the first women astronauts in China.  Before the current group of astronauts were selected, the 14 astronauts recruited in 1997 were all men, including Yang and Fei. So far, six of them have flown to space in three different missions.  Yang and Fei, as well as Chen Shanguang, director of the Astronaut Center of China, introduced China’s manned space programs to 56 overseas reporters on Friday at the “space town” in the northern Beijing suburb, where astronauts are trained.  Reporters were also shown three spacecraft simulators built for astronaut training, including that of Tiangong-1.  &$<i>&$Source: China Daily&$</i>&$ &$ <table width="620" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">     <tr>     <td height="10" colspan="3">&nbsp;</td>   </tr>       <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">     <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td>&nbsp;</td>         <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>   </tr>       <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">       <tr>         <td><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" >   <tr>     <td><a href="http://english.people.com.cn/98666/102136/index.html" target="_blank" style=""><img  src="/mediafile/201104/15/F201104150934493264914851.jpg" alt="BRICS Leaders Meeting 2011" border=0 /></a></td>   </tr> </table></td>         <td width="10" rowspan="5">&nbsp;</td>         <td><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" >   <tr>     <td><a href="http://english.people.com.cn/98667/102002/index.html" target="_blank" style=""><img  src="/mediafile/201103/21/F201103211546528251147473.jpg" alt="Japan in aftershocks" border=0 /></a></td>   </tr> </table></td>       </tr>      </table></td>         <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>   </tr>       <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td>&nbsp;</td>         <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>   </tr> </table></td>         <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>   </tr> </table> <table width="620" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">     <tr>     <td height="10" colspan="3">&nbsp;</td>   </tr>       <tr>     <td width="10">&nbs ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[China solicits names for manned space station]]></title>
<news_id>7362224</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/7362224.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:07:58</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[China officially initiated soliciting names for the country’s first manned space station from Chinese people around the world on Monday. The activity will take place over several months.    An official micro-blog was launched to solicit name and logo for the space station.  Wang Wenbao, director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO), said during a news conference that China’s manned space station program should also have a distinctive logo to match its magnificent blueprin ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[China officially initiated soliciting names for the country’s first manned space station from Chinese people around the world on Monday. The activity will take place over several months.    An official micro-blog was launched to solicit name and logo for the space station.  Wang Wenbao, director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO), said during a news conference that China’s manned space station program should also have a distinctive logo to match its magnificent blueprint, and that China’s manned space station should also have an inspiring name. He said, “Meanwhile, we are aware that the name and logo should be set largely based on public opinion.”  The activity will advance the popularity of scientific and technological knowledge on manned space flight and promote the public attention and interest in space flights, particularly in the younger generation, said Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut and deputy director of the CMSEO.  To promote public attention and participation, the organizing committee has not only opened official homepages on industry Web sites such as cmse.gov.cn, but has also partnered with Tencent to enable Chinese people around the world to submit their work and to gather opinions using online polls through Tencent’s qq.com and mobile phone Web site 3g.qq.com.   Participants can also send emails as well as mail discs or written material to the organizing committee.   The official micro-blog opened by the organizing committee on qq.com had already about 20,000 followers as of April 25.  Space rendezvous and docking experiment to be implemented in 2011  Preparations for the Tiangong-1 and Shenzhou-8 shuttle missions are now in progress and the first space rendezvous and docking experiment will be implemented in the second half of 2011.  Zhou Jianping, general designer of the China's manned space program, said that the rendezvous and docking is one of the three basic techniques of the manned space flight. It involves two spacecraft and has high technical difficulties in control. In addition, the system and technology are more complex.   The rendezvous requires the two spacecraft to join together while in orbit through independent measurements to support astronauts to remain in orbit. The progress of this technology in China is relatively smooth, and related spacecraft products such as the Shenzhou-8, Shenzhou-9, Shenzhou-10 and Tiangong-1, as well as corresponding carrier rockets are in the tense production and test stage, and there will be more missions in the future.  The Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 are expected to launch in 2012. According to plans, China's manned space station will be completed around 2020.  Wang said that China will continue to develop cooperation opportunities with Russia, the European Space Agency, Germany, France and Canada in the construction and operation of space stations as well as the implementation of space experiments in the future.  &$<i>&$By People's Daily Online&$</i>&$ &$ <table width="620" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">     <tr>     <td height="10" colspan="3">&nbsp;</td>   </tr>       <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">     <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>     <td>&nbsp;</td>         <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>   </tr>       <tr>     <td width="10">&nbsp;</td>  &a ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[Countdown starts for China's space station in 2020]]></title>
<news_id>7361197</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/7361197.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:58:50</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Authorities in charge of the manned space program unveiled plans on Monday to build a 60-ton space station, made up of three capsules, and develop a cargo spaceship to transport supplies.      The China Manned Space Engineering Office said at a news conference that it also wants the public to get involved by suggesting names for the space station, due to completed around 2020.      According to documents provided by the office, the space station, weighing about 60 tons, is composed of a core ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Authorities in charge of the manned space program unveiled plans on Monday to build a 60-ton space station, made up of three capsules, and develop a cargo spaceship to transport supplies.      The China Manned Space Engineering Office said at a news conference that it also wants the public to get involved by suggesting names for the space station, due to completed around 2020.      According to documents provided by the office, the space station, weighing about 60 tons, is composed of a core module and two others where experiments will be conducted.      A cargo spaceship to transport supplies will also be developed.      &$<p align="center"><img src="http://www.people.com.cn/mediafile/pic/20110426/26/8556631876655993098.jpg"></p>&$    The 18.1-meter-long core module, with a maximum diameter of 4.2 meters and a launch weight of 20 to 22 tons, will be launched first.      The two experiment modules will then blast off to dock with the core module. Each laboratory module is 14.4 meters long, with the same maximum diameter and launch weight of the core module.      "The 60-ton space station is rather small compared to the International Space Station (419 tons), and Russia's Mir Space Station (137 tons) which served between 1996 and 2001," said Pang Zhihao, a researcher and deputy editor-in-chief of the monthly magazine, Space International.      "But it is the world's third multi-module space station, which usually demands much more complicated technology than a single-module space lab," he said.      The office also said that China will develop a cargo spaceship, with a maximum diameter of 3.35 meters and a launch weight less than 13 tons, to transport supplies and lab facilities to the space station.      Pang said it is the first time that the office confirmed plans to build a cargo spaceship, which is vital for long-term space missions.      The public is being asked to submit suggestions for names and symbols to adorn the space station.      "Considering past achievements and the bright future, we feel that the manned space program should have a more vivid symbol and that the future space station should carry a resounding and encouraging name," Wang Wenbao, director of the office, said at the news conference.      China previously named the space lab "Tiangong" meaning heavenly palace, and the spacecraft to transport astronauts was named "Shenzhou", divine vessel. Its moon probes were named after the country's mythical Moon Goddess "Chang'e". But the names were selected without public input.      "We now feel that the public should be involved in the names and symbols as this major project will enhance national prestige, and strengthen the national sense of cohesion and pride," Wang said.      The public is welcomed to submit suggestions for the space station and its three modules, as well as symbols for the China Manned Space Engineering Program and the space station.      Suggestions should be submitted between Monday and July 25 via websites including www.cmse.gov.cn or e-mailed to kongjianzhan@vip.qq.com. The result will be decided before the end of September.      Suggested names for the cargo spaceship, however, should be submitted far earlier - betwee ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[China fired-up about manned space station]]></title>
<news_id>7307951</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/7307951.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:35:28</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[China plans to launch two manned spacecraft next year to dock with its space module, Tiangong-1, which will itself lift off later in 2011, according to a spokesman for the China Manned Space Engineering Office.   The 8.5-ton Tiangong-1, or Heavenly Palace-1, is slated to blast off on top of a Long March 2F carrier rocket in the second half of this year, the spokesman said via a press release posted on the office's website late Wednesday.   The space module, which is now undergoing tests, wil ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[China plans to launch two manned spacecraft next year to dock with its space module, Tiangong-1, which will itself lift off later in 2011, according to a spokesman for the China Manned Space Engineering Office.   The 8.5-ton Tiangong-1, or Heavenly Palace-1, is slated to blast off on top of a Long March 2F carrier rocket in the second half of this year, the spokesman said via a press release posted on the office's website late Wednesday.   The space module, which is now undergoing tests, will first be the target of an unmanned docking by the Shenzhou VIII spacecraft, which will be launched after Tiangong-1 later this year, he said.   Xinhua News Agency quoted Liang Xiaohong, Party chief of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, on Thursday as saying that the interval between the two launches will be two months.   The unmanned rendezvous and docking will be the first of its kind attempted by China and involves key technology and skills that will be needed for the construction of a space station, which is something China aims to build by 2020.   China hopes to follow up the launch of its space module and the launch of the unmanned probe and subsequent docking with the launch next year of two manned spacecraft that will also dock with the module.   The Shenzhou IX and Shenzhou X spacecraft will blast off in 2012 for the purpose of completing a manned docking with Tiangong-1, he said.   According to a source with the space program, if the unmanned docking between Tiangong-1 and Shenzhou VIII fails, the following Shenzhou IX mission will be an unmanned one.   The training of the astronauts for next year's manned missions has already started and China's first two female astronauts, who were recruited last year, have participated in the training and will be among candidates considered for the mission, he said.   Qi Faren, a senior space technology expert, told Xinhua that after the docking experiments, a space laboratory, which will likely be named Tiangong-2, will be launched before 2016. It will be used to study key technology involved in a space station, such as the living conditions of astronauts.   The space laboratory's technical plan has been completed and research work is going smoothly, said Qi, who is the former chief designer of the Shenzhou spaceships and a member of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).   Eventually, China's space station, which is being designed to have a lifespan of around 10 years, will take shape by 2020 and be cared for by two or three on-board astronauts, he said.   China's space station will be open to scientists from foreign countries, according to the Xinhua report.   Research and development on China's new generation of carrier rockets, Long March 5, is also advancing according to plan and, with a maximum low earth-orbit payload capacity of 25 tons and high earth-orbit payload capacity of 14 tons, is expected to catch up with the United States' Delta-4H rockets, said Liang from the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.   &$<i>&$By Xin Dingding, China Daily&$</i>&$  ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[On-track for China's first space lab by 2016]]></title>
<news_id>7307920</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/7307920.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:33:46</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[China will launch its first space laboratory before 2016, a senior space technology expert said on Thursday.  "With the technological program ready, the lab's research and development are going smoothly," said Qi Faren, former chief designer of Shenzhou （divine –ship） spaceships.  As the second phase of China's manned space program, the lab - likely to be named Tiangong-2 - will gradually be developed into the core module or experiment module, said Qi.  Qi, a member of the 11th Natio ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[China will launch its first space laboratory before 2016, a senior space technology expert said on Thursday.  "With the technological program ready, the lab's research and development are going smoothly," said Qi Faren, former chief designer of Shenzhou （divine –ship） spaceships.  As the second phase of China's manned space program, the lab - likely to be named Tiangong-2 - will gradually be developed into the core module or experiment module, said Qi.  Qi, a member of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, was speaking before the annual session of the country's top political advisory body opened yesterday.   China is to launch its first unmanned space module, Tiangong-1 - or Heavenly Palace - in the second half of this year, serving as a platform for spacecraft to rendezvous and dock, allowing for the building of the space station. It will dock with the unmanned Shenzhou VIII spacecraft, which will be launched two months after Tiangong-1.  Both Tiangong-1 and Shenzhou VIII will be launched by a modified Long March II-F carrier rocket, said Liang Xiaohong, a senior executive of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, at the annual session of the country's top political advisory body.  Researchers have made nearly 170 modifications to the original Long March II-F model, Liang said. He also said China would launch two other spacecraft in the coming two years, Shenzhou IX and Shenzhou X, both of which would dock with Tiangong-1.  Qi predicted that China will have its own space station before 2020.  Meanwhile, Liang said that the world's largest design, production and testing base for rockets is being built in north China's Tianjin City. The first phase of the rocket industrial base in Tianjin's Binhai New Area will be completed this year. Twenty of the 22 plants are already completed.  Liang also said development of China's new generation of carrier rockets, Long March V, are going according to plan and expected to catch up with the US Delta-4H rockets in payload capacity.  These would have a maximum low Earth-orbit payload capacity of 25 tons and high Earth-orbit payload capacity of 14 tons, he said. Liang predicted it could meet China's requirements for up to 50 years.  Looking further ahead, Liang revealed that scientists are studying the feasibility of designing a powerful carrier rocket with a payload of 130 tons for a manned moon landing. He did not provide a timetable for the development.  China launched its first lunar probe in 2007. A second was launched last October. Last year, China conducted 15 space missions.   &$<i>&$People's Daily Online / Xinhua&$</i>&$ ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[Astronauts being prepped as space station nears]]></title>
<news_id>7264188</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/7264188.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:35:48</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[A research project to train astronauts and study their ability to endure space missions has been launched as the country gears up for the launching of two unmanned space modules later this year, aimed at future space dockings.  The research looks into the impact of prolonged stays of astronauts in conditions of zero gravity, rapid day and night shifts, and limited living quarters, so as to guarantee their safety, health and work efficiency in space, the People's Liberation Army Daily reported  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[A research project to train astronauts and study their ability to endure space missions has been launched as the country gears up for the launching of two unmanned space modules later this year, aimed at future space dockings.  The research looks into the impact of prolonged stays of astronauts in conditions of zero gravity, rapid day and night shifts, and limited living quarters, so as to guarantee their safety, health and work efficiency in space, the People's Liberation Army Daily reported Monday.  Scheduled to take place until 2015, the project is being jointly carried out by eight Chinese research institutes of aerospace sciences and life sciences. It will play a crucial role in the building of a manned space station, and in promoting scientific progress and breakthroughs in related fields, the report said.  Pang Zhihao, a researcher at the China Academy of Space Technology, told the Global Times that the program marks a milestone in the nation's training of aerospace talent.  "To live and work in a space station long-term poses great physical and psychological challenges to astronauts. It's important to study the impact on the astronauts and train them to master basic techniques such as space walking and the assembly and maintenance of space equipment," he said, adding that the scale of the program is much smaller than that of the US.  China formally announced its manned space station program in October and said it planned to complete construction of a "relatively large" manned space laboratory by 2020. Two batches of astronauts were recruited, with women finally being included, to operate the space station.  The space station program is planned to be completed in three parts. They are composed of first developing Shenzhou spaceships and then technologies needed for docking and extra-vehicular activities, parts that are currently underway, and finally construction of the space station itself.  China has sent six astronauts into space since 2003. Yang Liwei was the first Chinese to voyage beyond the planet's atmosphere for 21 hours in Shenzhou-5 in 2003, and Zhai Zhigang was the first Chinese to walk in outer space in 2008, paving the way for the country's next space mission.  &$<i>&$By Zhu Shanshan, Global Times&$</i>&$&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7264188" class="abl2">【1】  </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7264189" class="abl2">【2】  </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7264189"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[China to launch 1st Mars probe in 2013]]></title>
<news_id>7263816</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/7263816.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:34:33</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Qi Faren, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and chief designer of Shenzhou spaceships, indicated on Jan. 16 that China is expected to launch the first Mars probe in 2013.  The probe, Yinghuo-1(YH-1), was due to blast off in October 2009 with Russia's "Phobos Explorer" from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, but the launch was postponed.  Qi Faren disclosed that China and Russia will launch the first Mars probe this year. By 2013, there will be a minimum distance betwee ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Qi Faren, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and chief designer of Shenzhou spaceships, indicated on Jan. 16 that China is expected to launch the first Mars probe in 2013.  The probe, Yinghuo-1(YH-1), was due to blast off in October 2009 with Russia's "Phobos Explorer" from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, but the launch was postponed.  Qi Faren disclosed that China and Russia will launch the first Mars probe this year. By 2013, there will be a minimum distance between the Mars and the Earth, which will be a good time to launch the Mars probe. If this opportunity is missed, China will have to wait several years to launch another. Therefore, China will consider launching its first Mars probe independently.  Qi said that this is only a consideration of the aerospace industry and not the Chinese government's formal decision-making at present. However, China's space industry is fully capable of successfully launching the Mars probe.  China's space industry plans important developments in the coming years, which will culminate in the construction of a space station by 2020, Qi said. 　　 He explained that China will build the space station to solve four stages of difficult problems in research and development. China successfully and independently put a man into space in the first stage.  In the second stage, China will launch Tiangong-1, an unmanned space module, in the first half of 2011 and the Shenzhou-8 spacecraft in the second half of the year to carry out the nation's first-ever space docking.   Tiangong, or the heavenly palace, would finally be transformed into a manned space lab after experimental dockings with three Shenzhou spacecraft, which are expected to be put into space within two years following the module's launch.  In the third stages, China will launch the cargo spacecraft docked to the space station.   The fourth stage will launch the recycling system for air and water resources. Qi explained that the space station cannot always rely on spacecraft to transport materials, so it will be necessary to research and develop a recycling system in the future.  A renewable system means fully utilizing the astronauts' sweat, urine and other wastes for reuse in the space station. The space station will include a core module, two laboratory modules and a number of cargo spacecraft and manned spacecraft by 2020, Qi said.  For China's lunar exploration program, Qi indicated that currently the lunar exploration program will be divided into three steps. The first step is to fly around the moon, which has been completed.   The second step is to send the lunar rover to the moon surface to conduct a certain range of activities and ship back all the information to the Earth. The third step is to extract samples from the moon, which can be carried back to the Earth to explore the presence of water resources.  &$<i>&$By Zhang Qian, People's Daily Online&$</i>&$ ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[China announces nuclear fuel breakthrough]]></title>
<news_id>7249141</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/7249141.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:36:03</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[&$<center><img src='/mediafile/201101/04/P201101040824131750293858.jpg'> &$This Dec 26, 2008 file photo shows a huge construction site of the expansion project of the two million-kw generating units in the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant in Haiyan, East China's Zhejiang province. (Xinhua Photo)&$</center>&$ Chinese scientists have made a breakthrough in spent fuel reprocessing technology that could potentially solve China's uranium supply problem, Chinese television reported on Monday.  The te ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[&$<center><img src='/mediafile/201101/04/P201101040824131750293858.jpg'> &$This Dec 26, 2008 file photo shows a huge construction site of the expansion project of the two million-kw generating units in the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant in Haiyan, East China's Zhejiang province. (Xinhua Photo)&$</center>&$ Chinese scientists have made a breakthrough in spent fuel reprocessing technology that could potentially solve China's uranium supply problem, Chinese television reported on Monday.  The technology, developed and tested at the No.404 Factory of China National Nuclear Corp in the Gobi desert in remote Gansu province, enables the re-use of irradiated fuel and is able to boost the usage rate of uranium materials at nuclear plants by 60 folds.  "With the new technology, China's existing detected uranium resources can be used for 3,000 years," the China Central Television reported.  China, as well as France, the United Kingdom and Russia, actively supports reprocessing as a means for the management of highly radioactive spent fuel and as a source of fissile material for future nuclear fuel supply.  But independent scientists argued that commercial application of nuclear fuel reprocessing has always been hindered by cost, technology, proliferation risk and safety challenges.  China has 171,400 tonnes of proven uranium resources spread mainly in eight provinces -- Jiangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Liaoning and Yunnan.  China is planning a massive push into nuclear power in an effort to wean itself off coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel. It now has 12 working reactors with 10.15 gigawatt of total generating capacity.  China has set an official target of 40 gigawatts (GW) of installed nuclear generating capacity by 2020, but the government indicated it could double the goal to about 80 GW as faster expansion was one of the more feasible solutions for achieving emissions reduction goals.  As such, China will need to source more than 60 percent of the uranium needed for its nuclear power plants from overseas by 2020, even if the country moves forward with a modest nuclear expansion plan, Chinese researchers say.  &$<i>&$Source:Xinhua&$</i>&$&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7249141" class="abl2">【1】  </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7249153" class="abl2">【2】  </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7249153"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[China wows world with engineering]]></title>
<news_id>7249100</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90883/7249100.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:36:24</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The country surprised the world with its engineering and technical feats in 2010, when it completed several monumental projects high in the sky, deep in the seas and in-between.    China last year completed 15 successful space launches, including that of its second lunar probe, Chang'e-2, which will determine a site for the country's first unmanned moon landing around 2013.   The Long March launch vehicles also sent five Beidou navigation satellites into orbit. The launches were part of the  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[The country surprised the world with its engineering and technical feats in 2010, when it completed several monumental projects high in the sky, deep in the seas and in-between.    China last year completed 15 successful space launches, including that of its second lunar probe, Chang'e-2, which will determine a site for the country's first unmanned moon landing around 2013.   The Long March launch vehicles also sent five Beidou navigation satellites into orbit. The launches were part of the country's plan to have 12 Beidou navigation satellites form a network covering the Asia-Pacific region before 2012. The system will have 35 navigation satellites by 2020, when it will rival the United States' Global Positioning System.   On the ground, China became a strong player in the global high-speed railway industry in 2010 by innovating upon technologies previously imported from Germany, France and Japan.   The Ministry of Railways announced the nation's high-speed railway network last year reached 7,531 km, becoming longer than any other countries'.   The network's top service speed became the world's fastest at 380 kilometers an hour since the Shanghai-Hangzhou high-speed railway opened in October.   It set new operation speed records twice in 2010.   In September, a China-made fast train reached 416.6 km an hour on the Shanghai-Hangzhou high-speed railway. Two months later, a train on the 1,318-km-long Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway beat that record by reaching 486.1 km an hour.   Sources with CSR Corp Ltd, a major domestic train manufacturer, said in December that an experimental train is being developed that would challenge the 574.8 km an hour speed traveled by a specially configured version of France's TGV in 2007.   The country also made great achievements in the deep sea, becoming the fifth country to develop deep-diving technology capable of going beyond the 3,500-meter mark.   The domestically developed submersible Jiaolong planted a Chinese flag on the bottom of the South China Sea during a 3,759-meter-deep dive in July.   The vessel, designed to reach a depth of 7,000 meters and operate in most of the planet's oceans, is considered the world's only manned submersible that can theoretically reach those depths. Japan's Shinkai 6500 can dive for 6,500 meters. The other three countries with deep-diving technology are the United States, France and Russia.   And 2010 was the year China overtook the United States in developing the fastest supercomputer.   The Tianhe-1A can perform 2,507 trillion calculations a second and is 29 million times faster than the earliest supercomputers.   In addition, the water level of the largest hydroelectric project, the Three Gorges Dam, had increased to 175 meters as of October 2010, enabling it to generate electricity at maximum capacity.   The slew of mega-projects were made possible by the country's mammoth spending on research and development.   According to the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), China's investment in innovation nearly doubled from 34 billion euros ($44.56 billion) in 2006 to 65.7 billion euros in 2009.   &$<i>&$By Bao Daozu, China Daily&$</i>&$&$ <center><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7249100" class="abl2">【1】  </a><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7249101" class="abl2">【2】  </a></center>&$&$ <center><table border="0" align="center"> <tr><td><a href="/cms/template/NewsView.jsp?id=7249101"><img src="/img/2007english/Next.jpg" border="0"></a></td></tr></table></center>&$ ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[China to launch Shenzhou 9 and Shenzhou 10 spacecraft in 2012]]></title>
<news_id>7202693</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/7202693.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:37:26</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[It is reported that China will launch the Shenzhou 9 and Shenzhou 10 spacecraft in 2012, according to the website of China Manned Space Engineering.  China has formally begun its manned space station program, aiming to complete construction of a "relatively large" manned space laboratory around 2020, said a spokesman for the national manned space program.  China hopes to develop and launch the first part of a space laboratory before 2016, focusing on breakthroughs in living conditions for as ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[It is reported that China will launch the Shenzhou 9 and Shenzhou 10 spacecraft in 2012, according to the website of China Manned Space Engineering.  China has formally begun its manned space station program, aiming to complete construction of a "relatively large" manned space laboratory around 2020, said a spokesman for the national manned space program.  China hopes to develop and launch the first part of a space laboratory before 2016, focusing on breakthroughs in living conditions for astronauts and research applications, the spokesman said.  After the construction of the space station, China's three-step manned space program will be complete, adding this would enhance the country's technological progress, innovation, comprehensive power and the nation's prestige.  The three-step strategy involves first developing the Shenzhou spaceships and then technologies needed for docking and extra-vehicular activities, currently underway, and finally construction of the space station.  China plans to launch two unmanned space modules, Tiangong-1 and Shenzhou-8, in 2011, which are expected to accomplish the country's first space docking and were regarded as an essential step toward building a space station.  Tiangong-1, or Heavenly Palace, would eventually be transformed into a manned space laboratory after experimental dockings with Shenzhou-8, Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 spacecraft, with the last two carrying two or three astronauts each.  &$<i>&$By Zhang Qian, People's Daily Online&$</i>&$ ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[Tiangong-1 to be launched next year]]></title>
<news_id>7201314</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/7201314.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:37:51</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[China will launch its first unmanned space module, Tiangong-1, also known as the "target spacecraft," next year, Yan Zhongwen of the China Academy of Space Technology told Guangzhou Daily on Monday.   Tiangong-1, a spacecraft module equipped with two docking ports to serve as a target for a rendezvous docking operation, is expected to enter into orbit in October 2011. It will first dock with the unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft and then the manned Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, according to Yan Zhongwen ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[China will launch its first unmanned space module, Tiangong-1, also known as the "target spacecraft," next year, Yan Zhongwen of the China Academy of Space Technology told Guangzhou Daily on Monday.   Tiangong-1, a spacecraft module equipped with two docking ports to serve as a target for a rendezvous docking operation, is expected to enter into orbit in October 2011. It will first dock with the unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft and then the manned Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, according to Yan Zhongwen.   It is expected that China will establish its first permanent manned space station in 2017.   China's manned space projects have three steps. The first is the breakthrough of manned technology, represented by Shenzhou 5 and Shenzhou 6, which were launched in 2003 and 2005, respectively. The second step is to set up a short-term manned space station after completing docking and extravehicular activities. The third step is to build a permanent manned space station for space science experiments.    &$<i>&$By Liang Jun, People's Daily Online&$</i>&$ ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[China's space industry to achieve leap-forward development]]></title>
<news_id>7194938</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/7194938.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:38:06</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[China will launch Tiangong 1 target spacecraft and Shenzhou VIII unmanned spacecraft in the coming five years and the two spacecrafts will undertake China's first docking mission with each other. After this, China's space industry will achieve leap-forward development from a manned space program to building a space laboratory, China's Central Television reported on Tuesday.   Chinese on Monday unveiled pictures of the moon's Sinus Iridum, or Bay of Rainbows, marking the success of China's Chan ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[China will launch Tiangong 1 target spacecraft and Shenzhou VIII unmanned spacecraft in the coming five years and the two spacecrafts will undertake China's first docking mission with each other. After this, China's space industry will achieve leap-forward development from a manned space program to building a space laboratory, China's Central Television reported on Tuesday.   Chinese on Monday unveiled pictures of the moon's Sinus Iridum, or Bay of Rainbows, marking the success of China's Chang'e-2 lunar probe mission.  "The relaying back of the pictures shows that the Chang'e-2 mission is a success," Zhang Jiahao, director of the lunar exploration center under the China National Space Administration, said.  In the coming five years, China will launch Chang'e III and realize a moon landing, the second step of China's lunar mission. In addition, China will complete the first launch of a new generation of carrier rockets, which will send China's satellites to more distant planets, according to CCTV reports.  &$<i>&$By Liang Jun, People's Daily Online&$</i>&$ ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[China kicks off manned space station program]]></title>
<news_id>7179424</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/7179424.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:38:47</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[China has formally begun its manned space station program, aiming to complete construction of a "relatively large" manned space laboratory around 2020, said a spokesman for the national manned space program.  China was aiming to develop and launch the first part of a space laboratory before 2016, focusing on breakthroughs in living conditions for astronauts and research applications, the spokesman said.  The country would develop and launch a core cabin and a second laboratory module around  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[China has formally begun its manned space station program, aiming to complete construction of a "relatively large" manned space laboratory around 2020, said a spokesman for the national manned space program.  China was aiming to develop and launch the first part of a space laboratory before 2016, focusing on breakthroughs in living conditions for astronauts and research applications, the spokesman said.  The country would develop and launch a core cabin and a second laboratory module around 2020, which would be assembled in orbit around the earth into a manned space station, he said.  "Technologies needed to build and run the space station complex and long-term manned space flight in terrestrial space will be grasped," the spokesman said.  China planned to launch two unmanned space modules, Tiangong-1 and Shenzhou-8, in 2011, which were expected to accomplish the country's first space docking and were regarded as an essential step toward building a space station.  Tiangong-1, or Heavenly Palace, would eventually be transformed into a manned space laboratory after experimental dockings with Shenzhou-8, Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 spacecraft with the last two carrying two or three astronauts each.   &$<i>&$Source:Xinhua&$</i>&$ ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[China starts manned space station project]]></title>
<news_id>7179296</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/7179296.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:38:31</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[A project to construct China's first manned space station has been officially launched and it is expected to be completed by around 2020, when a large scale national space laboratory will be also set up, according to a spokesman from the China Manned Space Engineering Project on Oct. 27.   It was reported that the manned space station project included two stages of construction.   By 2016, a space laboratory is expected to be developed and launched with breakthroughs in key technologies, inc ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[A project to construct China's first manned space station has been officially launched and it is expected to be completed by around 2020, when a large scale national space laboratory will be also set up, according to a spokesman from the China Manned Space Engineering Project on Oct. 27.   It was reported that the manned space station project included two stages of construction.   By 2016, a space laboratory is expected to be developed and launched with breakthroughs in key technologies, including mastering the medium-term presence of astronauts and carrying out certain space applications.   By 2020, the pilot cabin and core cabin are expected to be developed and launched. Afterward, the manned space station will be assembled in orbit. Breakthroughs in near-Earth space station assembly technologies, long-term manned space flight in near-Earth orbit and the performance of large-scale space applications are also expected to be achieved.  The spokesman said the construction of China's manned space station project will fully utilize early fruits of manned spaceflight, which included Shenzhou spacecraft, the Long March II F carrier rocket and the launch and landing sites.   He said the completion of the manned space station will full realize the development strategy of China's manned spaceflight. This will further promote China's manned space technology to a higher level and make important contributions to the development of China's scientific and technological progress and innovation to enhance comprehensive national strength and prestige.  According to the plan, China will launch the Shenzhou VIII spacecraft and the Tiangong I target aircraft to carry out the unmanned docking pilot of spacecraft for the first time in 2011.  &$<i>&$By Li Mu, People's Daily Online&$</i>&$ ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[Moon landing gets timetable]]></title>
<news_id>7145453</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/7145453.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:40:00</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[    The timetable for China's first manned moon landing, as well as the launch of a space station, lab and probes to explore Mars and Venus, was announced by scientists over the weekend.      Chinese analysts, however, dismissed international concerns that Beijing is engaging in an outer-space arms race, stressing that recent activities and future missions are for scientific purposes and for the benefit of mankind.      In a visit to the country's space base in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, Satur ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[    The timetable for China's first manned moon landing, as well as the launch of a space station, lab and probes to explore Mars and Venus, was announced by scientists over the weekend.      Chinese analysts, however, dismissed international concerns that Beijing is engaging in an outer-space arms race, stressing that recent activities and future missions are for scientific purposes and for the benefit of mankind.      In a visit to the country's space base in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, Saturday, Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut to voyage beyond the planet's atmosphere in 2003, revealed plans to launch the country's first unmanned space laboratory, Tiangong-1, next year, which is expected to accomplish the country's first unmanned docking with Shenzhou-8, a crucial step toward building a space station.      Both the manned spacecraft Shenzhou-9 and the unmanned Shenzhou-10 will be launched in 2012 to dock with the Tiangong space laboratory, and by around 2020 China will launch its first orbital space station, Yang said.      Meanwhile, at an aerospace engineering forum Thursday, Ye Peijian, Commander in Chief of the Chang'e Program and an academic at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said China's lunar-probe program, the country's first step toward deep-space exploration, is expected to orbit the moon, land and return to Earth by 2020.      Ye proposed that China launch its first manned moon landing in 2025, a probe to Mars by 2013 and to Venus by 2015.      "China has the full capacity to accomplish Mars exploration by 2013," Ye said.      Earlier this month, Wu Weiren, the chief engineer overseeing China's lunar exploration program, also revealed that work on the Chang'e-2 lunar orbiter had entered the pre-launch testing stage and it would make its first trial flight before the end of the year.      Chang'e-2 will carry out a soft-landing test in preparation for the launch of Chang'e-3, which is scheduled for 2013.      The Chang'e Project is named after a Chinese legend of a goddess who took a magic elixir and flew to the moon.      Space-program officials had said previously that the Chang'e-2 mission would be launched in October around the Mid Autumn Festival, dedicated to the Moon Goddess, Chang'e, but no precise date has been given.      Ouyang Ziyuan, chief scientist of China's lunar orbiter project, told the Global Times that China's plan to launch an orbital space station by around 2020 is achievable, based on aerospace technology development and the success of  future manned missions.      China's space program will pose great challenges to scientists and technicians, Ouyang said, adding that the space station will be quite small in size compared with the International Space Station, a joint collaboration between 16 countries, including the US and Russia.      Huang Hai, a professor at the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (BUAA), told the Global Times that a space station was vital for future scientific research.      "A space station is a good platform for spacecraft and a research lab. It is the ultimate purpose of manned space technology," Huang said, adding that the cost would vary depending on the size&amp;nbsp ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[China plans to build its own space station in around 2020]]></title>
<news_id>7145037</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/7145037.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:39:38</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[China plans to set up the country's orbital space station by around 2020, said Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut sent into space in 2003, when visiting China's space base in Xi'an Saturday.  Yang revealed that China plans to launch the unmanned space station Tiangong-1 and Shenzhou-8 in middle and the second half of 2011, which is expected to accomplish the country's first unmanned space docking test and regarded as an essential step toward building a space station.   In 2012, both manned  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[China plans to set up the country's orbital space station by around 2020, said Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut sent into space in 2003, when visiting China's space base in Xi'an Saturday.  Yang revealed that China plans to launch the unmanned space station Tiangong-1 and Shenzhou-8 in middle and the second half of 2011, which is expected to accomplish the country's first unmanned space docking test and regarded as an essential step toward building a space station.   In 2012, both manned and unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 will be launched to dock with Tiangong space station to conduct preparations for building the space station.   Yang said that China's manned space project has three periods. Shenzhou-5 and Shenzhou-6 comprised the first period, the aim of which is to achieve a manned space flight; Shenzhou-7 was the first phase of the second period, and it involved a successful spacewalk.  Together with Yang Liwei, China's astronaut Nie Haisheng and Liu Boming also had a visit to the space base. They introduced the future of China's manned space project and spacewalk the astronaut Zhai Zhigang conducted during the Shenzhou-7 flight in 2008.  &$<i>&$By Zhao Chenyan, People's Daily Online&$</i>&$ ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[China to launch Tiangong-1 docking module in 2011]]></title>
<news_id>7107588</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/7107588.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:40:37</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The Tiangong-1, the first docking module in China's permanent space station and also an orbiting laboratory, has been fully assembled and will be launched in 2011, according to information published on www.cmse.gov.cn, China's official manned space engineering Web site, on Aug. 17.  The module is now undergoing comprehensive electrical performance tests. After passing a series of electrical, mechanical and thermal performance tests, it will be sent into the pre-set orbit in 2011, and afterward ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[The Tiangong-1, the first docking module in China's permanent space station and also an orbiting laboratory, has been fully assembled and will be launched in 2011, according to information published on www.cmse.gov.cn, China's official manned space engineering Web site, on Aug. 17.  The module is now undergoing comprehensive electrical performance tests. After passing a series of electrical, mechanical and thermal performance tests, it will be sent into the pre-set orbit in 2011, and afterwards it will dock with the unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft.    Preparations for the docking mission are well under way. The Shenzhou 8 spacecraft is being assembled, and the improved version of the Long March 2-F rocket has been completed, with its subsystems still under separate comprehensive tests. In addition, astronauts are being trained for the mission, and China's second batch of astronauts including two female astronauts are also receiving the training.    According to the plan, China will launch the Tiangong-1 and the Shenzhou 8 in 2011, and then carry out the docking mission. This will be the first time for China to have a module dock with an unmanned spacecraft.  &$<i>&$By People's Daily Online&$</i>&$ ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[China to conduct maiden space docking in 2011: expert]]></title>
<news_id>6917102</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/6917102.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:41:56</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[China will launch an unmanned space module, Tiangong-1, in the first half of 2011, and the Shenzhou-8 spacecraft in the second half of the year, to carry out the nation's first-ever space docking, an expert said here Wednesday.  The Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 spaceships, which are also expected to dock with Tiangong-1, would be launched in 2012, said Niu Hongguang, deputy commander-in-chief of China's manned space program.  The two spaceships would help China establish breakthroughs and furt ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[China will launch an unmanned space module, Tiangong-1, in the first half of 2011, and the Shenzhou-8 spacecraft in the second half of the year, to carry out the nation's first-ever space docking, an expert said here Wednesday.  The Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 spaceships, which are also expected to dock with Tiangong-1, would be launched in 2012, said Niu Hongguang, deputy commander-in-chief of China's manned space program.  The two spaceships would help China establish breakthroughs and further master the docking technologies tested by its predecessor Shenzhou-8, said Niu, who is also a deputy to the National People's Congress, China's top legislature.  Qi Faren, former chief designer of Shenzhou spaceships, told Xinhua earlier that the 8.5-tonne Tiangong-1 would be converted into a manned space lab where Chinese astronauts would live and conduct research in zero gravity, after docking with the three Shenzhou spaceships.  Niu said experts have already begun building flight models of the Tiangong-1 module, the Shenzhou-8 spaceship, and the Long March II-F carrier rocket on which the Tiangong-1 is expected to be launched.  He also said the country has already finished selection of its second batch of astronauts.  The astronauts include five men and two women, according to Zhang Jianqi, former deputy commander of the country's manned space program. This is the first time women will be part of China's space missions.  &$<i>&$Source:Xinhua&$</i>&$ ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[Shenzhou VIII to be launched in 2nd half of 2011]]></title>
<news_id>6915985</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/6915985.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:42:48</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[China will launch the "Tiangong I" space station and the "Shenzhou VIII" spaceship in the first and second half of 2011 respectively, conducting China's first rendezvous and docking test, said Niu Hongguang Wednesday, deputy commander-in-chief of the China Manned Space Program.  China will also launch the "Shenzhou IX" spaceship and the "Shenzhou X" spaceship in the first and second half of 2012 respectively, realizing rendezvous and docking between the spaceships and the space station and mak ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[China will launch the "Tiangong I" space station and the "Shenzhou VIII" spaceship in the first and second half of 2011 respectively, conducting China's first rendezvous and docking test, said Niu Hongguang Wednesday, deputy commander-in-chief of the China Manned Space Program.  China will also launch the "Shenzhou IX" spaceship and the "Shenzhou X" spaceship in the first and second half of 2012 respectively, realizing rendezvous and docking between the spaceships and the space station and making a breakthrough in rendezvous and docking technology, said Niu, also deputy to the National People's Congress.   Zhang Jianqi, former deputy commander-in-chief of the China Manned Space Program, recently revealed that China has chosen its second batch of taikonauts consisting of 5 males and 2 females. The 2 female taikonauts come from military air transport units and belong to the 7th batch of Chinese female pilots.  &$<i>&$By People's Dailly Online&$</i>&$ ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[China plans to launch second lunar probe in October]]></title>
<news_id>6909168</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/6909168.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:43:09</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[China plans to launch the Chang'e-2, the country's second lunar probe, in October this year, an expert said Thursday.  The satellite would be launched on a Long March 3-C carrier rocket, said Liang Xiaohong, Party chief of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).  Liang's remarks came just one day after Qi Faren, former chief designer of China's Shenzhou spaceships, said the count ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[China plans to launch the Chang'e-2, the country's second lunar probe, in October this year, an expert said Thursday.  The satellite would be launched on a Long March 3-C carrier rocket, said Liang Xiaohong, Party chief of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).  Liang's remarks came just one day after Qi Faren, former chief designer of China's Shenzhou spaceships, said the country would launch an unmanned space module, Tiangong-1, in 2011.  Tiangong-1 is expected to accomplish the country's first space docking and is regarded as an essential step toward building a space station.  A spokesman of China's space program said in February last year that the country had planned to launch the unmanned module into orbit as early as the end of 2010.  Qi said the delay was due to technical reasons.  &$<i>&$Source:Xinhua&$</i>&$ ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[China to launch unmanned space module next year]]></title>
<news_id>6908248</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/6908248.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:39:16</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[China plans to launch an unmanned space module, Tiangong-1, in 2011, which is expected to accomplish the country's first space docking and regarded as an essential step toward building a space station, an expert said on Wednesday.    Tiangong, or the heavenly palace, would finally be transformed into a manned space lab after experimental dockings with three Shenzhou spacecraft, which are expected to be put into space within two years following the module's launch, said Qi Faren, former chief d ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[China plans to launch an unmanned space module, Tiangong-1, in 2011, which is expected to accomplish the country's first space docking and regarded as an essential step toward building a space station, an expert said on Wednesday.    Tiangong, or the heavenly palace, would finally be transformed into a manned space lab after experimental dockings with three Shenzhou spacecraft, which are expected to be put into space within two years following the module's launch, said Qi Faren, former chief designer of Shenzhou spaceships.  Qi, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the remarks on the sidelines of the annual full session of the top political advisory body that opened Wednesday afternoon.  A spokesman of China's space program said in February last year that the country had planned to launch the unmanned module into orbit as early as the end of 2010. Qi said the delay was due to technical reasons.  Weighing about 8.5 tons, Tiangong-1 is able to perform long-term unattended operation, which will be an essential step toward building a space station.  When transformed into a manned space lab, Tiangong would provide a "safe room" for Chinese astronauts to live in and conduct research in zero gravity, Qi said.  Its scheduled docking with unmanned Shenzhou-8 spacecraft would be the country's first space docking. Scientists on the ground would control the docking between the orbiter and the unmanned spaceship.  Qi said Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10, the two other spaceships to dock with Tiangong-1, would carry two or three astronauts each.  The spaceships would possibly carry seeds from Taiwan for experiments, according to Qi.  Experts say space docking has been widely recognized as one of the most sophisticated space technologies as it requires precise controlling of two high-speed spacecraft which meet and dock in space.  Qi said other key technologies are replenishment of propellant, air, water and food as well as a regenerating life guarantee system for the space module.  Clean propellant elements such as liquid oxygen and kerosene have replaced polluting ingredients in China's space programs, said Qi, also academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the International Academy of Astronautics.  Liang Xiaohong, also a CPPCC National Committee member and Party chief of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, said Tiangong-1 would be launched on a technologically-modified Long March II-F carrier rocket.  Researchers have made close to 170 technological modifications, including 38 major ones, to the original Long March II-F model, Liang said.  An experimental model of the improved rocket has already been assembled, and would be sent to a satellite launch center for training missions to test its accuracy, reliability and safety capabilities.  In September 2008, China successfully launched its third manned spacecraft Shenzhou-7, following Shenzhou-5 in 2003 and Shenzhou-6 in 2005.  &$<i>&$Source:Xinhua&$</i>&$ ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[China to put Tiangong-1 into space next year]]></title>
<news_id>6907521</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/6907521.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:43:51</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[China is to put an unmanned space module into space in 2010, a space expert said in Beijing Wednesday.  Weighing about 8.5 tonnes, Tiangong-1 is able to perform long-term unattended operation, which will be an essential step toward building a space station.  &$<i>&$Source:Xinhua&$</i>&$                                                                                                                                                                                                                  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[China is to put an unmanned space module into space in 2010, a space expert said in Beijing Wednesday.  Weighing about 8.5 tonnes, Tiangong-1 is able to perform long-term unattended operation, which will be an essential step toward building a space station.  &$<i>&$Source:Xinhua&$</i>&$ ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[Expert: China's space technology close moon landing capability]]></title>
<news_id>6890753</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/6890753.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:44:39</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[After years of development, China's space technology is close to moon landing capability, said Fu Yiqing, space expert and consultant to the Shanghai Institute of Space Propulsion (SISP).   Fu, also a senior member of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), said this during an interview with reporters form China News Service.   New generations of Chinese taikonauts are studying moon landing technology. Although there is no big problem in the overall technical aspects of mo ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[After years of development, China's space technology is close to moon landing capability, said Fu Yiqing, space expert and consultant to the Shanghai Institute of Space Propulsion (SISP).   Fu, also a senior member of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), said this during an interview with reporters form China News Service.   New generations of Chinese taikonauts are studying moon landing technology. Although there is no big problem in the overall technical aspects of moon landing, some details still need to be researched and implemented, said Fu.  Aerospace engines produced by the SISP are the key parts. The orbit of Chang'e II, planned to be launched this year, will be closer to the moon, making preparation for the moon landing.   Fu said China will launch Tiangong 1 space laboratory making a breakthrough in space rendezvous and docking technology; develop the Long March V, large-scale carrier rocket and prepare for launch of space station; launch Chang'e II and Chang'e III satellites and achieve a soft landing of moon's surface; make use of moon rover to explore the moon and provide data for the for the moon base mission.   Besides China, a number of countries are also accelerating the pace of manned space missions. The U.S. plans to "return to the moon", and Europe, Russia, Japan and India have also raised the concept of the moon landings.   Studies have found helium-3 is more abundant on the Moon than on the Earth. It is a variant of the gas used in lasers and refrigerators as well as in balloons. Moon gas could meet earth's future energy demands for thousands of years.   Fu has served as a director designer of engines of Long March III and Long March IV carrier rockets.  &$<i>&$By People's Daily Online&$</i>&$ ]]></full-text>
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<title><![CDATA[Second moon probe next year]]></title>
<news_id>6854986</news_id>
<link><![CDATA[ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90881/6854986.html ]]></link>
<pubDate>2011-08-29 20:45:19</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[&$<b>&$Another spacecraft launch likely in 2010 to prepare for space lab&$</b>&$  China plans to launch Chang'e-2, the country's second lunar probe, at the end of 2010, space authorities announced yesterday.  The design and production of Chang'e-2 is complete, and the lunar orbiter is undergoing ground tests, the State Administration of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense said yesterday in a news release.  Chang'e-2 is expected to test the soft-landing technological capabi ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[&$<b>&$Another spacecraft launch likely in 2010 to prepare for space lab&$</b>&$  China plans to launch Chang'e-2, the country's second lunar probe, at the end of 2010, space authorities announced yesterday.  The design and production of Chang'e-2 is complete, and the lunar orbiter is undergoing ground tests, the State Administration of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense said yesterday in a news release.  Chang'e-2 is expected to test the soft-landing technological capability for the Chang'e-3 and provide high-resolution images of the landing area, the administration said.  "Progress on six key technologies of Chang'e-2 has been made, including the lunar capture, orbit control and research on high-resolution stereo camera," the administration's spokesman said.  Ye Peijian, chief designer of the nation's first lunar probe, had told China Daily earlier that the launch was expected in October. &$<center><img src='/mediafile/200912/29/P200912291433161039525310.jpg'></center>&$ The administration said that Chang'e-3, the country's lunar lander and rover, is also well on the way toward liftoff. The project is now in the prototype stage.  Chang'e-2 and Chang'e-3 are part of the second phase of the country's lunar exploration program, which consists of three stages - "orbiting", "landing" and "returning".  Ye said earlier that Chang'e-3 is likely to be launched before 2013. The country's first lunar probe, Chang'e-1, was launched in October 2007 and ended its 16-month mission on March 1 this year.  Meanwhile, China's manned space project is also likely to see a breakthrough next year, a top scientist said.  Qi Faren, chief designer of the Shenzhou spacecraft, told Guangzhou Daily on Sunday that Tiangong-1, or Heavenly Palace-1, a spacecraft that will test docking technology and prepare for the future construction of space laboratories, will be launched by the end of next year at the earliest.  According to the official website of China's manned space program, www.cmse.gov.cn, the launch date of Tiangong-1 is set between late 2010 and early 2011.  Within two years of the launch of Tiangong-I, China will launch Shenzhou-VIII, Shenzhou-IX and Shenzhou-X spaceships, to dock with Tiangong-1, the website said.  Two space laboratories, Tiangong-II and Tiangong-III, will follow, and China aims to build its own space station by the year 2020, the website said.  China became the third nation - after the US and Russia - to send people into space when Yang Liwei went into orbit aboard the spaceship Shenzhou-V on Oct 15, 2003. Three other astronauts were sent to space in Shenzhou-VII and carried out the country's first space walk in September 2008.  Shen Liping, deputy chief designer of China's manned space program, was quoted by Guangzhou Daily as saying on Sunday that China's first woman astronaut will be able to fly to outer space sooner than the targeted 10 years.  &$<i>&$Source: China Daily&$</i>&$ ]]></full-text>
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