China sets date for first Manned Space launch

BEIJING, Oct. 10 — The Chinese government confirmed Friday that it would attempt its first manned space launch next week, saying the mission would begin between Wednesday and Friday “at a proper time.”

A SUCCESSFUL launch would make China the third country in the world to put a human being into space. The former Soviet Union put Yuri Gagarin into space in 1961; the United States sent Alan Shepard up less than a month later. “Now all preparatory work for the launch is progressing smoothly,” Xinhua quoted an unnamed space-program official as saying. The government has not announced the identity of the space traveler, and the Xinhua dispatches did not specify how many astronauts, or “taikonauts,” the craft would contain. The government said the Shenzhou 5 would fly on an elliptical orbit with the orbital inclination angle of 42.4 degrees. It will then shift to a circular orbit at an altitude of 213 miles. All would-be taikonauts — an English nickname based on the Chinese word for “space” — have passed “a comprehensive drill,” Xinhua said. The launch is scheduled to take place shortly after a major Communist Party meeting, suggesting an attempt to link the party’s leadership with one of the most patriotism-drenched events in recent Chinese history.

FROM 14 DOWN TO THREE The first Chinese in orbit is certain to become a hero at home; China’s space program has long been a closely guarded secret but also a vehicle for patriotism.

The English-language China Daily newspaper said a field of 14 trainees has been narrowed. While the three candidates have been ranked in order of preference, outside factors could still affect the final choice.

On Friday, the popular Sina.com Web site reported that handguns, knives and other “defensive weapons” will be stored aboard the capsule as a precaution against landing in hostile environs. Astronauts “will be able to deal with wild beasts, sharks and other dangerous animals or enemies,” it reported. State media have reported the Shenzhou 5 capsule will blast into space aboard a Long March CZ-2 rocket from the Gobi Desert launch base at Jiuquan in western China. Media have heaped praise on the expected event as a sign of China’s growing strength and modernity and while public interest is difficult to gauge, it seems that interest is growing. Sina.com said the craft would blast off during daylight and would return to earth by 6 p.m. Thursday, using its enormous parachutes to set down on the plains of Inner Mongolia. In recent years, China has launched four unmanned missions as preparation for taking a human aboard the Shenzhou 5, whose name means “Divine Vessel.” With space fever rising, one newspaper in southwestern China is asking readers for suggestions on what the first Chinese astronaut in space should say. The Chengdu Business News said it would pick the 10 best entries and send the contestants to the Jiuquan Launch Center in the northwestern province of Gansu to witness the launch.

It was impossible to verify the promised prize. However, the notion of 10 random people sent by a provincial newspaper being permitted to attend the launch of a military-linked space capsule in person seems unlikely. Emphasizing the space program’s strong ties to the military, army music and dance teams are producing a music video entitled “Soaring” to commemorate Shenzhou’s launch, the Communist Party’s official People’s Daily reported. “’Soaring’ will act out the romantic feelings and pioneering spirit of the 1,000-year quest of the sons and daughters of China,” said a brief article beside a picture of an actress in a shiny, form-fitting body suit with the Chinese flag emblazoned on her chest.

From http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/51398/1/.html

BEIJING : Safety concerns, the possibility of failure and a determined culture of secrecy have contributed to the lack of transparency from China on exactly when it will blast a man into space.

The Shenzhou V is expected to lift off next week with October 15 firming up as the most likely date, according to reports, although politicians and space officials have remained stubbornly tight-lipped.

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If successful it will make China the third country to put a man in space following the former Soviet Union and the United States who first reached for the stars in the early 1960s.

"Chinese space authorities have appeared to acknowledge that there is a one week launch window that begins from October 10," said Dr. Morris Jones, an Australian spaceflight analyst at University of Wollongong.

China's refusal to be more open on the issue, despite intense interest, mainly stems from the complete military involvement in the Shenzhou program and the "cult of secrecy" that surrounds China's military and hi-tech industries, Jones said.

"They could be partially concerned about a failure of the mission, but more than that they are just obsessed with secrecy," he said.

Chinese space officials have indicated that the possibility of failure was behind some of the secrecy surrounding the launch as space administrators sought to minimize pre-flight pressure on launch personnel.

"There is a lot of anxiety in this project. There are a lot of risks. We are now undertaking all the preparatory work. What we want to ensure is that the astronaut we send up comes back safely," a leading space official recently told AFP.

"Safety is number one. We have to ensure the quality of the project."

If Shenzhou V proves to be successful, the official said the secrecy aspect would likely be lifted and Western journalists would be able to attend launches "in the very near future."

Jones, who has monitored the Shenzhou program since its maiden unmanned flight in 1999, said that the weather would play a crucial role in the safety of the mission and would be a factor in the launch date.

"I'm sure they are paying close attention to the weather, they don't want to be landing in bad weather," he told AFP.

"We believe that during the Shenzhou II mission, the space capsule returned to earth in a blizzard, which resulted in damage to the capsule, so they will want good weather for both the launch and the re-entry."

The Shenzhou V is expected to be a short one-day mission with a single astronaut manning a space capsule designed for three.

An orbital vehicle equipped with a surveillance camera and electronic intelligence gathering equipment could remain in orbit for up to six months to gather military intelligence, Jones said.

The mission is expected to be launched from a pad in Inner Mongolia and coordinated by the Jiuquan Launch Center in western Gansu province, with the re-entry vehicle set to return to Inner Mongolia.

China has so far launched four unmanned spaceflights, the last of which, Shenzhou IV, successfully returned to earth on January 5 after a 162-hour mission.

The Shenzhou program is the preliminary step towards building and manning a Chinese space station, Chinese space officials have said.

With separate command and control capabilities on both the re-entry and orbital vehicles, the Shenzhou is well equipped to engage in docking manoeuvres which would be crucial for a manned space station.

Officials have also said China hopes to launch a space probe capable of orbiting the moon by 2005 or 2006, which would ultimately lead to an eventual landing on the moon by an unmanned Chinese craft.

- AFP

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