Posted on 06/16/2012 9:46:13 AM PDT by JerseyanExile
China has launched its latest manned space mission - whose crew includes its first female astronaut, Liu Yang.
The Shenzhou-9 capsule rode to orbit atop a Long March rocket from the Jiuquan spaceport on the edge of the Gobi desert.
Ms Liu and her two male colleagues are heading to the Tiangong space lab.
They will spend over a week living and working on the 335km-high vessel, testing new systems and conducting a number of scientific experiments.
Before leaving, the crew were presented to Communist Party officials, VIPs and the media.
Wearing their flight suits and sitting behind glass, they waved and smiled.
"We will obey orders, listen to directions and be calm; and co-ordinate together to successfully complete China's first manned rendezvous and docking mission," said Commander Jing Haipeng.
China's top legislator, Wu Bangguo, wished them well and told them: "We are expecting your safe return."
The Shenzhou-9 spacecraft lifted off on schedule at 18:37 local time (10:37 GMT; 11:37 BST).
All systems appeared to function normally and eight minutes later, the spacecraft had entered orbit. Very shortly after Shenzhou-9 had unfurled its solar panels.
It will take a couple of days to reach Tiangong. A docking is planned for Monday at 15:00 Beijing time (07:00 GMT; 08:00 BST).
Mr Jing, 46, is making his second spaceflight after participating in the Shenzhou-7 outing in 2008 - the mission that included China's first spacewalk.
His flight engineers are both first-timers, however.
Liu Wang, 42, a People's Liberation Army fighter pilot, has got his chance after spending 14 years in the China National Space Administration's astronaut corps.
Thirty-three-year-old Liu Yang, also a fighter pilot, has on the other hand emerged as China's first woman astronaut after just two years of training.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
All while our space program rots under Obama.
Somebody’s got to cook.
Send a mop with her.
lol!
Witty comment seen elsewhere:
“China’s first female astronaut prepares for historic space docking on flight with two men. I’m fairly certain I’ve seen this video already.”
Do you think any of these missions have produced the first members of the .........100 mile high club ?
Who wouldn't want to be the first?
Yes but these are the future of space flight.
America’s and Russia’s programs, are programs of the past.
At least it seems so, at the moment...
Why? Is obammy going, too?
They should broadcast a big “Thank You” to Bill Clinton - without him they never would have been able to successfully launch ...
China’s space program will never accomplish what ours has. Making Muslims feel good about themselves.
Our diversity is our strength, you know. /S
Just smile and wave comrades - Just smile and wave. China's contribution to the militarization of space is underway.
"We will obey orders, listen to directions and be calm; and co-ordinate together to successfully complete China's first manned rendezvous and docking mission," said Commander Jing Haipeng.
That's correct! Following orders is job one for a good soldier. I hope they're ordered to shoot some video footage.... There are worse things they could be ordered to shoot.
Are they going to edit out the bubbles and make their projection of the earth move this time?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBL98p0wZ7g
Not content to just abort women, now they ship survivors off the planet...
The woman is named Liu Yang and one of the men is named
Liu Wang? I wonder if they get each other’s mail.
Do Yang and Wang drink tang?
We’re out of money. We simply no longer have the luxury of national wealth to pursue this sort of science.
China does.
And if you want to know who is responsible, ask the advocates of “free trade” why China has so much available capital that they can pursue a space program at the same time they own over $1 trillion of US Treasury debt...
It’s not very big either.
A lot of unserious comments here, which is fine, there are some good jokes to be made. I just hope everyone realizes how truly serious this is. Our modern military and economy is massively reliant on satellites which could be destroyed from space easier than shooting fish in a barrel. And China would never actually have to do it. Just having the ability to criple us will give them total leverage.
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