Clear Skies as China Counts Down to Space Launch

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Clear Skies as China Counts Down to Space Launch
Tue October 14, 2003 05:08 AM ET




By Jonathan Ansfield
BEIJING (Reuters) - China began the final countdown on Tuesday in its bid to become just the third nation to rocket a man into orbit, with clear skies forecast over the Gobi desert launchpad where liftoff was due to come as soon as Wednesday.

But with the pride of a rising nation pinned to the mission, it was unclear whether China would risk allowing its 1.3 billion people to witness the launch. Newspapers said state television had scuttled plans for live broadcast and station officials gave conflicting accounts of plans.

On Monday, mission control successfully simulated the launch of the Shenzhou V, or "Divine Ship," and was fueling the spacecraft, the Lanzhou Morning Post, based in the province of Gansu, reported from the launch base in nearby Inner Mongolia.

President Hu Jintao was to fly there later on Tuesday to watch Communist China's bid to realize its decades-old space dreams, Hong Kong media said. Hu and other leaders have been closeted in Beijing grappling with more earthly concerns, such as a harrowing rich-poor gap, at a Party Central Committee plenum.

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China has Big Plans for the Moon and Space!! A new entity is entering outer space :bounce:

Maybe China getting involved with space will push our own program forward. It happened during the Cold War with Russia, so why not now with China?

from its long drowsing hubris will be a welcome sight.

This kicks @$$! Few Americans and even fewer Japanese are cheering this effort but it is long overdue for other people to get involved in the jump-off into the Big Black.

Godspeed!