Quite ambitious to be attempting a spacewalk on your country's 3rd spaceflight ever...
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http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/26/world/asia/26space.html?em
September 26, 2008
China Launches Space Walk Mission
By DAVID BARBOZA
SHANGHAI — China’s Shenzhou VII spacecraft blasted off at 9:07 p.m. Thursday, carrying three Chinese astronauts into space on this country’s third manned space mission in the past five years., according to state television.
The three-day mission is part of Project 921, China’s ambitious manned space program, and was expected to include the country’s first attempt at a space walk, which would make China only the third country to accomplish the feat, after Russia and the United States.
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Which, of course will be good PR, so much so that the chinese have released reports on crew flight activity - before the flight was even launched!??!? See
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4826302.ece
From Times Online
September 25, 2008
Chinese publish tales from space, even before take-off
Jane Macartney, Beijing
China’s state news agency worked faster than the speed of light - and certainly more swiftly than the country’s three newest astronauts - when it published an "in space" conversation among the trio even before they left Earth.
The gaffe by the Xinhua news agency involved an article posted on its website well before the launch this evening of the Shenzhou VII space craft that described the vessel in orbit and quoted entire conversations from the crew.
The story, titled “Sleepless Night on the Pacific, Sidelights on the Observation and Control of the 30th Lap of the Shenzhou 7 Spaceship”, had disappeared by the end of the day and was described as a technical error.
But its appearance highlights China’s frequent manipulation of the media and the readiness of Communist Party officials and propaganda mandarins to resort to sleight of hand, if not fakes, to ensure perfection in the public image.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/26/world/asia/26space.html?em
September 26, 2008
China Launches Space Walk Mission
By DAVID BARBOZA
SHANGHAI — China’s Shenzhou VII spacecraft blasted off at 9:07 p.m. Thursday, carrying three Chinese astronauts into space on this country’s third manned space mission in the past five years., according to state television.
The three-day mission is part of Project 921, China’s ambitious manned space program, and was expected to include the country’s first attempt at a space walk, which would make China only the third country to accomplish the feat, after Russia and the United States.
------
Which, of course will be good PR, so much so that the chinese have released reports on crew flight activity - before the flight was even launched!??!? See
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4826302.ece
From Times Online
September 25, 2008
Chinese publish tales from space, even before take-off
Jane Macartney, Beijing
China’s state news agency worked faster than the speed of light - and certainly more swiftly than the country’s three newest astronauts - when it published an "in space" conversation among the trio even before they left Earth.
The gaffe by the Xinhua news agency involved an article posted on its website well before the launch this evening of the Shenzhou VII space craft that described the vessel in orbit and quoted entire conversations from the crew.
The story, titled “Sleepless Night on the Pacific, Sidelights on the Observation and Control of the 30th Lap of the Shenzhou 7 Spaceship”, had disappeared by the end of the day and was described as a technical error.
But its appearance highlights China’s frequent manipulation of the media and the readiness of Communist Party officials and propaganda mandarins to resort to sleight of hand, if not fakes, to ensure perfection in the public image.
