By Rebecca Boyle Posted 06.18.2012 at 12:21 pm 15 Comments

Taikonauts on the Tiangong A TV screen shot shows Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng (right), Liu Wang (left) and Liu Yang entering the orbiting Tiangong-1 lab module on June 18. ImagineChina

Chinese astronauts floated into an orbiting space lab Monday, another milestone for the country’s space program that puts it on par with Russia and the U.S. An automatically controlled docking maneuver connected the Tiangong-1 space lab with a manned Shenzhou space capsule early Monday morning U.S. time.

Six days from now, the spacecraft will separate and the crew will re-dock, this time in manual mode instead of automatically. Two astronauts — known as taikonauts in China, and including China’s first female space voyager — will stay on the orbiting lab for the 13-day mission, while one will stay in the Shenzhou capsule for safety reasons.

Manned spacecraft docking with another object in space is something the U.S. first accomplished back in the Gemini program in the 1960s. But it’s worth noting that this is only China’s fourth manned spaceflight, and that its space program is not quite a decade old. China's space ambitions include building its own space station, which apparently has piqued the interest of U.S. defense officials.

A manual docking will demonstrate China’s grasp of space rendezvous know-how, Chinese officials said. China launched the 8.5-ton space lab, named for “Heavenly Palace,” last September. An unmanned Shenzhou docked with it in November, testing procedures that led up to Monday’s manned docking. Eventually, it will serve as a component for a Chinese-built space station, which is planned to be complete by 2020.

[AP, ImagineChina]

15 Comments

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menoc
06/18/12 at 1:30 pm

China's pace of progress is impressive. I have no doubt they'll own the moon unless we lift restrictions and allow private industry to go ALL OUT. That's the only way.

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pioneer10
06/18/12 at 1:41 pm

Why does the chinese module look so much more inviting than the ISS? Also, why does it look as if it were ready to do a Venus flyby @ any second? Do they know something no one else does?

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drchuck1
06/18/12 at 1:47 pm

to state china is now on par with the US and Russia is a gross over-statement, the only reason it only took them ten years is because the US and Russia paved the way, they may steal their way to the moon but they will be way behind for decades to come unless the world's space programs merge for the common good, highly doubtful in the forseeable future, cheers

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drchuck1
06/18/12 at 1:52 pm

@pioneer10...it looks so inviting because the only thing you see are padded walls, a nice pic showing an expectedly empty module considering this is a test of concept first trip, comparing this to the ISS is like comparing a 3 bedroom house to the empire state building, cheers

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Robot
06/18/12 at 2:27 pm

Cosmic competition is healthy, it promotes growth. Let just reduce the world’s nukes in the process.

Optimistically as all countries move out towards the cosmic cavities of space, we will exploit and enjoy the bountiful recourses of outer space. And as we establish ourselves in outer space, let’s hope we will grow closer as Earthly humans, and then the boundaries of our countries lines will fade, similar as viewed from outer space.

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pioneer10
06/18/12 at 2:38 pm

@ drchuck-

don't you mean "they're covering up all the stuff they don't want us to see?!?"

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Space
06/18/12 at 2:55 pm

Perhaps they are not in outer space, but inside some large plane, creating artificial anti-gravity as it dives down towards Earth. It would explain all the padded walls. Of course, I am just using my imagination now. ;)

..........................................
See life in all its beautiful colors, and
from different perspectives too!

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websterphreaky
06/18/12 at 4:29 pm

STORY TITLE SHOULD READ - "Another 1960's Milestone for China's Space Program as .....50 YEARS LATE!"

Stories like this in this LIBERAL TRASH MAGAZINE is why I would NEVER have a Subscription!

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JediMindset
06/18/12 at 6:31 pm

the annauaki are arriving soon....more and more signs are becoming visible. thats why we keep entering space. i suggest we all welcome them with open arms!!!!!

"You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes." -Morpheus

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menoc
06/18/12 at 9:42 pm

@websterphreaky,

Interestingly, It is the conservative right that wants to continue the technology and space policies of the 60s and 70s such as going back to the moon and continuing to use chemical rockets.

NASA has not gone beyond LEO for over 40 years! China has built a space program and a space station in less than 10! At that pace, given another 40 years, they will have colonized the moon . . . AND . . . I would not be surprized if they would have settlers on Mars.

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menoc
06/18/12 at 9:44 pm

Oh . . . and another thing, You know that we're funding their space program right? . . . Right.

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drchuck1
06/19/12 at 2:20 am

@menoc...stop sprreading jibberish, NASA has gone beyond LEO hundreds of times if not thousands of times, ever hear of satelites in orbit hundreds of miles above or the many space probes throughout the solar system and one leaving the solar system soon if not already, you are confused as to who is borrowing from who, China is funding our space program, if you hate the US so much to make up such crap, just leave, negative cheers

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Aldrons Last Hope
06/19/12 at 1:31 pm

_
China is progressing nicely and is set to rule space with a communist fist. China is the world’s next super power. Also the U.S owes China about 1 trillion U.S $$. So in a way, yes U.S.A is funding their space program.

Actually no space program have ever sent humans out of LEO. The technology doesn’t exist to keep humans safe outside LEO. The only nation to ever claim to do it was U.S.A..and that was a lie.

If you know anything about the NOW you would know that China, Europe, USA & Russia are all controlled by the same people. (International Bankers)

Please read “None Dare Call It A Conspiracy” for more on this. Just google it it’s a free PDF.

____________________________________________________________

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey2MfXmJ3jo&feature=related

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Robot
06/19/12 at 3:48 pm

We USA Americans believe in capitalism and a free market society. If China prospers in the future, before we Americans cry foul, we may want to look to ourselves for not being more competitive....

... perhaps.

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new
07/02/12 at 4:17 am

so everything is a veritable conspiracy, and fine, we believe it. then what? what do we do? we believe.... what next?



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