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Chinese Rocket with 'Lifeform' Goes Into Space

Posted by michael on from the cat-carrier dept.

jeffsenter writes "The BBC has coverage of China's launch of a rocket into space carrying a 'lifeform.' This is China's second rocket launch with an orbiter. China plans to launch a person into space in 18 months, making it only the third country to do so."

5 of 17 comments (clear)

  1. Time for countries not friendly w/ China to worry by funkman · · Score: 3
    It is great propaganda to get a human into space. It becomes a thing of national pride to do so. Because so much care needs to be made to ensure the human (or other life form) is safe the guidance and control of the rocket needs to be extremely refined.

    Here is where the fun begins: The same technology to put a human into space is the same technology to launch a warhead and get it close enough to its target fairly reliably. (That's bad for the target)

  2. Lifeforms... by TWX_the_Linux_Zealot · · Score: 2



    [singing] Lifeforms, you tiny little lifeforms,
    you precious little lifeforms... Where are you?

    Data, "Star Trek: Generations"



    "Titanic was 3hr and 17min long. They could have lost 3hr and 17min from that."

    --

    IBM had PL/1, with syntax worse than JOSS,
    And everywhere the language went, it was a total loss...
  3. "Lifeform"? Probably propaganda. by Royster · · Score: 3

    "You idiot, you just sneezed *into* the capsule?"

    "Oh, just tell them we're sending up 'lifeforms'."

    --
    I have discovered a truly marvelous sig, unfortunately the sig limit is too small to contain i
  4. Although... by Ariane+6 · · Score: 2

    The French could have been third years ago.

    -A6

  5. Re:Lifeforms? Dissidents? Mating Pandas? by ectoraige · · Score: 2

    Considering they didn't even tell us about their first mission until after it landed, it's not inconceivable that they have humans up there right now. If things go wrong, and they die, we won't hear about it

    . If on the other hand they survive, China scores another propaganda point with "look how fast our space program is developing"

    In the meantime, let's hope NASA can actually lauch the Destiny module - Friday's launch has been cancelled due to fears of a "criticality one" failure ( read: Big Boom )

    "A goldfish was his muse, eternally amused"

    --
    Vs lbh pna ernq guvf, ybt bss abj. Tb bhgfvqr. Syl n xvgr.