China's Second Manned Space Flight

desert island writes "As if to coincide with Russia's space tourist, Beijing News speculated that China's second manned space launch will occur after the October 1-7 holiday. The spacecraft Shenzhou VI, with two astronauts, will be launched from the Jiuquan Space Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu province and will last 119 hours." From the article: "The mission will differ markedly from China's first manned space voyage, the Shenzhou V, which was a solo flight that lasted 21 hours in October 2003. China's space program is still shrouded in secrecy with little known about events until several days before they happen. However since the success of the first manned flight, authorities have shown a little more transparency."

Comments

John Titor

[Anonymous Coward]

John Titor predicted this.

One would hope it isn't 21 *hungry* hours!

[tloh]

I wanna know what the two'll be eating during their mission. Do you think spin-off technology would bring us instant-dehydrated-dimsum, maybe? or perhaps space-roast... *duck*

Re:One would hope it isn't 21 *hungry* hours!

[patentlysilly]

Why go hungry when you can wolf down some recently patented, space-brewed maggot powder. Mao Zhang is the inventor's name, sounds Chinese: http://www.patentlysilly.com/patent.php?patID=6938 574

First man on the moon..

[ZeroExistenZ]

So China will eventually put the first man to the moon?

Re:First man on the moon..

[CHESTER COPPERPOT]

So China will eventually put the first man to the moon?

Yeah, in case you haven't noticed in movies like 'Crouching Tiger' the Chinese special effects can now show a man/woman floating without the little strings that were present when the Americans faked the first moon landing.

Re:Plagiarized?

[tabkey12]

Just in case you needed/wanted more information about the space flight, the ever useful Wikipedia has this handy titbit:

Among the experiments to be performed on the flight will be one involving the sperm of pigs from Rongchang County in Chongqing. About 40 grams will be carried both inside and outside the spacecraft, allowing scientists to investigate the affects of microgravity and cosmic rays on the sperm. It will be used to fertilise pig ovum at the Chongqing Academy of Animal Husbandry Science.

China: Leading the way in Flying Space Pig Research

Discredit Apollo?

[Dadoo]

This is probably just my paranoia talking, but the little tinfoil hat guy on my shoulder is wondering: is one of their objectives on the moon to look around and say "Hey! Where are the Apollo modules? The Americans didn't make it to the moon, after all!"

I wonder if they might even go so far as to destroy any evidence they do find.

Second attempt?

[samesong]

I hope their technology has evolved since their first attempt.

Re:Defection

[spectrokid]

euh, they can get the jeans over there too you know... Actually they are quite a lot cheaper there... Get to think of it, they are actually made over there...