China To Snap 4 Space Ships Into a Station

hackingbear writes "According to a report by Hong Kong newspaper Mingpao Daily (poor Google translation), quoting the Director of Jiuquan Launch Center, China is set to build a space station by snapping together four spaceships (Shenzhou 7, 8, 9, and 10), to be launched sequentially. Though other reports indicates that taikonauts abroad SZ 7 will return to Earth on September 28, the official said the ship will remain in the orbit to be docked with unmanned Shenzhou 8 and 9. Finally, the manned spaceship Shenzhou 10 will be launched and dock with the other three, completing the space station." A story at Space.com also briefly mentions Shenzhous 8 and 9 (with no mention of number 10), and adds that China has selected its first spacewalker.

Comments

but I thought???

[Coraon]

I thought china helped in the ISS, why don't they just use the ISS as opposed to spending the money on building lego in space?

Re:but I thought???

[damburger]

What the US has done in Iraq is orders of magnitude worse than what China has done in Tibet. Over a million more people have died during the occupation than would've died in a comparable period under Saddam.

And environmental concerns? Per capita western countries pollute a lot more than the Chinese do.

Weren't the Shenzhou recalled???

[Emperor Shaddam IV]

Didn't they just recall the Shenzhou space craft from WalMart? Too much lead in the paint or something like that? Also I think the navigation software was pirated from Google Earth...

I guess the lead makes it too heavy to leave the Earth's gravity well. And also, you don't want your kids chewing on the outside of a space craft. They might get lead poisoning....

Re:No, No, No!

[belligerent0001]

Are they going to their whole population with them? If so I am all for it...Hell I will even help them pack.

Re:15 million dollar space suit ...

[roguetrick]

Yeah, large countries like to waste money. I'm sure sending the guy up there will be as great an investment for China as bailing out the corps is for America.

Re:Easy to do stuff like this in China...

[slashdotwannabe]

IMO you need to be less defensive.

I have a great respect for the Chinese people, and one of the reasons for which is their seeming innate ability to find happiness under the harshest of conditions.

But let's be objective. The Chinese government, when compared to the rights and protections offered by western governments, just plain sucks from left to right in every area you care to name, with the possible exception of logistics and management. After all, even counting 1.5b people is a large challenge.

True national pride comes from having a moral superiority; the kind that the U.S. ceded to corporate interests and seems to have little interest in regaining. Start offering democracy and civil rights in more than mere name and I'll really be impressed.

There are those who say that governing a country the size of China requires a "firm hand". While this might seem a logical premise, it's a rationalization, pure and simple.