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China edges closer to manned space flight
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- China is making final preparations for the latest test launch of an unmanned spacecraft, with officials saying that if all goes well a manned mission will be "just around the corner." According to state media, "final touches" are being made to the Shenzhou IV (Divine Vessel IV) spacecraft ahead of launch, although no specific launch date or time has been released. Quoting the head of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASTC), Zhang Qingwei, the Xinhua news agency said the latest mission would push China closer still to its goal of manned space flight. China has been investing millions of dollars and man-hours in its effort to achieve manned space flight -- a program seen by the country's leaders as a symbol of national prestige. To date only two countries, the United States and Russia, have launched manned space missions. "If the test flight of Shenzhou IV is successful, I can envision that a manned space flight is just around the corner," the CASTC's Zhang was quoted as saying. He added that the upcoming test mission would carry dummy astronauts to test the spacecraft's life support systems. 'Breakthroughs'
He also said that Chinese scientists were close to "breakthroughs" in such areas as spaceship docking, space walks, space laboratories, and deep space exploration -- although he gave no more specific details. Fourteen men deemed to have the 'right stuff' for a carrying out a space mission have been selected and trained to be China's first astronauts. All were selected from the elite of China's air force pilots and have been trained using mock-ups of the Shenzhou III and IV capsules. The Shenzhou space capsule is thought to be capable of carrying either three or four crew. Scientists have been saying for some time that they are aiming to launch a manned mission by 2005, although the latest comments could be interpreted as signaling a launch far sooner. Secrecy
China's space program is surrounded by tight secrecy, largely because of its close connections with the military. In 1970 the country launched its first satellite which proudly beamed the Communist "East is Red" anthem back to Earth. Five years later it followed that success with the launch and retrieval of a recoverable satellite -- a key step in the development of spacecraft capable of carrying human occupants. Officials say development work on the manned space flight project began in 1999, although the current Shenzhou program only came to light in late 1999, with the launch of the first test vehicle.
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