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Enthusiasm for Manned Chinese Space Mission Grows as Launch Window is Firmed
By Leonard David
Senior Space Writer
posted: 10:33 am ET
10 October 2003
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CHINA UPDATE: PILOTED SPACESHIP LAUNCH WINDOW ANNOUNCED
Enthusiasm for China's first launch of humans into space is growing as a launch next week became more certain Friday. The People's Daily Online, a Chinese news service, reports that the time window for launching a piloted Shenzhou 5 spacecraft is between Oct. 15-17, citing an unnamed official in charge of the country's manned spaceflight program. Similarly, the official Xinhua News Agency in China noted the same launch dates, adding that all is progressing smoothly for China to become the third nation capable of rocketing humans into Earth orbit. The launch has for weeks been surrounded by rumor and speculation with little official word. A Long March 2F booster will boost the Shenzhou spaceship from China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province in early morning daylight, circle Earth for some 21 hours, then parachute into an Inner Mongolia target zone before nightfall. Crew readied The People's Daily also reported that an "astronaut crew" for this landmark project in China's space history has been selected. A group of 14 candidate pilots have undergone strict examination. Also, the group has been put through a comprehensive set of drills at the Jiuquan launch complex. There has been no confirmation, as of yet, regarding who or how many people are to put the Shenzhou 5 through its space paces. Chinese television officials have said they will cover the launch live.Enthusiasm grows Meanwhile, it appears that the Chinese public's enthusiasm about seeing their fellow countrymen go into orbit has stepped up. Two major Chinese news websites -- www.sina.com.cn and www.sohu.com have launched an on-line survey on what a Shenzhou astronaut may say while circling the Earth. The answers vary from "My dear wife, I love you," or "This is the first time I'm calling outside the Earth," to "Here I am representing one-fourth of the world's population." Internet surfers in China have also been asked to guess which province the astronaut is from, even how tall that person might be. NEW: Satellite View Spies Secretive Launch Complex An October 4 snapshot taken by Space Imaging's Ikonos satellite records Chinese launch preparations at the Jiuquan complex, indicating a launch is indeed near. Contrasted to an earlier September 29 Ikonos image, this newer photo shows movement of the launch pad tower, exposing the Long March rocket's exhaust tunnel.
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