| tabasco |
Posted
on 14-Oct-03 06:31 PM
China Launches Manned Space Mission, Becoming Third Country to Send Man Into Space
GOBI DESERT, China Oct. 14 China launched its first manned space mission on Wednesday, sending an astronaut hurtling toward orbit and becoming the third country in history to do so on its own four decades after the Soviet Union and the United States.
The smoky tracer was visible against a bright, azure northwest China sky. The official Xinhua News Agency immediately confirmed the launch and said the astronaut was Yang Liwei, 38.
"China's first manned spacecraft, the Shenzhou 5, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern province of Gansu at 9 a.m. Wednesday (9 p.m. EDT)," Xinhua said. State television cut into its programming to announce the launch.
It was the culmination of a decade of efforts by China's military-linked manned space program and a patriotism-drenched moment for a communist government more concerned than ever about its profile on the world stage.
(courtesy ABC news)
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