 China has set a broad date for the launch of its first manned space mission. The country is aiming to put a person in space in the second half of the year and is now testing a craft tipped to become the nation's first manned orbiter, according to an official with the Shanghai aerospace center.
In the meantime, China's Shenzhou Four spacecraft has been in touch with mission control. The latest in the country's line of orbiting vehicles has sent back clear pictures and a positive status report. The results of experiments on life on craft are in, reaping valuable data to be used for further analysis.
All of the equipment on board are also operating well. The Shenzhou Four has so far circled the earth 60 times and around 7:30 tonight, the craft passed across Beijing.
|
