China prepares their first space station
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http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/china-first-space-station-construction-100817.html
China says it has completed assembling the first module for its space station, and the country's space agency hopes to launch it next year.The unmanned Tiangong-1 module, weighing almost 19,000 pounds (8,500 kg), will lift off on a Chinese Long March 2F carrier rocket sometime in the first half of 2011, China's Xinhua news agency reported Tuesday. An unmanned spacecraft, the Shenzhou 8 vehicle, is expected to launch later and rendezvous with the module in the first demonstration of the Chinese space station's docking capability.
Testing is currently under way on the Tiangong-1, including analysis of the module's electronic, mechanical and thermal properties, a military source told Xinhua. Tiangong means "Heavenly Palace" in English.
It's great to see another nation taking their first steps in space. Space stations and satellites used to be pure science fiction, now it looks like we're going to have two in orbit at the same time. Taikonauts are planned to arrive at and crew the space station in 2012.
While it is good to see another country expanding its presence in space, this should be a reminder to NASA to pick up the ball and keep things going. While we are retiring the space shuttle and having endless debates about the next type of launch vehicle, not to mention the public-private squabbles, other countries will be constantly making progress. As Neil Armstrong said, if we fall behind in our progress to expand our presence in space and return to the moon, then our program will be come of second or even third rate stature.
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