2008: Launch of Chinese spaceship Shenzhou 7 and first Chinese spacewalk
China became the third nation to achieve the capability
to put humans into space independently in 2003 when it launched the Shenzhou 5, which carried one astronaut and circled
the Earth 14 times before returning safely. (The first cosmonaut from the Soviet Union orbited the Earth in 1961,
closely followed by its first U.S. counterpart in 1962.) In 2005, the Shenzhou 6 carried two astronauts on a five-day
flight. With the Shenzhou 7, to be launched in October
2008, China plans to put three astronauts into space and have them perform the first Chinese space walk. The
event will be broadcast live.
This expedition is part of broader Chinese plans to perform extensive space exploits, including the potential
development of space labs, deep space exploration, and the creation of a space station.
Links:
Reuters report on Chinese Shenzhou 7 mission