Ten years after China sent its first man into low
earth orbit, three astronauts operating the Shenzhou-10 spacecraft
started a journey on a mission which seeks a permanent space station
around 2020.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said at the launch site that the crew
carry a "space dream" of the Chinese nation and represent the lofty
aspirations of the Chinese people to explore space.
The dream, though also dreamt by the more frequent space travelers of
Russia and American, includes a manned space station, moon exploration
and even deep space odysseys.
The dream is a humble one. China was decades behind Russia and the
United States in space technology.
But Chinese pursue it unswervingly in
line with a carefully designed three-phase manned space program.
Two years after the space flight operated by China's first astronaut,
Yang Liwei, two men, including Shenzhou-10 commander Nie Haisheng,
orbited the earth in 2005. Then three more in 2008, two of whom finished
China's first extra-vehicular activities (EVA).
After the unmanned Shenzhou-8 and Tiangong-1 space module docking in
2011 to test automated space docking, a key skill to assemble a space
station, three Chinese astronauts succeeded in operating the docking
manually in 2012.
The Shenzhou-10 mission, if successful, marks the end of the first
half of the second phase, which means China has completely mastered EVA
and space docking skills.
However, just as the female astronaut Wang Yaping said, "we are all
students in facing the vast universe."
China's pursuit of its own space
dream showcases a latecomer's unremitting interests and desire to learn
about the universe.
During the 15-day Shenzhou-10 mission, Wang will hold a class in
space educating a group of students from a high school in Beijing
through satellite communication.
This in-orbit event, hopefully broadcast live, will inspire students
and also spur citizen's space interests in a country with 1.3-billion
people, making this an unparalleled popularization of science in human
history.
Similar to other space giants, China's space program was carried out
by astronauts selected from air force pilots and supported by military
resources. But China has reaffirmed that it opposes militarization of
the space and will utilize the space in a peaceful way.
After the year 2020, China's future space station will probably be
the only one of any kind in service considering the ISS's retirement
plan. By then, China's space dream will not only serve its own people
but also contribute to space exploration for the human race.
By Xinhua writers Yan Hao, Meng Na and Li Huizi
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