The Chinese people leap into the…1960’s and join America in the thrilling excitement of the GEMINI SPACE PROGRAM!  Today the first woman astronaut thumped to Earth after piloting a safe mission designed to test space docking procedures.  China plans its own manned space station in 2020.

The Chinese have a new hero now.  And it’s a landmark moment for a culture which has found girls…dispensable for centuries.

“The mission put China’s first female astronaut in space, the 33-year-old air force pilot Lieutenant Liu Yang. Hundreds of students gathered at her former middle school in the city of Zhengzhou, holding up her picture and singing the national anthem, according to media reports

Chinese Astronaut Liu Yang...Spacecraft Pilot

Chinese leaders applauded the mission, which tested space docking procedures that are crucial steps toward China’s goal of creating a manned station by 2020.

“This is another outstanding contribution by the Chinese people to humanity’s efforts to explore and use space,” said Wen Jiabao, the Chinese premier.

More Gemini....Than Apollo!

China’s space programme is several decades behind that of the US and Russia – which launched manned space stations in 1973 and 1971, respectively – but Beijing’s determination to boost its programme comes as the US is cutting back its investments in space. The US retired its space shuttle fleet last year.

China, by contrast, has invested about $6bn in space programmes since 1992 to catch up with its counterparts, raising eyebrows in military circles in Washington.

In 2007, Beijing shot down an old satellite from orbit without warning, sparking criticism from the international community and fears in some corners about China’s intentions in space.

During the latest space mission, the Shenzhou 9, or “divine vessel”, successfully docked with China’s orbiting module Tiangong 1, which means “heavenly palace”, a manoeuvre that is of key importance for China’s planned manned space station.

Chinese Space Team Too Weak To Stand...Posed In Lawn Chairs Instead!

Millions of television viewers across China watched the black capsule as it fell to earth just after 10am, rolling a few times before it came to a stop in a meadow.

State media quoted the astronauts as saying from inside the capsule: “We have returned and we feel good.”

Technical staff spent nearly an hour inside the capsule before the astronauts emerged, waving and smiling, but apparently not ready to walk. Each of the three astronauts was assisted as they sat down in chairs and then were carried over to a nearby photo-op spot in a carefully choreographed process filmed by state TV.

The mission put China’s first female astronaut in space, the 33-year-old air force pilot Lieutenant Liu Yang. Hundreds of students gathered at her former middle school in the city of Zhengzhou, holding up her picture and singing the national anthem, according to media reports.”

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/79401dec-c1ab-11e1-8e7c-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1zFhgy7C5

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Filed under: Economy, Featured, Inside The KC, Politics by Sonja Eddings Brown, Jun 29, 2012