The Chinese launch to their space lab has been in the news and here are a few links if you missed the action.

- LRK -

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http://english.cntv.cn/program/newsupdate/20120620/100071.shtml

Astronauts live up on busy space schedule

06-20-2012 00:34 BJT

The successful docking of the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft and the Tiangong-1 orbital lab signifies the start of a new chapter for the three Chinese astronauts on board. They'll work and live in the space module for the majority of their remaining 2-week journey in space.

Blasting off in a rather limited space in the Shenzhou 9, it took the three Chinese astronauts almost 2 days of orbital maneuvering and a good half hour's walking & crawling to finally reach the more roomy Tiangong-1.

Deng Yibing, Chief Engineer, China Astronaut Research & Training Center, said, "It was the busiest day for the astronauts since the blast-off. They didn't even have time to eat lunch. They had to monitor the automatic docking and prepare for the future manual docking. They also took some samples of the air in the laboratory. The temperature, humidity, and the level of carbon dioxide and oxygen partial pressure are all fantastic."

Despite being 350 kilometers above the surface of the earth, the astronauts are now working and living by the familiar Beijing Time. On their first night aboard Tiangong-1, Commander Jing Haipeng stood watch and crew member Liu Wang and Liu Yang rested.

But even in their sleep, there were sending valuable data to scientists back home.
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http://english.cntv.cn/program/newsupdate/20120620/100091.shtml

VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS ON BUSY SPACE SCHEDULE

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http://english.cntv.cn/01/index.shtml

More info on the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft and the Tiangong-1 orbital lab.

- LRK -

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http://english.cntv.cn/special/shenzhou9/index.shtml

Manned Space Mission

Shenzhou 9's Docking Mission with Tiangong-1

Videos, pictures and information - LRK -

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More history from SpaceDaily. Source: Xinhua News Agency

- LRK -

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http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Chinas_manned_space_mission_hits_target_Russian_expert_999.html

China's manned space mission "hits target": Russian expert

by Staff WritersBeijing (XNA) Jun 18, 2012

The successful launching of the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft on Saturday proves again China's grasp of essential space techniques and shows Chinese vision on how to develop the space programwith steady steps and rational goals, a Russian space expert said.

China's National Space Administration (CNSA) has adopted the policy of making small but reliable achievements, which could be summarized as "slower and better," Igor Lisov, a researcher in the Cosmonautics News magazine, told Xinhua in an interview.

Each mission of China's spacecraft is aimed at reaching exactly one particular achievement. "This time, the fourth one, the objective was to undertake the manned docking, the first in the Chinese space program's history," Lisov said.

China launched the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft with Liu Yang - the country's first female astronaut - and her two male crewmates Jing Haipeng and Liu Wang aboard from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China at 6:37 p.m. (1037 GMT) Saturday.

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Here is to looking up, maybe near, maybe far, maybe even a star.

http://www.centauri-dreams.org/

- LRK -

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_space_program

Chinese space program

The space program of the People's Republic of China is directed by the China National Space Administration (CNSA). Its technological roots can be traced back to the late 1950s, when the People's Republic began a rudimentary ballistic missile program in response to perceivedAmerican (and, later, Soviet) threats. However, the first Chinese crewed flight program only began in earnest several decades later, when an accelerated program of technological development culminated in Yang Liwei's successful 2003 flight aboard Shenzhou 5. This achievement made China the third country to independently send humans into space. Plans include a permanent Chinese space station in 2020 and crewed expeditions to the Moon and Mars.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_National_Space_Administration

China National Space Administration

The China National Space Administration (CNSA, Chinese: 国家航天局; pinyin: Guó Jiā Háng Tiān Jú, literally "National Astronautics Department") is the national space agency of the People's Republic of China responsible for the national space program.^[2] It is responsible for planning and development of space activities. CNSA and China Aerospace Corporation (CASC) assumed the authority over space development efforts previously held by the Ministry of Aerospace Industry.

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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

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