China is planning to launch a manned space mission next week and to say that I am not surprised will be an utter lie.
Almost everybody received a slap in the face once China announced it. The shock came not as jealousy but as pure unexpected development. Of course, China and a few other countries such as Japan have declared their intention of joining the elite space-faring group in the past few years. However, most people would have placed a bet on Japan as the next nation to experience zero gravity; few had anticipated China.
Though I am delighted to hear China’s intention, I feel China is taking too fast a step at a time.
The announcement came barely two weeks before the actual planned launch date. Furthermore, according to the Chinese press, the candidate for the taikonout (or taikonouts but essentially, an equivalence of cosmonaut and the astronaut) was (or were) chosen a few months (it might be just weeks) ago. Usually in the US, it takes the pilot and the crew months of training before undertaking such mission. Although the public is given the impression that China is prepared, I doubt the pilot, or the crew is. Worse, China has conducted only four unmanned space missions with its Shenzhou IV craft.
Thus, I come to a conclusion that though this is a great development to reignite the space race, it is merely propaganda at work. If you don’t believe me, consider this one fact – the launch will somewhat coincide with the Communist Party assembly of which opened yesterday. At the same time, the assembly is being held in closed door in secret. No significant news has leaked yet. Perhaps the announcement came in as a distraction, to sway the public away from the current political development.
In any case, I wish China the best of luck. I wish China’s space program doesn’t suffer the same setbacks as the American, the Russian, the European and the Brazilian had suffered in the past.
p/s – Congratulations to the Badgers for screwing up the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes deserve the loss. And to the Golden Gophers, maybe next year. LOLROTF.
35 – 38! Keep on dreaming, babeh! Dream very hard!
