China takes next step in human spaceflight

Published: Oct 12, 2005
Source: www.spaceflightnow.com



China took the next bold step in its quest for the high frontier Wednesday when a team of former military pilots blasted into Earth orbit from a desert launch pad to begin five days of intensive experiments and tests that will pave the way for further milestones in space in the coming years.

Two astronauts were aboard the Shenzhou 6 capsule as it flew into space atop a Long March 2F rocket that took off at 0100 GMT (9:00 p.m. EDT), or in the mid-morning hours at the remote Jiuquan launch site nestled in northwest China's Gansu province at the edge of the Gobi desert.continue..