China sends its first woman into space

(AP) JIUQUAN, China - China has launched its most ambitious space mission yet in which its first female astronaut and two male colleagues are to attempt to dock with an orbiting module.

The Shenzhou 9 capsule lifted off as scheduled at 6:37 p.m. (1237 GMT) on Saturday evening from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi Desert.

Female astronaut Liu Yang, 33, and two male crew members - veteran astronaut Jing Haipeng and newcomer Liu Wang - are to dock the spacecraft with a prototype space lab launched last year in a key step toward building a permanent space station.

They are to work there for about a week.

China first launched a man into space in 2003 followed by a two-man mission in 2005 and a three-man trip in 2008.

[rwsmith29456]

Good for her. Smart, capable and a cutie pie to boot.

[woozybarnes]

I'll second that.

[Overruled1]

In China, the athletes are chosen as children and taken away for the honor of learning under the state run athletic program or else.
They however, do get to have a visit from the parents once a year.
This is fact.

[melpol12]

Child geniuses are taken from their parents and forced to work in science labs,they are rewarded with candy when they invent something useful.

[Overruled1]

I believe it is the right of all natins to pursue space.
I don't believe China is a fair nation.
We trusted the former USSR not to launch orbiting weapons platforms, but we know today they did. One is on display at a museum.
Can we trust China as much?
I don't.
Nothing against the Chinese people, but their government has been dedicated to destroying our nation and to do business with them on their terms is "STUPID", "TREASONOUS", and "IGNORANT" for they work to build weapons of war more than to fix the issues the billion people there have.
Example of how things work out for us, the SF Bay Bridge. It has been over 23 years since...they are still working on it. The 2 SF bridges were built in less than 4 years. What happened to our steel industry tells it all...

[Overruled1]

Her sisters must be proud of her.

[melpol12]

Shoeless farm boys such as Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell grew up to become two of the greatest inventors. China has become so inspired by their stories that they are now building high tech academies in the center of rice paddies. Shoeless youngsters on their lunch break are asked to assemble plastic cubes, the quickest are enrolled. Many have become the foundation of China`s space program, the rest are leaders in the scientific community.

[KansasCity-2012]

The Chinese are way ahead of the USA is recognizing the value of females in their society. With an absence of traditional religion, Chinese males and females respect each other as formidable competitors for any opportunity available.

There are some pop culture icons, but their popularity evaporates as fast they rise. Pop culture has associations with corruption in the thinking for most Chinese. Entertainers don't push boundaries in China.

A female in space is no big deal to the Chinese, as it is in the USA. The Chinese can't imagine any place without a female.

[hypnotoad72]

I wish her the best of luck.

But if politicians talk of "competition", should we not be competing instead of dismantling our programs?

[shurch4truth]

How did they find the room for both a "Men" and "Woman" bathroom in their space capsule?

[sepa2]

Somehow we should convince them that Reagan's service economy is the way to make miracles

[matt6052]

They have better space suits than we do. What sort of fabrics are they using? Looks very fresh with bold colors, and will not lose it shape or fade with repeated washings.