The People’s Republic of China accomplished its first successful spacewalk in late September. The achievement adds China to the exclusive “space-conquering” club whose members include only Americans and Russians.
The spacecraft, entitled Shenzhou VII, left Earth at 9:07p.m., on Sept. 25, taking three astronauts on a mission to walk in space. At 4:40p.m. Beijing time on Sept. 27, astronaut Zhai Zhigang left the Shenzhou VII (though he was attached by safety cords) and floated in the cosmos for about 18 minutes while the module orbited Earth.
“I am here greeting the Chinese people and the people of the world,” said Mr. Zhai.
The mission marks the beginning of China’s new space program, which also includes launching a space station and landing on the moon by 2020. The New York Times has an in-depth article that details more of China’s space plans.
The accomplishment is yet another indication of China’s rising prominence in the international system, and the United States and Russia have taken it as motivation to enhance their own space programs. Symbolically, space achievements represent the power, wealth, and technology of nations.
Both presidential candidates in the United States have recently addressed what they deem to be the importance of our NASA space programs. This article from nasawatch.com describes and reports on Senator Obama’s opinions on the importance of NASA and its accomplishments.
Most leaders recognize that a flourishing space program is essential if the U.S. wishes to remain the world’s most powerful country, demonstrating yet another example of why we should pay attention to space advancements and news.
One Comment
Good informational post. You’re a “clean” writer. By that I mean you rarely make mistakes.
One thing that caught my eye was the direct quote from the astronaut. Certainly not made to you, so you need to signal your reader where it came from. If, for example, it was from video you watched, you could allude to that: “Zhai said in a message broadcast from space.” If it was from the NYT article, then: “Zhai told The New York Times” or “The New York Times reported.” Bottom line: It’s a good idea to signal where your info came from.
Minor mechanical:
–Sen. Barack Obama — need both names on first reference.
–AP says not to abbreviate U.S. when it’s used as a noun.
3