Photos courtesy of AP
China on June 11 began its longest manned space mission with the launch of the Shenzhou 10 rocket, as the country steps up an ambitious space exploration programme.
Read the following story to learn more about China’s recent scientific success.
The rocket ascended above the Jiuquan space centre in the Gobi Desert trailing a vast column of flame. Three astronauts on board — including 33-year-old Wang Yaping, China’s second woman in space — saluted cameras mounted inside their capsule. Moments later the boosters detached from the rocket. The crew was due to spend 15 days in orbit.
SYMBOLIC EVENT
President Xi Jinping, fresh from a summit with US President Barack Obama, was on hand to watch the departure of the Shenzhou 10 (Divine Vessel 10).
Beijing sees the multi-billion-dollar space programme as a marker of its rising global stature and mounting technical expertise, as well as the ruling Communist Party’s success in turning around the fortunes of the once poverty-stricken nation.
The programme is heavily promoted in the domestic media, and state broadcaster CCTV began continuous coverage several hours before the launch.
NATIONAL PRIDE
Xi told the trio he had come to see them off on behalf of the Communist Party, the government, the military and all the nationalities and people of the entire nation.
“You make all Chinese people feel proud. Your mission is both glorious and sacred,” he added. Mission commander Nie Haisheng said that the crew would obey orders, comply with commands, and work with utmost care to complete the Shenzhou 10 mission successfully.”
The crew, in white space suits, emerged from a building and greeted crowds of well-wishers waving flags and flowers, before boarding a bus for transfer to the launch pad.
SPACE RACE
China first sent a human into space in 2003, and its capabilities still lag behind the US and Russia. However, the country’s space programme is highly ambitious and includes plans to land a person on the moon and build a station orbiting Earth by 2020. At the same time the US, long the leader in the field, has scaled back some of its projects, such as retiring its space shuttle fleet.
Exercises
Read the story. Then, decide whether the following statements are true of false.
1. China first sent a human into space in 1993.
…………………………..
2. Shenzhou means a divine vessel.
…………………………..
3. Xi Jinping is the president of China.
…………………………..
4. Wang Yaping is 43 years old.
…………………………..
Vocabulary
- mount (v): to fix something into position on something, so that you can use it, look at it, etc.
orbit (n): a curved path followed by a planet or an object as it moves around another planet, star, moon, etc.
expertise (n): expert knowledge or skill in a particular subject, activity or job
poverty-stricken (adj): extremely poor
glorious (adj): deserving or bringing great fame and success
ambitious (adj): needing a lot of effort, money or time to succeed
