China on Moon After its second manned space mission, on October 2005, China's space program wants to be able to put a man on the moon and build a space station in 15 years, said Hu Shixiang, the deputy commander of China's manned space flight program. Nie Haisheng and Fei Junlong circled Earth for five days aboard the Shenzhou 6 capsule, traveling 2 million miles in 115 hours, 32 minutes. China's first manned mission was in 2003, when astronaut Yang Liwei orbited for 21 1/2 hours. China wants to master the technology for a space walk and docking in space by 2012, Hu said. He said China was developing its space program at its own pace, not in competition with the United States. 'It's not the competition of the Cold War era,' he said. Hu stressed China's intention to use space exploration for peaceful ends, saying the government 'is willing to work hard with people around the world for the peaceful use of space. |