China to launch 3 astronauts in new manned space flight docking

 • China will launch its Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft sometime in mid-June.

 • Shenzhou-9 and its carrier rocket, the Long March-2F, had been moved to the launch platform.

 • In the next few days, scientists will conduct functional tests on the spacecraft and the rocket.

The Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft, the Long March-2F rocket, and the escape tower are vertically transferred to the launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu Province, June 9, 2012. China will launch its Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft sometime in mid-June to perform the country's first manned space docking mission with the orbiting Tiangong-1 space lab module, a spokesperson with the country's manned space program said here Saturday. (Xinhua/Wang Jianmin)

Click to see more photos

JIUQUAN, Gansu, June 9 (Xinhua) -- China will launch its Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft sometime in mid-June to perform the country's first manned space docking mission with the orbiting Tiangong-1 space lab module, a spokesperson said here Saturday.

By 10:30 a.m. Saturday, the spacecraft and its carrier rocket, the Long March-2F, had been moved to the launch platform at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, a spokesperson with the country's manned space program said.

In the next few days, scientists will conduct functional tests on the spacecraft and the rocket, as well as joint tests on selected astronauts, spacecraft, rocket and ground systems, according to the spokesperson.

The Shenzhou-9 will be launched into space to perform China's first manned space docking mission with the orbiting Tiangong-1 space lab module.

The manned spacecraft Shenzhou-9 and its carrier rocket were delivered to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in early April this year.

The Tiangong-1, or Heavenly Palace-1, was lowered to docking orbit in early June and is orbiting normally, the spokesperson said.

The final preparations are running smoothly, and the selected astronauts have completed their training and are in sound physical and mental conditions, according to the spokesperson.

Niu Hongguang, deputy commander-in-chief of the country's manned space program, said earlier that the three-person crew on Shenzhou-9 might include female astronauts, but the final selection would be decided "on the very last condition."

The space docking mission will be manually conducted by astronauts, giving China another chance to test its docking technology, the program's spokesperson said previously.

One of the three Shenzhou-9 crew members will not board the Tiangong-1 space module lab, but will remain inside the spacecraft as a precautionary measure in case of emergency, the spokesperson said.

The target module Tiangong-1, which blasted off on Sept. 29, 2011, went into long-term operation in space awaiting docking attempts of Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 after completing China's first space docking mission with the unmanned Shenzhou-8 spacecraft in early November.

Related: 

Shenzhou-9 spacecraft delivered to launch center
BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The manned spacecraft Shenzhou-9 was delivered to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Monday, a spokesman with the country's manned space program said.  Full story

Shenzhou-9 may take female astronaut to space: official
BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Authorities have completed the initial selection of crew members for China's first manned space docking mission, and the roster includes female astronauts, an official with the country's manned space program has said.  Full story

China to carry out manned space flight

The manned space flight will dock with the Tiangong 1 space station module, pictured here being launched

Continue reading the main story

 

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China has announced it will carry out a manned space flight at some point in the middle of June.

A rocket carrying the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft has been moved to a launch pad in the north-west of the country.

According to state news agency Xinhua, it will carry three astronauts - possibly including a woman - to the Taingong 1 space station module.

This will be China's fourth manned space flight and its first since 2008.

It became only the third country to independently send a man into space in 2003.

Stellar plans
 
Last year, China completed a complicated space docking manoeuvre when an unmanned craft docked with the Taingong 1, or "Heavenly Body", by remote control.

The astronauts onboard the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft will also dock with the Taingong 1 - an experimental module currently orbiting Earth - and carry out scientific experiments on board.

Xinhua reported that Niu Hongguang, deputy commander-in-chief of China's manned space programme, said the crew "might include female astronauts".

The mission is part of China's programme to develop a full orbiting space station.

Beijing is planning to complete the 60-tonne manned space station by 2020.

China was previously turned away from the International Space Station, a much bigger project run by 16 nations, reportedly after objections from the United States.- BBC

China to Launch 3 Astronauts to Space Lab This Month

by Tariq Malik, SPACE.com Managing Editor

A Long March 2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou 9 rocket rolls out to the launch pad at China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center ahead of a planned June 2012 launch of the country's first manned space docking mission. CREDIT: China Manned Space Engineering Office View full size image

China will launch its first manned mission to an orbiting space laboratory in mid-June, according to state media reports and the country's human spaceflight agency.

A Long March 2F rocket will launch three astronauts aboard a Shenzhou 9 capsule for China's first manned space docking at the mini-space station Tiangong-1. The space lab module has been circling Earth unmanned since its launch last year.

"The Shenzhou 9 will perform our country's first manned space docking mission with the orbiting Tiangong 1 space lab module," the Xinhua news agency quoted Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China's manned space program, as saying today (June 9).

Zhou's comments came as he accompanied the rocket set to launch the Shenzhou 9 mission to a pad at China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country's northwest region.

The mission, Zhou told Xinhua, will be a major milestone for China's space exploration program.

"It means China's spacecraft will become a genuine manned shuttle tool between space and Earth. It can send human beings to space stations or space labs," Zhou told Xinhua. "This will be a significant step in China's manned space flight history."  [Gallery: Tiangong 1, China's First Space Lab]

China's Shenzhou 9 mission will mark the fourth human spaceflight for the country, which has been making steady advances since the launch of Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei in 2003 on Shenzhou 5, the country's first human spaceflight. China is the third country to achieve human spaceflight after Russia and the United States.

Since its first flight, China has launched two more manned missions, the two-man Shenzhou 6 flight and three-person Shenzhou 7 mission. Last September, China launched the Tiangong 1 module — a prototype for a future space station — into orbit. That launch was followed in November by the unmanned Shenzhou 8 mission, which successfully docked a capsule with the space laboratory twice during the test flight.

The Shenzhou 9 mission will mark China's first human spaceflight to an orbiting module. Earlier this year, space program officials said the mission could also mark the first launch of China's first female astronaut, but a final decision on that is pending, Xinhua reported.

This image released by the China Manned Space Engineering Office shows
the Long March 2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou 9 capsule that will launch
three astronauts to the Tiangong 1 space lab in June 2012.
CREDIT: China Manned Space Engineering Office

View full size image

A translation of an announcement released online by the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSE), which oversees China's human spaceflight program, stated that preparations of both the rocket and Shenzhou 9 astronaut crew are going smoothly.

A series of spacecraft and rocket tests, as well as final mission training, are underway ahead of the planned spaceflight, CMSE officials said.

China's Shenzhou (or "Divine Vessel") spacecraft are three-module space capsules with a design originally based on Russia's Soyuz space capsules, but the Chinese vehicles carry substantial modifications.

Like the Soyuz, Shenzhou vehicles carry up to three astronauts and consist of a propulsion module, a crew capsule and an orbital module. But unlike Russia's Soyuz, the orbital module of Shenzhou spacecraft carries its own solar arrays and can remain in space after its crew returns to Earth in the crew capsule.

China's Tiangong 1 ("Heavenly Palace 1") space laboratory module, meanwhile, is a prototype space station designed to test the technologies required for a much larger space station complex currently under development. The Tiangong 1 module is 34 feet long (10.4 meters), 11 feet wide (3.35 m) and weighed about 8.5 metric tons.

Chinese space officials have said the country is developing a larger, 60-ton space station that will consist of several modules. That space station is slated to be launched in 2020.

China is currently following a three-step space exploration program that ultimately aims to land an astronaut on the moon. According to a white paper released by the Chinese government in December, the country plans to launch a series of robotic moon landers and a lunar sample-return mission by 2016.

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Singapore millionaires who don’t feel rich

Singapore, the third richest country in the world on a per capita basis, may be good at accumulating wealth but it fares less well when it comes to distributing it.WHEN I read last week that one in six households in Singapore is a millionaire in investable wealth, it stirred mixed emotions of pride and worry.

Bloomberg had earlier reported that the city state had become the third richest country in the world on a per capita basis.



Many Singaporeans probably share these mixed feelings, if they could take time away from work to think about it. (More on that later.)

The pride, of course, stems from our transformation from a squatter colony to this present level of affluence in only 47 years, and the concern comes from the high cost of living that such wealth brings.

Singapore is the 10th most expensive city in the world. The two factors – wealth and high cost – are related; if cost of living is taken into account Singapore’s wealth ranking drops to 11th in the world.

Inflation clouds everyone’s lives, unless he is among the 188,000 millionaire households, to which it probably matters much less..

A school-teacher commented: “Being told that I am living in one of the world’s richest cities doesn’t profit my life and the resultant high cost is a blow.”

Last year, the number of millionaires (in US dollars) increased by 14%, one of the world’s fastest growth rates. In the previous year – from 2009 to 2010 – it went up by a record one-third.

Their wealth does not include the value of their properties or other fixed assets. If it does, Singaporeans would be even richer.

The question is: how many of the new rich are foreigners who took up permanent residency here? If the number is high, it could distort the picture a little.

Over the past five years, the number of rich mainland Chinese, Indians and Indonesians who took up PR here has risen, pushing up the price of properties.

Two of Facebook billionaire co-founders, Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin, have made Singapore their home.

I also noticed that the pro-government media has been playing up stories of rising wealth and the capacity of Singaporeans to spend it. It is understandable because it paints a rosy picture.

Recent tales included the following:

> Singapore’s (resale) public flats are worth more than some expensive villas and islands in Portugal, Greece and Spain, as well as luxurious properties in the United States, reported Business Times.

> Rising property prices – nearly 7,000 “shoe box” condos of 300 sq ft to 500 sq ft have been built. A 463 sq ft condo was sold for S$702,000 (RM1.7mil).

> For sale: a bottle of special edition whisky in Singapore for S$250,000 (RM620,165).

> Singapore girl from a promi­­nent family splurging S$200,000 (RM496,252) on a photo shoot.

> Launch of the Singapore’s most expensive car, priced at S$3.6mil (RM9mil).

> A 23,920 sq ft bungalow at the prestigious Nassim Road was sold for a record S$47.8mil (RM118.6mil).

Such stories will likely continue to happen but so will tales relating to the new poor.

Singapore may be good at accumulating wealth but it fares less well when it comes to distributing it.

In fact, what is rubbing off some of the “wealth” shine is the widening inequality between the rich and the poor, an imbalance that ranks a notorious second in the world next to Hong Kong.

According to the Manpower Ministry, the earnings of the poorest 20% had stagnated in the past 10 years, with real income rising only S$200 (RM496) to S$1,400 (RM3,471), or 0.3%.

Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad wrote: “Singapore is rich and happy at the moment, and that’s not good. America was like that at one point in time.”

I know what he means.

A blogger recalled this was what former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew said years ago. He said he feared affluence was making Singaporeans complacent.

He said the young generation compared badly with the poorer, hard-striving migrants from China and needed “spurs on its side” to drive it on.

Are wealthy Singaporeans happy? Happiness is subjective, but a Twitter reported that only one quarter of the people are happy.

A newspaper for Indians in Singapore, Tabla, wrote: “They are among the world’s wealthiest, ranking sixth highest in net wealth with a mean value of US$284,692 (RM908,737) per adult. But Singaporeans aren’t necessarily a happy lot.”

Most attribute it to the pressure cooker living, the high cost of living and the education system. Despite what Lee said, Singaporeans work the longest hours in a worldwide comparison, beating the Japanese.

But the country has the second lowest job satisfaction in the world, according to an Accenture survey, with some 76% saying they are dissatisfied with their jobs.

Long-time visitor Brian Nelsen wrote last month: “Where are the friendly Singaporeans I used to know?”

He expressed shock and dismay at the abrupt change in the attitude of Singaporeans towards tourists in the last few years. They appear unfriendly and rude nowadays.

“Nobody smiles or returns a greeting any more. Many are now a surly lot,” he said. He probably had not met our richer folks.

Joyce Hooi of The Business Times wrote: “If Singapore had been a person, it would have stood above the unwashed tableau of Occupy Wall Street, watching from its penthouse and laughing into its Cognac.”

The really wealthy are busy buying up luxuries.

Every single day, she added, 25 people had bought a Mercedes-Benz or a BMW, and a Ferrari every four days over the past 11 months.

INSIGHT DOWN SOUTH BY SEAH CHIANG NEE  cnseah@thestar.com.my

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Euro debt crisis remains biggest threat to global economy, UN reports

UNITED NATIONS, June 7 -- The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) has released its mid-year World Economic Situation and Prospects (WEPS) report, in which it states that the continuous euro crisis remains a large threat to the world economy.

"The euro area debt crisis remains the biggest threat to the global economy," said the representative from the UN Department of Public Information, Newton Kanhema, to reporters during a press conference here on Thursday.

"An escalation of the crisis could result in severe turmoil in financial markets," he said.

The WEPS report reflects that, although some growth has been seen in developed countries, they continue to face significant challenges, particularly in Europe. The WEPS forecasts that the economic situation will "remain tepid" for 2012, with a slow- down in China's growth to an estimated 8.3 percent, while India is expected to grow between 6.7 to 7.2 percent during the 2012- 2013 term.

As a proposed solution to the dwindling global economy, assistant secretary-general for DESA, Jomo Kwame Sundaram, stressed the importance of cooperation between all countries.

"International cooperation is extremely important," said Sundaram. "International cooperation is important, because it will ensure, all countries, and all economies will benefit from [ it]."

As developed countries continue to struggle to bounce back, the report says they have to address four major issues: deleveraging banks, firms and households that continue to restrain normal credit flow; the continuous high rate of unemployment; the fiscal austerity responses to rising public debts; and the exposure of banks to sovereign debts, partnered with weakened economies that prolong the stagnation of the crisis.

The report also stresses that the "re-orientation of fiscal policies should be internationally, coordinated, and aligned with structural policies that support direct job creation, and green growth." -  Xinhua

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US military still strongest in the world

Despite the impact of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the financial crisis, the U.S. military is still the most powerful military in the world, a report released Tuesday in Beijing said.

The report "U.S. Military Assessment Report 2011", published by the China Strategic Culture Promotion Association, contains six chapters, 14 sections and three appendixes, including the U.S. strategic points, the U.S. military strength and deployment of troops, the defense budget and procurement of weapons and equipment, the U.S. structural and organizational reform, the new development of the U.S. combat theory and the U.S. joint military exercises, and summarizes the development situation of the U.S. military strength between 2010 and 2011.

The report pointed out that the internal and external environment faced by the United States has undergone major changes over the past two years. At home, the impact caused by the financial crisis on real economy has not been fundamentally alleviated; the national economy continues to decline; the budget deficit hits record highs and the unemployment keeps high. Outside the country, the United States is faced with the challenge to its leadership position brought by the multi-polarization of international forces and the rise of emerging powers. 

On the occasion of withdrawing from Iraq and ending the war in Afghanistan, the United States shifted its strategic focus to the Asia-Pacific region. The Obama administration has formulated new national security strategy, defense strategy and military strategy and accelerated the global deployment of troops. It is making efforts to strengthen army building in terms of institutional establishment, weapons and equipment, combat theory and military training and enhance the ability of war and non-war military actions.

The report said that although the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the financial crisis began in 2008 had an important impact on the comprehensive strength of the United States, the impact on its military capabilities has not yet been seen. The U.S. troops are still the most powerful in the world and it still has the ability to simultaneously start two large-scale regional wars and some small-scale emergent battles. It can provide strong support for the United States to return to the Asia-Pacific region and shift the strategic focus eastward.

The report also said that on one hand, China should remain vigilant on the United States' returning to Asia-Pacific region, intervening in the territorial disputes on South China Sea and transfer of its strategic focus eastward; on the other hand, China should also see the common interests in the deep economic integration of the two countries and in maintaining the peace, stability, development, cooperation and prosperity of the world.

In line with the spirit of mutual respect and mutual trust, equality and mutual benefit, both sides should strengthen the cooperation and exchange especially that of the two militaries and jointly cope with the challenges and threats of the 21th century.

The China Strategic Culture Promotion Association is a national non-profit civil society group composed of experts, scholars and social activists who are engaged in studies of international issues, Taiwan issue and cultural issues. The association was founded in Beijing on Jan. 5 2011, aiming at promoting security and stability of the Asia-Pacific region and encouraging the peaceful development on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through the studies, dissemination and exchange of Chinese strategic culture.

Read the Chinese version: 中国智库：美国军队仍然是世界上最强大的军队，author: Yang Tiehu

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Malaysian 13th General Election Pow-wow, Register as voters now!

On the edge of our seats

The whole country is getting fidgety as Malaysians await the 13th general election.

IT’S an extended silly season. Everyone is ultra sensitive and every event or statement is examined with a fine toothcomb for any underlying political message.

Hardly a day goes by that a politician does not let fly a missile at one opponent or another. From cows, condos to sex tapes, no one and nothing is spared.

One would have thought that after months of this, politicians would have run out of ammunition, and from the quality of the rockets being shot out, they are close to scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Everyone is so tense that even the recent reduction in RON 97 by 10 sen is seen as an indication that the polls is near.

By my vast experience of having covered the past five general elections, the polls should have already been here, gone and dusted. But this time round, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak seems intent on dragging out the silly season for as long as he can.

His opponents have joined him by declaring that Selangor and Penang would not hold their polls together with the national elections. Selangor MB Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim had declared that his government would definitely not follow if it is held this month.

A June general election does not seem likely now (for some unexplainable reasons, the country has never held a general election in the month of June). So does this mean that Selangor will now follow suit if it is held next month?

No way, says Khalid’s boss Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who wants Selangor to go the full distance (sometime in April next year). The games of the silly season continue.

One senior Barisan Nasional official enquired with a party worker recently how things were going and was shocked at the reply he got.

“Boss, we are all very tired. We have been on war footing since October and we do not know how much more we can take,” said the party worker.

Some of the candidates-designate from both sides, who have been campaigning quietly since January, are quietly complaining that they are running out of funds and at the same time cannot do anything about raising money from supporters.

“What am I to tell my supporters? No party will announce its candidates so early for fear they may be bought over or of sabotage,” said one aspiring candidate.

This is why some Umno stalwarts are calling on the leadership to start naming the potential candidates so that they can “be properly introduced” to the branches and avoid any sabotage.

This, I suspect, will also allow these people to make use of the official party machinery which means it will be less taxing on his or her personal resources which can then be reserved for the actual polling and campaign period.

This 13th GE will be a watershed election for Malaysia and every seat will see tough fights. “The mother of all battles” was how one senior journalist described the coming polls.

Unfortunately, like all things that are anticipated with such great expectations, I fear it will fall short of everyone’s outlook. GE 13 can’t help but disappoint because we are expecting so much from it.

Prior to last week, when it became obvious that the polls would not be in June or July, everyone seemed resigned to the election being held in September.

But then came Najib’s announcement that Budget 2013 would be tabled on Sept 28.

One could almost hear the groans of frustration going up all over the place. The so-called experts are now even suggesting November or January as the new dates.

One Cabinet Minister even pointed out that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad held the 10th general elections in exactly the same manner.

Dr Mahathir tabled the budget in October 1999, allowed the Lower House to debate the budget, but before it would be passed, he went to see the King and had Parliament dissolved. He took his Budget as his manifesto for the polls.

This senior Cabinet member said outright that Najib would do exactly the same because it proved to be a masterstroke by Dr Mahathir to defeat his foes then.

This conversation with the minister took place a month ago, long before Najib announced his Budget date.

So does this mean that the polls will be in October?

If statistics are anything to go by, it is unlikely to be held then because only the 1990 GE was held in the month of October (Oct 21 to be exact).

The following are the exact dates of the past 12 elections.
1st GE - Aug 19, 1959;
2nd GE - April 25, 1964;
3rd GE - May 10, 1969
4th GE - Aug 24 and Sept 14 1974;
5th GE - July 8, 1978;
6th GE - April 22, 1982;
7th GE - Aug 3, 1986;
8th GE - Oct 21, 1990;
9th GE - April 25, 1995;
10th GE - Nov 29, 1999;
11th GE - March 21, 2004; and
12th GE - March 8, 2008

Hopefully, someone out there can find a pattern from this list of dates and then correctly predict the polling date that Najib is holding so close to his chest and does not look likely to reveal any time soon.

Those claiming to know the man’s plans said we should examine Najib’s speech during last year’s Malaysia Day on Sept 16.

“He made many promises there. Once he has fulfilled all those promises, I am sure he will call for the elections,” said one of them.

The polls cannot come fast enough for most of us because we want to get back to some real work.

WHY NOT?
By WONG SAI WAN

> Executive editor Wong Sai Wan has been on election footing since 2010 and will be glad when it comes.

EC: Register now and you can vote in September

KOTA KINABALU: Malaysians who are eligible to vote should register this month to qualify to vote in the general election if it is held in September.

“If they register in the second quarter of this year, they will be able to vote if the election is held after August,” Election Commission deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said yesterday after briefing 30 officials from 15 political parties in Sabah about electoral regulations.

There are about a quarter million Sabahans above the age of 21 who have yet to register while about 3.6 million eligible voters nationwide have not registered.

Wan Ahmad said there were 946,638 registered voters in Sabah and 258,943 eligible voters have yet to register.

“I hope they will register now,” he said, adding that if everyone registered, Sabah would cross the one million mark and could reach 1,205,581 registered voters by September.

He also said there were very few people, who had come forward to clarify the position of some 13,000 dubious voters when they exhibited the names for three months.

“We believe many of these people are dead and their families did not report the deaths to the National Registration Department. We can't remove their names, so it remains in the rolls until their next-of-kin have not come forward to clarify it.

“That's why sometimes you get cases of someone with an age of 120 who is still in the roll.

“We cannot remove it as we are not empowered by law to delete such names,” he added.

Wan Ahmad also said they would be setting up 31 mobile election enforcement teams to check on offenders for Sabah and Labuan's 26 parliamentary constituencies.

He said there would be two teams each in Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan while each constituency would have a team, comprising an election officer, a police inspector, a local authority official and representatives of contesting parties.

By MUGUNTAN VANAR vmugu@thestar.com.my