by Jiuquan, China (AP) -China, made the final preparations for the start on Thursday in a three-member replacement team for his circulation station, which marks a further step towards a possible mission to the moon and research of Mars.
The Shenzhou 20 mission is to be picked up on Thursday evening by a starting center in Jiuquan on the edge of the Gobi desert in northwestern China.
The space station in Tiangong or “Heavenly Palace” has made China a large contender for space, especially since it was built completely Chinese after the country was excluded from the international space station due to the national security concerns of the US security concerns. China’s space program is controlled by the People’s Liberation Army, the Military Department of the Governing Communist Party.
The addition of mechanical weapons to the three -module station has also expressed some concerns that China could use it to deactivate satellites or other space vehicles during a crisis.
Since the first start of a man in 2003 – only the third country that does this, the China’s space program has progressed at a steady pace. The space agency also landed a discoverer on the Mars and a rover on the less researched, distant side of the moon and would like to put a person on the moon before 2030.
The Shenzhou or the “Heavenly Ship”, 20 mission, is commanded by Chen Dong, who makes his third flight. He is accompanied by the fighter pilot Chen Zhongrui and the engineer Wang Jie, who both builds up their first trips, according to the China Mann Space Agency.
You will replace three astronauts at the Chinese space station. Like the one in front of them, they stay on board for about six months.
The space ship is to be initiated in space in China’s workhorse on March 2, 2017.17.17.17 (0917 GMT) and reach the Tiangong about 6.5 hours later.
The three-person crew was sent in October last year and has been in space for 175 days. You should return with your replacement on April 29 after a short overlap. The Tiangong fully gathered in October 2022 can accommodate up to six people at the same time.
In space, the astronauts will carry out experiments in medicine and in new technologies and carry out space walks in order to carry out maintenance and install new devices, the manned space agency said.
