|
Cold weather may postpone space mission
(AFP)
Updated: 2005-10-08 07:01
Unusually cold weather may force China to postpone the launch of its second
manned space mission, scheduled for next week, the Modern Bulletin newspaper
reported.
The rocket launch
pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi desert
in Jiuquan. [AFP] | The launch of the Shenzhou VI
spacecraft from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi
desert has been tentatively set for some time between Wednesday and Friday, the
report said.
However, during those three days a cold current will be affecting the area,
the paper said, citing Yao Bingdao, deputy meteorologist at the Jiuquan center.
"We're not very optimistic about the weather during the launch period that
was set initially," he told the paper.
The paper quoted unnamed officials as saying a delay in the launch could not
be ruled out, but that there could still be shifts in the weather in the coming
days making it possible to stick to the original timetable.
The Shenzhou VI is now being prepared for its mission, which will take two
astronauts into orbit for five days.
It is China's second manned space mission, following the Shenzhou V, which
took astronaut Yang Liwei 14 times around the earth for a 21-hour period in
October 2003.
Large parts of north China will see temperatures drop by 10 degrees Celsius
(18 degrees Fahrenheit) next week.
|
