Chinese astronauts
have returned to Earth after a six-month stay on their new Chinese space
station. This was the longest stay of Chinese astronauts. The space capsule
landed in the Gobi Desert in northern Mongolia, and the scene was shown live on
Chinese state television. China sent its first astronaut into space in 2003,
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| Chinese astronauts return after six months on space station |
then landed its robot on the moon in 2013 and sent a robot to Mars last year. Pictures were also shown on Chinese state television on Saturday when the capsule passed through Africa at a speed of 200 meters per second before entering Earth's orbit.
China has not been
included in the International Space Station's program, citing its hostility to
the United States. China's space program is run by the Chinese Communist Party
and the People's Liberation Army.
China is the third
country in the world, after the United States and the former Soviet Union, to
send astronauts into space on its own.
The Chinese
government has announced that China's first reusable spacecraft will land in
2020, but no further details or photos have been released.
(This news item was taken from the Associated Press)
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