[meteorite-list] Not because it is easy, but because we want to beat the Russians (and Chinese)

From: Darren Garrison <cynapse_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Aug 25 14:08:58 2006
Message-ID: <v3fue2hptm3h4m55ofqalkitgfi5jcqbot_at_4ax.com>

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/TECH/space/08/24/china.russia.mars.reut/

China-Russia plan joint mission to Mars

Thursday, August 24, 2006 Posted: 1533 GMT (2333 HKT)

BEIJING, China (Reuters) -- China and Russia plan to launch a joint mission to
Mars in 2009 to scoop up rocks from the red planet and one of its moons, a
Chinese scientist said on Wednesday.

Russia will launch the spacecraft, while China will provide the survey equipment
to carry out the unmanned exploration, Ye Peijian, a senior scientist at the
Chinese Academy of Space Technology, told a meeting in Beijing, according to the
official Xinhua news agency.

The mission will be another step in China's ambitious program to jump to the
forefront of space exploration.

Last month, Sun Laiyan, head of the China National Space Administration, said
China would seek international cooperation as it prepares to explore the moon
and beyond.

China expects to launch its first lunar probe next year, state media has said.
It will spend a year orbiting the moon to collect images and data on the moon's
surface and environment.

In 2003, China became only the third country -- after the United States and
Soviet Union -- to launch a man into space aboard its own rocket. In October
2005, it sent two men into orbit, and another manned orbit is slated for 2007.
Received on Fri 25 Aug 2006 02:10:06 PM PDT