First female taikonaut expected to fly
Three Chinese taikonauts are expected to rocket to orbit aboard the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft by as early as mid-June 2012 on the nation's forth human spaceflight. The spaceflight includes the possibility of the first Chinese female among the three-member crew. Nonetheless, the flight could be launched as late as August; no firm date has been announced in the Chinese media but preparations for the launch campaign are well underway.Long March 2F
The taikonaut trio with launch the Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan space center in northwest China, whereupon the three taikonauts will guide the Shenzhou 9 spaceship to a manual docking with the now unmanned Tiangong 1 laboratory, a 34-foot-long module launched in September 2011. The crew is expected to stay docked a few days before returning to Earth. A female taikonaut would be another Chinese first and add to the international media attention expected for the flight.
Chinese taikonaut in 2008 spacewalk
China's earlier Shenzhou missions include the country's first human spaceflight in 2003, a two-man, five-day voyage in 2005, and the first spacewalk of the Chinese program in 2008. The 2012 Shenzhou 9 and Tiangong 1 laboratory meet-up would be the first time a Chinese space crew has docked with another orbiting vehicle in Earth orbit and it would symbolize a significant technological step forward for the program.
Source: anomalies-in-backyard.blogspot.com
