Third place in the space race

China plans to put an astronaut in space by 2005, according to reports in the
China Daily newspaper. It would be only the third country to achieve
the feat, after Russia and the US. Other reports quoting Chinese space officials
say the country is even planning Moon missions and a space station within 15
years. “I think it’s possible,” says Tim Stevenson at the Space Research Centre
at the University of Leicester. “They set themselves that target a long time
ago.” China’s Shenzhou spacecraft has already made two unmanned flights.