# Shenzhou in Space

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shenzhou-in-space/326047
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [October 13, 2005, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shenzhou-in-space/326047 "2005-10-13T12:23:27Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2005, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shenzhou-in-space/326047/1 "2005-10-13T12:23:27Z")

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Not sure if it already have been mentioned, but China’s first piloted spaceflight is a success.

[http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/shenzhou5\_launch\_031014.html](http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/shenzhou5_launch_031014.html)  
(Though I am not sure why the article is dated 15th Oct…)

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### Author: ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2005, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shenzhou-in-space/326047/2 "2005-10-13T13:30:37Z")

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> [@ExtraKun](#):
>
> (Though I am not sure why the article is dated 15th Oct…)

It’s dated 15 October **2003** , because that’s when they launched their first manned spacecraft, Shenzhou V. What may have confused you is that they just launched their second manned flight, Shenzhou VI.

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### Author: ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2005, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shenzhou-in-space/326047/3 "2005-10-13T13:32:45Z")

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[Here](http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/051012_shenzhou6_day1.html)’s the write-up on their current flight.

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### Author: ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2005, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shenzhou-in-space/326047/4 "2005-10-13T13:37:02Z")

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The first one was just “spam in a can”, like the early US and Soviet ones, the passenger being Yang Liwei. Flight lasted just over 21 hours.

But on this one Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng have rather more control over the craft’s flight.