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Latest Chinese Launch Leaves Debris In Local Village
Beijing - Sept. 25, 2000 A piece of the Changzheng-4B rocket that successfully launched the Ziyuan-2 remote sensing satellite has left its mark in a village near the city of Chongqing in the central Sichuan Province, the Yangtse Evening Post reported September 4. According to the report, on September 1 around noon time a young farmer by the last name Li was working on a hill slope in the Xiangzhen Cultural Village, in the Wuxi District near Chongqing, when a very loud bang startled him. Li then saw a large white object rolling down the hill. The shakened farmer ran towards the scene to see what the object was. Upon arrival he saw a dented and cracked white metallic cylindrical object about 12 m long, 2.5 m in diameter and weighed about 1,000 kg. Letters painted on the damaged surface of the object were visible. Li also saw a large crater where the cylindrical object hit the ground. After inspecting and trying to figure out what the object was for a long time, Li decided to report the incident to local government officials. A team of officials immediately went to the scene, secured the area and started an investigation. The mystery object puzzled local residents for two days before they learned about its identity. The object turned out to be part of the CZ-4B launcher which lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launching Center (TSLC) in the northern Shanxi Province on September 1 at 11:25 a.m. Beijing Time. The large debris from the rocket landed more than 700 km downrange in the village less than an hour after the launch. The newspaper did not say which part of the launcher the debris belonged to. Ironically when the international space community is keeping a close watch on the upper stage of CZ-4B, which has a history of on-orbit breakup, a piece of its lower stage makes an impact in a residential area. Luckily there was no damage to any person or structure on the ground. CommunityEmail This Article Comment On This Article Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express The Chinese Space Program - News, Policy and Technology China News from SinoDaily.com
Taikonauts On Moon A Far Off Dream For China Yet
Beijing (XNA) Jan 05, 2006A one-year lunar fly-by mission may start in April 2007 in China, but a manned flight to the Earth's neighbour may be a long way away, a chief lunar exploration scientist said last night. |
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