[FPSPACE] China to send at least

[Keith Gottschalk]

>program.  During the unmanned test phase they established a launch rate of one flight 
>per year.  After achieving their first piloted flight, they announced that the next flight 
>would be in two years.  That's a long wait.  Why?
>
>My suspicion is that the key issue is money.  This is not a cheap program by Chinese 
>standards.  I suspect that the Chinese military, which must fund the Shenzou program to 
>a large extent, is reluctant to spend more money on it.  So they keep the flight rate really 
>low.

 I agree. While a parastatal need not make a profit, it must keep within its budget or managers will be replaced.

>>"Possibly, Yang Liwei may not be chosen for this mission," Yang said.
>
>You have to love how non-specific they are, huh?

 Remember Yang is a sprightly 85 years old, as opposed to our doyen, 93 year old Qian Xuessen, now alas bed-ridden, born a year before Wernher von Braun. In African culture, we would call both these founding fathers of the Chinese space programme  "Living Ancestors" to be reverred.        
-       Keith