Forty-two years after Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin pioneered manned space flight, China has joined the exclusive club of nations that has put a man into space. The successful launch of the Shenzhou 5 ("divine vessel") carrying "taikonaut" Yang Liwei is a milestone in China's space program. It is a boost to the nation's prestige, a boon for its commercial satellite program -- and a reminder of the potent technological and military capabilities that China can muster.
China's space program is not new. In fact, it is probably the oldest in the world. Gunpowder was invented in China and, according to legend, a Ming dynasty official named Wan Hu was the first man to try to make it to space: He tied himself to a chair with gunpowder-packed tubes attached. That effort ended in disaster. China resumed its space program a couple of centuries later, in 1958. In 1970, the country launched its first satellite, and at least 70 more have followed.
The manned program was dropped in the early 1980s because it was considered an indulgence in a country that had better ways to spend its scare investment resources. The program resumed in 1992. While much of the progress was the result of hard work and homegrown research, the Chinese had help from Russia. The Shenzhou is based on the three-seat Russian Soyuz design, although it has been extensively modified. This week's launch follows four test flights of unmanned Shenzhou capsules that began in 1999. The country's taikonauts -- derived from the Chinese word for space -- also underwent training in Russia.