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As Controversial as the Olympics? Fake Mission Coverage, News Boycott of Chinese Space Launch
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Three taikonauts are orbiting Earth today after China successfully launched its third manned spaceflight mission from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province. Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming, and Jing Haipeng, all fighter pilots, and their Shezhou 7 spacecraft roared into space aboard the Long March 2F rocket.
But even before the launch got off the ground, controversy erupted. Olympics style, part of the Chinese presentation scored an "F" for fake as the Associated Press discovered complete launch and in-flight covrerage provided at Xinhau before liftoff ever happened.
"First-level measurement arrangement!" After this order, signal lights all were switched on, various data show up on rows of screens, hundreds of technicians staring at the screens, without missing any slightest changes ... "One minute to go!" "Changjiang No.1 found the target!"... The firm voice of the controller broke the silence of the whole ship. Now, the target is captured 12 seconds ahead of the predicted time ... "The air pressure in the cabin is normal!" "Ten minutes later, the ship disappears below the horizon. Warm clapping and excited cheering breaks the night sky, echoing across the silent Pacific Ocean."
The "in-flight report" disappeared after the AP discovery. Chinese officials only cited "technical" difficulties. Kind of like the technical difficulties with Chinese athletes and age documentation, we're guessing. Over at Space and Astronautics News, the editor declared a boycott on covering Chinese space missions: I will not cover it or any other Chinese mission. Period. Reasons include the way the Chinese government treats its own people (and those of other countries); their blatant disregard for the safety of other spacefarers; the official persecution of Christians in China; the mandatory abortion policy, their overuse of the death penalty; Chinese actions against Tibetan citizens; China’s terrible record on human rights; the fact that China is causing more environmental damage to our planet than any other country, plus the often highly dangerous or unreliable goods they export - oh, and they’re communists - that last one is sufficient on its own.
But what initially triggered the ban, what remains the prime reason for boycotting the Shenzou program, and the factor which has most affected me personally, was seeing St Bernards and other dogs who look like Servus the World Trade Center rescue dog being farmed for consumption in public restaurants in China. It has caused me to experience a level of anger transcending rage and which filters into a calm determination to deny those people the oxygen of publicity and to never, never, never cover their space program, not even if they land on the Moon.
Space and Astronautics News is ranked in the top ~7 percent of the entire Internet, according to Alexa, and has been world no.1 on Google for ‘astronautics news’ since 2005, and I don’t need Shenzou to stay there - so if you want to read about Shenzou go to People’s Daily or some other communist trash - you’ll never hear about it from me. David
And, reliably enough, over at NASA Watch, Keith Cowing uses the not-quite-real space coverage as a springboard to chide NASA, tsk tsk'ing their public affairs for not publishing fake space coverage.
NASA PAO often struggles to keep pace with events. But in China they have found a way to be days ahead of events. Can NASA PAO ever catch up with this latest Chinese accomplishment?
Meanwhile, NASA's officially wished the three space farers well. Me, too-and I hope the Chinese government treats them and space workers better than they treat everyday citizens, the citizens of Tibet, and oh yes, those afflicted by the continuing scandals with poisoned Chinese products including medicine, pet food, toys, and this time, milk powder.
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