| Shijian-8 is number 23 in the line of Chinese recoverable satellites. With that said, it is the first so-called breeding satellite. The main characteristic of this satellite is found in the fact that it has been launched specifically for the space based seed breeding of vegetables, fruits, and grains. The craft carries on board 215 kilograms of seeds. The theory is that on its return to Earth, the seeds will be improved because of their exposure to cosmic radiation and lower gravity. This mission represents China's 48th successful space launch. Xi'an Satellite Control Center will over see the mission, making certain that it follows the plan and then returns to Earth safely. The craft will orbit Earth for two weeks and has on board 2,000 varieties of plants, fungi and other bio-matter. China's National Space Administration is hoping that at least some of these items mutate while in space to produce higher yielding plants and fungi. China has been experimenting with plants in space for nearly 20 years. There are three centers for the cultivation of space seeds in China located at Beijing, Shanhai and Heilongjiang.
Some insights into Space Tourism: Unbelievable but true: although regular flights with space tourists have not yet begun, "tickets" for the next flights are already sold out! Places on SS2 were booked by 500 people from 35 countries. Many of them are citizens of the United States. In second place is Great Britain with a small margin. There is a waiting list and citizens of Russia are also in the waiting list, for example, one of the founders of the company “Euroset”, Timur Artemiev . Stars of show business are also showing interest in flying. Rumors are making rounds that John Travolta, Sigourney Weaver and socialite Paris Hilton have already booked seats on suborbital spaceship.
But the most unusual passenger of Virgin Galactic will probably be famous British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, who will be confined to his invalid chair. Richard Branson has agreed to finance his flight from the funds of the “institution”. Incidentally, in April 2007, Hawking had already experienced weightlessness on a specially equipped “Boeing 727-200F” of Zero-G company, in which a state of weightlessness occurs during a steep climb. At this time, the scientist floated in air without his chair.
Virgin Galactic is not the single operator, who is pretending for a market share of suborbital tours. The company “RocketShip Tours (Arizona, USA) has announced in November 2008 that the flight cost on the two-seater space craft Lynx with a pilot and a passenger, which was developed by XCOR Aerospace corporation, would cost just 95000 USD. Regular flights should begin in 2010. More than 20000 flights have already been booked by the clients with deposits of 20000 USD each. The first passenger will be the Danish investment banker and adventurer Per Vimmer.
Of course, Lynx significantly concedes the WK2 – SS2 system. This vehicle should take-off and land, as an aircraft, and can touch an altitude of a maximum of 61 km, which noticeably does not reach up to the conventional boundary of outer space. For 30 min of the flight duration, tourist will experience 90 seconds of weightlessness, which the tourist will experience without getting out of his seat and on return to the lower layers of atmosphere, the tourist can feel an overload of 4 units. Virgin Galactic will fly for 2.5 hrs and tourists will have a chance to feel the weightlessness state for 3 times. But, the cost of a ticket on XCOR is two times cheaper. So the clients will have a choice.
Other companies are also making attempts to enter the suborbital tourism market. European Aerospace Consortium EADS pushed forward a project, in which it is planned to construct a suborbital aircraft by 2012, which can attain an altitude of 100 km after the launch from the Earth. Turboprop and jet propulsion engines are to be combined in the design. However, this may make the vehicle much costlier, which is confirmed by the price tag of the tickets – 200,000 Euro.
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The Chinese have launched their first "breeding" satellite, with the sole mission to carry seeds of vegetables, fruits and other plants into space, expose them to cosmic radiation and micro-gravity in hopes they mutate into better breeds which can be cultivated on earth upon return.
