Chinese Craft Returns From Space Docking Mission

China said Friday that the safe return of an unmanned spacecraft that docked twice with an orbiting module was a major step in preparation for the launch of its own space station.

The Shenzhou 8 craft landed by parachute in China’s western desert late Thursday after more than two weeks in space. It docked twice with the Tiangong 1 module, which remains in orbit, during a mission proving China capable of successfully docking by remote control. Early U.S. astronauts did so manually.

From: http://ping.fm/j8Oyf