The astronauts are aiming to complete China's first manned docking with the Tiangong-1 module already in orbit, an important first step towards China's aim of creating a working space station by 2020.

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The module will remain in orbit after the mission.

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William Safire prepared a eulogy for Richard Nixon to deliver should the lunar module fail to get back up into orbit.

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On the other side of the world, China, the third country to put a human into orbit on its own rockets, will be launching Tiangong 1, the first module of its own space station, as soon as September.

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