When the shuttle programme comes to a close this summer, American astronauts will have to hitch a ride on Russian spacecraft to visit the International space Station.

当今年夏天航天飞机项目即将结束时，美国宇航员将不得不搭乘俄罗斯飞船前往国际空间站。

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The Chang'e-2, named after a Chinese goddess, forms part of a space programme which China hopes will lead to its first unmanned landing on the Moon in 2013.

嫦娥2号成为太空项目的一部分，中国希望这些项目能够在2013年成功实现首次无人探测器登月。

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China has stepped up its space programme, with plans to put a taikonaut on the Moon by 2030.

中国加大了太空方案，并计划到2030年将人送到月球上。

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The Shenzhou themselves are based on Russia's Soyuz craft but, according to Phillip Clark, a British-based consultant and expert on the Chinese space programme, they are not a straight knock-off.

ECONOMIST: China in space

The German space agency (DLR), one of the "big two" in European space, is already pushing forward on a programme of scientific co-operation.

BBC: China in space: Running fast to catch up

But as a partner on the ISS programme, and following an agreement to extend space station operations until 2020, Europe has the right to claim a long-duration ISS residency of six months roughly every two years.

BBC: Major Tim Peake says he is not too old to go into space