China's Yinghuo-1 Set to Go to Mars

News from Beijing is that China will be launching a probe to the red planet on top of a Russian booster later this year.

Yinghuo-1 (or "Firefly Light-1" that weighs in at 253 pounds) recently passed a preformance test that clears it to be transported to Russia for final fit out.  Yinghuo-1 is to fly to Mars and enter into Mars orbit in 2010 for a two year stay.  

No additonal word as of yet about China's plans to send astronauts to the moon.  Last year, China's third manned spaceflight had their first spacewalk.

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Ref. Reuters.com. article by Kirby Chien & Bill Tarrant, May 28, 2009. (http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE54R2V520090528).