Or else they need to more carefully fact-check stories they reprint from Xinhua -- China's spacecraft orbit 'slips':

Gravity has drawn Shenzhou VI too close to earth, the agency said.

Shenzhou VI, which has two astronauts on board, is in a low enough orbit to be affected by the Earth's gravitational pull.

I should hope so, since I don't think an escape trajectory was quite what the Chinese were planning for their second manned spaceflight.

Posted by T.L. James on October 13, 2005 06:33 PM