China unveils its plans to turn its feats in space exploration into scientific advances

Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — China has made great strides in exploring space in recent years, rocketing astronauts to its own space station and bringing back rocks from the moon. Now it wants to turn those feats into scientific advancements. The nation’s leading scientific institute laid out an ambitious plan Tuesday to become a global leader in space science by 2050. The areas it wants to research include black holes and the search for habitable planets and signs of extraterrestrial life. The plan was issued by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the China National Space Administration and the China Manned Space Engineering Office.