China has achieved a new milestone in its manned space program, with the country's first international standard project being officially registered by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
This represents China's first successful international standard in the field of manned spaceflight and a breakthrough in global space rule-making.
According to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), the project - ISO/NP 14620-5 "Space Systems - Safety Requirements - Part 5: Manned Spacecraft" - was proposed by China's National Technical Committee on Manned Spaceflight Standardization.
Based on extensive research and by drawing on advanced international safety technologies and methodologies, the standard incorporates more than 30 years of safety experience from China's manned space program, according to the CMSA.
It provides unified technical guidance and models for manned spacecraft safety applicable to all countries, setting out safety access conditions for participation in manned space activities.
Serving as the safety baseline and threshold for ensuring safety in manned space missions and developing related systems and payloads, the standard is also expected to facilitate international cooperation on China's space station.
China's first int'l standard in manned spaceflight marks breakthrough in global rule-making
At least one person has died and several others have been hospitalized after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia’s Maluku Strait early on Thursday morning, with the quake also causing varying degrees of damage to multiple buildings in Manado, the capital city of the North Sulawesi province. The quake struck at 06:48 local time Thursday at a magnitude of 7.4 and a depth of 30 kilometers, according to measurements by the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).
There were scenes of panic outside a hospital in Manado when the quake hit, with several seconds of intense shaking causing cracks to appear in the building of the medical facility which belongs to the Siloam private healthcare group.
Patients and medical staff were urgently evacuated to the roadside, with some seen in wheelchairs or still connected to intravenous (IV) drips, while others were even pushed out of the wards on their hospital beds. A car parked downstairs was hit by falling debris, shattering its windows.
"Some people were sleeping at the time, some had just undergone surgery, and others were receiving treatment. The earthquake damaged the hospital's ceiling, and I also saw some cracks in the walls," said Billy Lombok, the family member of a patient.
A tsunami warning was issued but later lifted following the quake as Indonesian authorities observed no significant sea level changes.
Patients rushed out from hospital building as 7.4-magnitude quake hits Indonesia, killing one
