China conducts first manual space docking

A Chinese spacecraft yesterdaysuccessfully completed the country's first manual docking in orbit, a milestone in an ambitious programme to build a space station by the end of the decade.
The Shenzhou-9 spacecraft linked with the Tiangong-1 module just over a week into a manned space mission which includes China's first female astronaut, following an automatic docking on Monday.
Beijing sees its space programme as a symbol of its global stature, growing technical expertise, and the Communist Party's success in turning around the fortunes of the once poverty-stricken nation.