Whatever grand ideals and big ambitions we have, such as political progress and economic development, they can't be achieved without one little word, "normal."

When we watched the launch of China's Shenzhou-9 spacecraft on Saturday, the word we heard most was "normal." The response came from all the monitors was that everything was normal and that the spaceship was ready to launch.

This was already felt by the public before the launch. People's discussion over the issue was full of confidence due to China's great aerospace achievements in recent years.

Of course, normality is merely a good beginning for the launch of the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft, which is set to complete an automated docking procedure with the orbiting Tiangong-1 lab module today. Normal is a regular response to commands, but behind it is something quite unusual.

From a technology prospective, China's presence in outer space could provide multi-layered protection to China's national interests, making it confident in contributing to a harmonious outer space environment.

From a historical perspective, normality has often been a rare treasure. Thus, a return to normality is also a return to consensus, to rationality and to people's happiness.

China's aerospace efforts are becoming more practical. Normality has become expected yet still valuable. And it is due to this normality that we see the confidence of China's aerospace industry, Chinese astronauts and the Chinese people.

The Beijing News

 

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