JIUQUAN, China (AP) — Adding a crew to China’s new orbiting space station is another major advance for the burgeoning space power. The three crew members are due to stay for three months in the station’s main living area, carrying out science experiments and maintenance, conducting space walks and preparing the facility to receive two additional modules next year. While China concedes it arrived late at the space station game, it says its facility is cutting-edge. The Tianhe, or Heavenly Harmony, station may be crewed eventually by foreign partners. And the station could also outlast the International Space Station, which is nearing the end of its effective lifespan.
