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UN flag that flew in space on Chinese craft will hang as symbol of peace

UN flag that flew in space on Chinese craft will hang as symbol of peace

Flag presented to Annan by astronaut (file photo)
A United Nations flag that accompanied China’s first manned space flight was today formally installed at the UN space exhibit in Vienna, as a symbol of the international goal of fostering purely peaceful activities in regions outside the earth’s atmosphere.

In an unveiling ceremony at the http://www.unvienna.org/unov/en/vic.html (VIC), Antonio Maria Costa, Director-General of the UN Office at Vienna, said that given Chinese cooperation with other nations in space technology, the 2003 journey of Colonel Yang in the Shen Zhou V spacecraft was “not only one giant step for China, it was a commitment – manifested by the UN flag – to use outer space for peaceful purposes and for the betterment of all humankind.”

The ceremony was co-organized by the Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA) and the Permanent Mission of China to the UN in Vienna, in coordination with the current session of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).