Secrecy has always encompassed the Shenzhou program, even to the extent that the launch of China's first astronaut in 2003 was not broadcast live on television, despite obvious public interest.

Yang Liwei was given lavish media treatment after his return to Earth, but the overall level of publicity for Shenzhou has remained generally low. Even dedicated space enthusiasts find it hard to access information on the program.

Shenzhou has been in the public arena since 1999, when the first Shenzhou test mission lifted off. It's about time that China opened up its program. If China fails to adequately promote its achievements in space, much of the potential value of the program will evaporate.

Space exploration is a wonderful, inspirational part of modern culture. It attracts the interest and admiration of people around the world. Images of distant worlds and explorers in space are particularly cathartic in these troubled times, when regular life is plagued with difficulties ranging from fears of terrorism to unsettled economic conditions.

Young people are drawn to science and technology studies by the attractions of spaceflight, but space is a subject that seems to generate energy and drive for life in general. It's no coincidence that motivational posters urging people to do their best regularly feature images of space shuttles ascending, or astronauts on the moon.

Spaceflight is also a matter of national pride. The whole nation of China has reason to feel pride at entering the exclusive ranks of human spaceflight powers. Indirectly, through their individual contributions to the economy, it's something that most Chinese can also claim to have built.

China has released small snippets of information on the upcoming Shenzhou 6 mission, such as the pig spermatozoa experiment that will be carried. But generally, we know very little about this mission. It's almost as if China doesn't want people to know that it's about to take place.

The spacecraft is probably ready to fly, China's astronaut corps is ready to perform, and the mission will probably go according to plan. China has much kudos to gain by turning the limelight on its next space venture. What's going on?

Fear of failure, which apparently scuttled live broadcast plans for Shenzhou 5, could be at work. But the program also has strong links to China's military, and previous Shenzhou missions have also been partially related to surveillance.

There is also the possibility that China's state bureaucracy is simply too inertial to turn its policies around at this stage. The very existence of the Shenzhou program was secret prior to the first launch, and development had proceeded for years with no public reports.

Lifting such publicity blackouts is often a slow process in more open societies, and China's social and political structures would place more barriers in the road to openness.

China should be releasing more images and information on the upcoming mission, if only to please the citizens of China who have made this wonderful project possible. If support for Shenzhou is not generated on a wider scale, it could be difficult to justify the continuation of the project in the long term. The world awaits China's response to this dilemma.

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