CHINA RELEASES SPACE PROGRAM BANKNOTES AND COINS

China's Central Bank released a special set of commemorative bank notes and coins on November 26 to celebrate the country's space achievements and progress in aerospace development.

The set includes a 100 yuan bank note and a 10 yuan coin, displaying various China's aerospace achievements in the past few decades.

According to Chinese media, China residents were able to make reservations using real names to purchase the news set of commemorative bank note and coin from November 10 to 25, with a limit of three coins and ten bank notes each.

The front side of the note above shows Dongfanghong-1, the country's first satellite which was launched in April 1970, the manned Shenzhou-9 spacecraft docked with China's first space lab, Tiangong-1, and Chang'e-1, the first lunar orbiter, launched in 2007.

The reverse shows, from left to right, advances in flight, from avian to the Feng Ru No. 2 biplane, constructed by and named after the first Chinese aviator, followed by an ARJ21 Xiangfeng "Flying Pheonix", China's first domestically-made jet airliner, the planned Chinese Space Station, set to be completed by 2023, and lunar orbiter Chang'e-1.

The reverse side of the coins (left) shows, starting on planet Earth on the bottom left, a Long March 2F carrier rocket which is used for China's human spaceflight missions and features the tell-tale launch escape system on top.

Moving clockwise, next is Zhinü, a weaver girl from Chinese mythology who forms a romantic legend with a cowheard named Niulang, in which they are separated by the silver river (Milky Way), but are reunited on 7th day of the 7th lunar month by magpies forming a bridge, illustrated on the bottom-right of the coin.

The move can be seen as another way in which China is trying to boost the popularity and profile of its space activities. In 2013 taikonaut Wang Yaping gave a lecture to 60 million school children from the Tiangong-1 space module, and China's Yutu rover was named via public vote.

On December 18 China will launch its DAMPE dark matter probe, which is expected be renamed through a public competition.

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