BEIJING -- Even as Americans raise troubling questions about their space program in the aftermath of the Columbia disaster, China is increasingly bold and more confident in its ambitious plans to put a human into space by the end of this year.

The state news media were unanimous yesterday in their demands for China to continue expanding its space program. Chinese space officials, sounding more determined than ever to put a human into orbit soon, confirmed that the launch target is unchanged.

"China will launch its first manned space craft this year," Chinese astronautic scientist Tu Shou'e told the People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party.

He said China should learn lessons from the Columbia disaster to improve its space program and "smoothly fulfill the Chinese nation's dream of flying in space." The tragedy cannot thwart the exploration of space, "although the road is full of danger and difficulties."

Min Guirong, a space scientist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the U.S. disaster has no direct bearing on the Chinese space program because China does not reuse its spaceships.

China would be the third country with an independent space program that has succeeded in putting a human into space. The Soviet Union was first and the United States second.

After years of maintaining a cloak of secrecy over its space aims, China in recent weeks has gone public with its plans for a manned space flight in October or November. The Columbia disaster has failed to deter China's leaders, who see their space program as an essential element in Beijing's growing prestige and influence on the world stage.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin sent a message of condolence to the United States after the space shuttle disintegrated during re-entry on Saturday, killing all seven astronauts on board. But he added that humanity "should continue and make further progress in space exploration despite the setback."

The Chinese media recalled how a much earlier disaster had failed to prevent China from developing a space program. In the 16th century, Confucian scholar Wan Hu strapped himself into a wooden chair with 47 rockets attached. When he ignited the rockets, he perished in a massive explosion. Today, he is honoured with monuments in China, and is regarded as the pioneer of the Chinese space program.