 |
|
| Shenzhou's pilgrimage to Heaven |
| CCTV.COM 2002-12-30 09:12:21 |
|
 The word "Shenzhou" in Chinese means "Magic Vessel". The successful launch of several Shenzhou spacecraft constituted part of China's ambitious manned mission project. Now let's take a look at the Shenzhou spacecraft's pilgrimage to Heaven.
China's maiden unmanned space flight took place on November 19, 1999. The unmanned spacecraft, Shenzhou I, lifted off from Jiuquan in northwest China's Gansu province. The spacecraft did 14 orbits of the planet during a 21－hour voyage in space. It was blasted into space aboard China's powerful Long March rocket.
On October 1, 2001, China's second experimental unmanned spacecraft was successfully launched into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launching Pad. Shenzhou II's returning module came back to the Earth safely in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region after circumnavigating the Earth 108 times in less than a week. During its week－long flight, experiments on life in space, space materials, astronomy, physics and voice transmission were conducted on the spacecraft. Scientists said that technically, Shenzhou II was the same as manned spacecraft.
 On March 25, 2002, China's third unmanned spacecraft that can carry out all the functions of a manned craft was launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launching Pad, another milestone in China's space science and technology. It landed safely in central Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region after orbiting the Earth 108 times in just less than a week. During the test launch, space scientists for the first time tested the emergency exit system, which could save the lives of astronauts in emergency cases. A series of scientific and technological experiments were conducted on board the spacecraft which consists of an orbital module, re－entry module, propulsion section and access section. Chinese scientists said the metabolic simulation apparatus, human physical monitoring sensors and dummy astronauts installed aboard the spaceship all worked well.
Space officials said China has been carrying out feasibility studies on the Moon exploration program and the country plans to develop at least 30 satellites by the end of 2005 to be used for telecommunication, navigation, weather forecasting and other services.
Like the previous two Shenzhou spacecraft, Shenzhou III was made by the Chinese Academy of Space Technology and the Shanghai Research Institute of Astronautical Technology.
|
|
Editor: Yang Feiyang CCTV.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
