Astronauts take off on 15-day space odyssey
Source: Xinhua/Shanghai Daily |
June 12, 2013, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
China's fifth manned spacecraft successfully blasted off yesterday on a 15-day mission to dock with a space lab in the latest step toward the development of a space station and educate students about science.
The Shenzhou-10 capsule, carrying three astronauts, lifted off as scheduled at 5:38pm under warm, clear blue sky from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi Desert in Gansu Province.
Once in orbit, the craft will dock with the Tiangong-1 (Heavenly Palace), and the two male and a female astronauts will carry out experiments and test the module's systems.
President Xi Jinping oversaw the launch at the launch center, addressing the astronauts - mission commander Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang and China's second female astronaut Wang Yaping - before they blasted off to wish them success.
"You have made Chinese people feel proud of ourselves," Xi said. "You have trained and prepared yourselves carefully and thoroughly, so I am confident in your ability to complete the mission successfully. I wish you success and look forward to your triumphant return."
Premier Li Keqiang was at the space command center in Beijing.
China successfully carried out its first manned docking exercise with Tiangong-1 in June last year, a milestone in its effort to acquire the technological and logistical skills to run a full space station that can house people for long periods.
The Shenzhou-10 spacecraft was launched aboard a Long March 2F rocket and will transport the crew to the Tiangong-1, which functions as an experimental prototype for a much larger Chinese space station to be launched in 2020.
The craft will spend 12 days docked with the Tiangong.
Women astronaut Wang plans to deliver a series of talks to students from aboard the Tiangong-1. In a lecture through a live video feed system, Wang will introduce motion in a microgravity environment, surface tension of liquid, and help students understand weight, mass and Newton's Laws. The lecture will be broadcast live.
Ordinary Chinese are excited about the new mission.
"It is a festival for space fans," said Zhao Yang, a researcher with the China Science and Technology Museum. "There might be an interesting introduction about the weightless condition."
Unlike the space trip of Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut who boarded the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft in 2003 for less than a day, the three astronauts will stay for half a month. Shenzhou-10 will dock with the orbiting Tiangong-1 twice, once through automatic operation and the other manual.
The Shenzhou-10 is no longer experimental but considered an applicable shuttle system for transporting astronauts and supplies to orbiting modules.
"It is like developing a new type of car. You have to try it on different road conditions. Now trials are over and the car can be put into formal operation," said Zhou Jianping, chief engineer of China's manned space program.
The upgraded Long March-2F carrier rocket is technically the same as the one used with the Shenzhou-9 mission. "No alteration means that China's rocket technology is becoming mature," said Jing Muchun, chief designer of the carrier rocket.
The Shenzhou-10 capsule, carrying three astronauts, lifted off as scheduled at 5:38pm under warm, clear blue sky from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi Desert in Gansu Province.
Once in orbit, the craft will dock with the Tiangong-1 (Heavenly Palace), and the two male and a female astronauts will carry out experiments and test the module's systems.
President Xi Jinping oversaw the launch at the launch center, addressing the astronauts - mission commander Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang and China's second female astronaut Wang Yaping - before they blasted off to wish them success.
"You have made Chinese people feel proud of ourselves," Xi said. "You have trained and prepared yourselves carefully and thoroughly, so I am confident in your ability to complete the mission successfully. I wish you success and look forward to your triumphant return."
Premier Li Keqiang was at the space command center in Beijing.
China successfully carried out its first manned docking exercise with Tiangong-1 in June last year, a milestone in its effort to acquire the technological and logistical skills to run a full space station that can house people for long periods.
The Shenzhou-10 spacecraft was launched aboard a Long March 2F rocket and will transport the crew to the Tiangong-1, which functions as an experimental prototype for a much larger Chinese space station to be launched in 2020.
The craft will spend 12 days docked with the Tiangong.
Women astronaut Wang plans to deliver a series of talks to students from aboard the Tiangong-1. In a lecture through a live video feed system, Wang will introduce motion in a microgravity environment, surface tension of liquid, and help students understand weight, mass and Newton's Laws. The lecture will be broadcast live.
Ordinary Chinese are excited about the new mission.
"It is a festival for space fans," said Zhao Yang, a researcher with the China Science and Technology Museum. "There might be an interesting introduction about the weightless condition."
Unlike the space trip of Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut who boarded the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft in 2003 for less than a day, the three astronauts will stay for half a month. Shenzhou-10 will dock with the orbiting Tiangong-1 twice, once through automatic operation and the other manual.
The Shenzhou-10 is no longer experimental but considered an applicable shuttle system for transporting astronauts and supplies to orbiting modules.
"It is like developing a new type of car. You have to try it on different road conditions. Now trials are over and the car can be put into formal operation," said Zhou Jianping, chief engineer of China's manned space program.
The upgraded Long March-2F carrier rocket is technically the same as the one used with the Shenzhou-9 mission. "No alteration means that China's rocket technology is becoming mature," said Jing Muchun, chief designer of the carrier rocket.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
