Space module pronounced fit for astronauts
Source: Xinhua |
March 2, 2012, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A leading Chinese space engineer said in Beijing yesterday that China's first unmanned space module, the Tiangong-1, is capable of accommodating astronauts, making it possible for China to carry out its first manned space docking mission ahead of schedule.
Qi Faren, the former chief designer of the Shenzhou spaceship series, said China will launch its manned Shenzhou-9 between June and August this year, and conduct a space rendezvous and docking mission with the orbiting Tiangong-1 space lab module.
Qi said tests and observations showed that the environment and food reserves inside the Tiangong-I space lab module can sustain one astronaut living and working there for 60 days, or two astronauts for 30 days.
He said authorities have picked three astronauts for the docking, a mission that the astronauts will have to manually conduct, and they have already completed their training.
One of the three Shenzhou-9 crew members will not board the Tiangong-1 space module lab, Qi said, but will remain inside the spacecraft as a precautionary measure in case of emergency.
China launched the Tiangong-1 last September and completed the country's first-ever space docking with the unmanned Shenzhou-8 spacecraft in November.
The 8.5-ton Tiangong-1, or Heavenly Palace-1, is orbiting about 400 kilometers above the surface of the Earth.
Detectors on Tiangong-1 are examining space particle radiation to help scientists find ways to avoid the matter's disruption of satellites, Qi said. The space module is also set to observe factors that could influence the orbiting of spacecraft, including Earth's gravity, magnetic field and atmospheric density, to help provide more accurate forecasts of the orbit, added Qi.
The expert said that one experiment conducted onboard aims to electrolyze liquids into oxygen and hydrogen to add oxygen supply.
China will have to test many technologies in its quest to establish a manned space station by 2020. Qi said the technologies related to extravehicular activity, docking, logistics and recycling are essential for a manned space station.
China will not be able to establish a manned space station until water and oxygen recycling systems are ready for use, Qi added.
Qi Faren, the former chief designer of the Shenzhou spaceship series, said China will launch its manned Shenzhou-9 between June and August this year, and conduct a space rendezvous and docking mission with the orbiting Tiangong-1 space lab module.
Qi said tests and observations showed that the environment and food reserves inside the Tiangong-I space lab module can sustain one astronaut living and working there for 60 days, or two astronauts for 30 days.
He said authorities have picked three astronauts for the docking, a mission that the astronauts will have to manually conduct, and they have already completed their training.
One of the three Shenzhou-9 crew members will not board the Tiangong-1 space module lab, Qi said, but will remain inside the spacecraft as a precautionary measure in case of emergency.
China launched the Tiangong-1 last September and completed the country's first-ever space docking with the unmanned Shenzhou-8 spacecraft in November.
The 8.5-ton Tiangong-1, or Heavenly Palace-1, is orbiting about 400 kilometers above the surface of the Earth.
Detectors on Tiangong-1 are examining space particle radiation to help scientists find ways to avoid the matter's disruption of satellites, Qi said. The space module is also set to observe factors that could influence the orbiting of spacecraft, including Earth's gravity, magnetic field and atmospheric density, to help provide more accurate forecasts of the orbit, added Qi.
The expert said that one experiment conducted onboard aims to electrolyze liquids into oxygen and hydrogen to add oxygen supply.
China will have to test many technologies in its quest to establish a manned space station by 2020. Qi said the technologies related to extravehicular activity, docking, logistics and recycling are essential for a manned space station.
China will not be able to establish a manned space station until water and oxygen recycling systems are ready for use, Qi added.
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