Chinese astronauts complete first manual space docking without a hitch

Source:Xinhua Published: 2012-6-25 1:30:00

Shenzhou-9 spacecraft parts with the Tiangong-1 lab module. A manual docking between the Shenzhou-9 and Tiangong-1 was successfully conducted yesterday, following an automated docking on June 18. The astronauts are expected to return to Earth on Friday. Photo: Xinhua
Shenzhou-9 spacecraft parts with the Tiangong-1 lab module. A manual docking between the Shenzhou-9 and Tiangong-1 was successfully conducted Sunday, following an automated docking on June 18. The astronauts are expected to return to Earth on Friday. Photo: Xinhua

Three Chinese astronauts Sunday successfully completed a manual docking between the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft and the orbiting Tiangong-1 lab module, the first such attempt in the country's history of space exploration.

It means China has completely grasped space rendezvous and docking technologies and the country is fully capable of transporting humans and cargo to an orbiter in space, which is essential for building a space station around 2020.

Astronaut Liu Wang, assisted by his crewmates Jing Haipeng and Liu Yang, controlled the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft to dock with the Tiangong-1 space lab module at 12:48 pm, which were reconnected about seven minutes later.

About one and a half hours before the docking, the Shenzhou-9 parted from the Tiangong-1 to a berth point 400 meters away from the module.

The astronauts returned to the Tiangong-1 lab module from the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft hours after the manual docking procedure to continue with experiments and research.

The spacecraft and the space lab were joined together by an automated docking on June 18.

 "The automated docking and manual docking are both essential and they serve as a backup for each other," said Zhou Jianping, designer-in-chief of China's manned space program.

The Shenzhou-9 spacecraft is scheduled to part from the Tiangong-1 module manually three days later and take the astronauts back to the earth on Friday, which would set a record for the longest space travel in the history of China's manned space program.

China is the third country, after the US and Russia, to acquire technologies and skills necessary for space rendezvous and docking and be able to supply manpower and material to an orbiting module via different docking methods.

Since starting the manned space missions in 1992, China has spent 20 billion yuan ($3.14 billion) until 2005 when the Shenzhou-6 mission was completed, said Wu Ping, a spokeswoman for China's manned space program, during a press conference Sunday.

She added that the country will have spent an additional 19 billion yuan by the time the Shenzhou-10 mission is carried out.

The three astronauts, including the nation's first female astronaut, were sent into space onboard Shenzhou-9 on June 16.

Xinhua

 



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