e-magazine
The Hot Zone
China's newly announced air defense identification zone over the East China Sea aims to shore up national security
Current Issue
· Table of Contents
· Editor's Desk
· Previous Issues
· Subscribe to Mag
Subscribe Now >>
Expert's View
World
Nation
Business
Finance
Market Watch
Legal-Ease
North American Report
Forum
Government Documents
Expat's Eye
Health
Science/Technology
Lifestyle
Books
Movies
Backgrounders
Special
Photo Gallery
Blogs
Reader's Service
Learning with
'Beijing Review'
E-mail us
RSS Feeds
PDF Edition
Web-magazine
Reader's Letters
Make Beijing Review your homepage
Hot Links

cheap eyeglasses
Market Avenue
eBeijing

Manned Spaceflight:Shenzhou's Missions in Space
Special
UPDATED: October 13, 2010 NO. 4 JANUARY 25, 2001
Successful Launch of Shenzhou 2 Spacecraft
Share

China successfully launched its second experimental unmanned spacecraft on January 10, marking fresh progress in the development of its manned spaceflight technology.

The spacecraft, Shenzhou 2, blasted into space from a satellite launching pad in Jiuquan. Gansu Province, at 1 a.m. atop a new type of Long March rocket.

The launch followed the maiden flight of Shenzhou 1 on November 20, 1999. The country's first unmanned space vehicle did 14 orbits of the planet during a 21-hour journey in space.

Shenzhou 2 detached itself from the launch vehicle and entered orbit, according to information offered by the Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Center.

Information from tracking networks on land and at sea was processed at the command center. It indicated that the rocket and spacecraft performed well at all stages of the operation.

China needs three or four more test flights of unmanned spacecraft before it can send an astronaut into space, an aerospace official says.

"A manned space flight will be feasible when technological preparations are mature after these tests," an expert from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. said.

The expert said that China's ambitious three-phase space program was initiated in 1992.

Features of Shenzhou 2

The Shenzhou 2 was China's first formal model of a manned spacecraft consisting of an orbital module, a descent module and a propulsion module. With higher technical performance, its state-of-the-art design was basically up to the standard of a manned spacecraft.

During its flight, experiments on space life science, space materials, space astronomy and physics were conducted, covering such areas as the crystal growth of optoelectronic materials, oxide crystal and metal alloy; the crystal growth of protein and other macromolecules in space; and space environment effects on plants, animals, aquatic organisms, microorganisms, in-vitro cells and cellular tissues. During its flight, experimental instruments and equipment performed steadily, with large amounts of flight experimental data being obtained.



 
Top Story
-Protecting Ocean Rights
-Partners in Defense
-Fighting HIV+'s Stigma
-HIV: Privacy VS. Protection
-Setting the Tone
Related Stories
-A Spacecraft Success
-A Foreseeable Goal
-Eyes on the Sky
-China Joins an Elite Triangle of Space Exploration
 
Most Popular
 
About BEIJINGREVIEW | About beijingreview.com | Rss Feeds | Contact us | Advertising | Subscribe & Service | Make Beijing Review your homepage
Copyright Beijing Review All right reserved