Chinese Astronaut Enters Space Orbiter for First Time
Jun 18, 2012 Email"> PrintText Size
Three Chinese astronauts floated into the cabin of an orbiting module Monday afternoon, becoming the first group of Chinese to enter an orbiter in space.
Jing Haipeng, followed by Liu Wang and Liu Yang, went into the space lab module Tiangong-1 from spacecraft Shenzhou-9 following a successful automatic docking procedure about three hours ago.
Live television broadcast showed the astronauts in blue uniform waved to the camera inside the Tiangong-1 after they entered the cabin.
They are the first tenants in the 15-cubic-meter cabin of Tiangong-1, known as "Heavenly Palace."
The 8.5-tonne space lab module has been traveling around Earth for 263 days since it was launched in September 2011.
"The real test will be the manual docking attempt six days later," said Zhou Jianping, chief engineer of China's manned space program. "A manual docking, if successful, will demonstrate the country's grasp of essential space rendezvous and docking know-how."
"It will mean China is fully capable of transferring human and cargo to an orbiter in space," Zhou said.
A manual docking is considered as a major step forward in China's manned space program to build a space station around 2020, in time for the likely retirement of the International Space Station.
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Chinese astronaut enters space lab
BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Jing Haipeng, commander of China's first manned space docking mission onboard the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft, entered the orbiting Tiangong-1 lab module, assisted by his crew mate Liu Wang, according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center.
The Shenzhou-9 spaceship successfully docked with Tiangong-1 space lab module at 2:07 p.m. Full story
China's manned space docking mission aided by innovation
BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) --Scientists and engineers have been hard at work coming up with innovative communication techniques to help make China's first manned space docking mission a success, one of the mission's designers said Monday.
Wang Ruijun, general designer of the mission's tracking and communication system, said engineers have come up with new ways to integrate multiple telemetric control and communication channels, making it easier to guide the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft from a long distance.Full story
China's first manned space docking successful
BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The first manned space docking of China succeeded Monday afternoon with the coupling of the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft and Tiangong-1 lab module, the Beijing Aerospace Control Center said.
The procedure began with the Shenzhou-9, with three astronauts aboard, moving to a location 52 km away from the Tiangong-1 at noon Monday. The spacecraft then slowly drifted toward the Tiangong-1 before making contact with the module at 2:07 p.m. Full story
(Source: Xinhua)
Jing Haipeng, followed by Liu Wang and Liu Yang, went into the space lab module Tiangong-1 from spacecraft Shenzhou-9 following a successful automatic docking procedure about three hours ago.
Live television broadcast showed the astronauts in blue uniform waved to the camera inside the Tiangong-1 after they entered the cabin.
They are the first tenants in the 15-cubic-meter cabin of Tiangong-1, known as "Heavenly Palace."
The 8.5-tonne space lab module has been traveling around Earth for 263 days since it was launched in September 2011.
"The real test will be the manual docking attempt six days later," said Zhou Jianping, chief engineer of China's manned space program. "A manual docking, if successful, will demonstrate the country's grasp of essential space rendezvous and docking know-how."
"It will mean China is fully capable of transferring human and cargo to an orbiter in space," Zhou said.
A manual docking is considered as a major step forward in China's manned space program to build a space station around 2020, in time for the likely retirement of the International Space Station.
Related:
Chinese astronaut enters space lab
BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Jing Haipeng, commander of China's first manned space docking mission onboard the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft, entered the orbiting Tiangong-1 lab module, assisted by his crew mate Liu Wang, according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center.
The Shenzhou-9 spaceship successfully docked with Tiangong-1 space lab module at 2:07 p.m. Full story
China's manned space docking mission aided by innovation
BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) --Scientists and engineers have been hard at work coming up with innovative communication techniques to help make China's first manned space docking mission a success, one of the mission's designers said Monday.
Wang Ruijun, general designer of the mission's tracking and communication system, said engineers have come up with new ways to integrate multiple telemetric control and communication channels, making it easier to guide the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft from a long distance.Full story
China's first manned space docking successful
BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The first manned space docking of China succeeded Monday afternoon with the coupling of the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft and Tiangong-1 lab module, the Beijing Aerospace Control Center said.
The procedure began with the Shenzhou-9, with three astronauts aboard, moving to a location 52 km away from the Tiangong-1 at noon Monday. The spacecraft then slowly drifted toward the Tiangong-1 before making contact with the module at 2:07 p.m. Full story
(Source: Xinhua)CAS Institutes
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