There is a great deal of interest in China's space program at the
moment as it delivers news of the special safety features it has
planned for Shenzhou V. This is in light of the recent Columbia
space shuttle tragedy and the successful return of China's unmanned
spacecraft, Shenzhou IV. Those in charge at China aerospace
technology department have said that the craft will be launched
this autumn with special safety features for its human cargo.
Daytime Launch Set
The Shenzhou V is set to be launched during the daytime, in
consideration, it is said, of the safety of its astronauts.
All previous space flights have occurred at night. "Severe Cold"
was used to describe the conditions in reports on Shenzhou IV, when
it was launched in the early hours of December 30, 2002. The launch
time of Shenzhou I and Shenzhou II also took place in the early
hours and midnight, respectively, while Shenzhou III was at 22:15,
Beijing time.
Why all the concern over a nighttime launch? The time for launching
the craft, also known as the launch "window" was originally set for
optimum optical tracking of the craft in the night sky. However due
to safety concerns, daytime temperatures now seem more conducive to
a safe launch this time round.
Long March II F Rocket to Guide Successfully
The Long March II F rocket is the system used to propel the
Shenzhou series of rockets into space. It is a safe and well tested
carrier rocket with very strong propulsive power. The carrier has
two new safety features, attached to the binding rocket (Long March
II E), for the current space program: an escape detection system
and fault detection system. China began developing the Long March
II F rocket in 1992 and made its first successful flight in
November 1999. Safety and reliability have always remained top
priority with the space program team.
The escape system of the Long March II F rocket will first be
activated during the launch procedure. The automatic fault
detection system of the rocket conducts an automatic check 15
minutes before launch takes place. If the astronauts are on the
tower frame, they can escape using the safety bag near to the tower
frame; an elastic shoot will ensure their safe delivery to the
ground. If the problem occurs when the astronauts are in the
module, the system will order the escape tower, on the top of the
rocket, into automatic ignition. The escape tower will then drag
the orbit module and re-entry module from the rocket and bring it
to a safety zone.
The Long March II F rocket has successfully launched three unmanned
spacecrafts into scheduled orbit so far and its reliability and
safety has been thoroughly tested.
Astronauts Undertake Zero Gravity Training
Aerospace conditions require that the astronaut must be fully
trained before entering orbit. As well as other complications, one
of the more severe symptoms of zero gravity is increased blood
pressure to the head and upper body. To combat this, astronauts
must be prepared by lying on a slanted bed, to slowly increase the
blood flow up the body. Other changes include distortion to eye
muscle and sclerotin loss. The training conditions for space travel
are particularly arduous on the astronauts.
Space Program with Seven Systems
China's space program is made up of seven complete systems. They
are: astronaut system, spacecraft application system, manned
spacecraft system, carrier rocket system, launching system, control
and monitoring system and the landing ground system.
The astronaut system manages the selection and training of all
astronauts. It supervises the medical inspection of astronauts and
makes suggestions for the design of the craft in relation to
medical effects.
The space application system researches and investigates
environmental conditions of life in space and manages a ground
observation system for experiments there.
The manned spacecraft system has 13 branch systems. These include
the propulsive module, orbit module, re-entry module and attached
portion. The orbit module and re-entry module are all tightly
sealed to ensure the safety of the astronauts.
The carrier rocket for China's manned space program is the Long
March II F which is currently the highest, heaviest and most
powerful rocket in the space program in China.
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, in China's Gansu
Province, is the site of responsibility for the launch cabinet
system, and the testing site for spacecraft and rockets on the
program.
The landing ground system manages the seek and recovery process of
the re-entry module. Once the spacecraft has landed back on earth,
it finds, recovers and opens the craft, bringing the astronauts to
safety.
Finally, the control and monitoring system manages the measurement
and remote control of the entire process from launch to re-entry
and safe landing. It is also the only point of contact with the
spacecraft.
Timeline of China's Space Program
China formally launched its official space program in September
1992 and began to select candidate astronauts.
November 20, 1999 saw the first experiment craft, Shenzhou I being
successfully launched.
On
January 10, 2001, the unmanned spacecraft, Shenzhou II, returned
safely to earth.
On
March 25 2002, another unmanned spacecraft, Shenzhou III, was
launched and returned safely on April 1. This is the first craft to
be fully equipped to carry man into space.
On
December 30, 2002, the Shenzhou IV unmanned craft was launched and
is the highest caliber test craft in the Chinese space program to
date.
(China.org.cn by Wang Qian February 24, 2003)