As Shenzhou V's re-entry module successfully touched down in Inner
Mongolia on October 16, China joined the United States and
Russia to become only the third country to have succeeded a manned
space flight. At the same moment, the country's space exploration
program entered a new frontier, one that will feature a space lab
and station.
"Successfully launching and retrieving a piloted spaceship is
the first step in the development of our space program," says Wang
Yongzhi, chief designer of the country's manned space program. "Our
next step, before eventually building a large-scale space station,
is to set up a space lab that will operate for a long period of
time but will only require short-term manual work."
Space walks, as well as rendezvous and spacecraft docking
attempts, will be carried out provided the next piloted rocket,
Shenzhou VI, due to launch within the next two years, is also a
success, according to a spokesman for the Manned Space Program
Office of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CAST).
Zhang Qingwei, deputy chief commander of China's Manned Space
Program and general manager of CAST, says a space-based
infrastructure, including the planned space lab and station, will
serve as a platform for a deep space probe. The country's first
manned flight will also help accelerate its lunar probe program, he
adds.
CAST, which manufactures spacecraft and launch vehicles for the
program, is already working on plans to develop the space lab and
the launch vehicles and technology necessary for space rendezvous
and docking.
"Although we are several decades behind the former Soviet Union
and the United States in manned flight, we take pride in the
technologies used for Shenzhou, all of which were developed by
Chinese scientists and are on a par with the most advanced space
technology of the 1990s," says Wang, the chief designer.
Since China's manned space program was initiated in January
1992, tens of thousands of scientists, engineers and technicians
from more than 3,000 institutes and organizations across China have
been involved in the biggest and the most complicated program in
the history of China's space efforts. The program is composed of
seven major systems: astronauts, space application, spaceships,
carrier rockets, launch bases, the monitoring and control network,
and landing bases, all vital to the success of manned flight.
The spaceship and astronaut systems in particular have riveted
the public's attention. "Our spaceship is more comfortable and has
many advantages over similar foreign spaceships," says Qi Faren,
chief designer of Shenzhou V. China's spaceship utilizes the
three-capsule design, bypassing the single and double module
stages.
Shenzhou's re-entry capsule measures 2.5 meters in diameter,
making it larger than the 2.2-meter Russian Soyuz TMA spaceship
currently in use. The capsule is designed to accommodate three
astronauts, with enough room for them to work comfortably together
in the cabin or the orbit module where they can carry out
scientific experiments, Qi says.
Powered by two large solar panels, Shenzhou's orbit module can
continue to function for more than six months following the return
of the re-entry module. "It can also be used for rendezvous and
docking with other spacecraft sent out within that half-a-year time
period, which would save a lot of money on a separate launch," Qi
told the reporter.
The other key component to ensuring that the spaceship is
handled perfectly and safely throughout the flight is choosing the
right astronaut, or astronauts as the case may be, to realize the
nation's space dreams, says Su Shuangning, commander of the
astronaut training program.
Yang Liwei, now a colonel in the People's Liberation Army, was
selected for space flight training, along with 13 others, from
among 1,500 pilots. A former fighter pilot with 1,350 hours of
flying time, Yang excelled throughout the five years of ordeals and
studies in psychological and physical conditioning he underwent to
emerge full of confidence that the mission would be a success. He
completed his space voyage as the first Chinese astronaut
flawlessly and came back in good shape, says Su.
Investment in research and development for the manned flight
over the past 11 years has been immense, with a total of 18 billion
yuan (US$2.18 billion) being injected into the project, according
to official statistics. Most of the money, however, was spent on
infrastructure and basic facilities, while construction of the
Shenzhou spaceships cost less than?five billion yuan (US$602
million) altogether, says Qi, adding that a single launch of a
space shuttle by the United States costs nearly as much as China's
entire program.
Nevertheless, many scientists believe that the country will
ultimately see the investment pay off.
According to Gu Yidong, commander and chief designer of the
space application system, each launch of the Shenzhou spaceships
has yielded a wealth of scientific information and led to the
development of a series of new techniques and methods in the fields
of space-remote sensing, astronomical observation, earth
environment monitoring, micro-gravity liquid physics, space life
science and material science, and the monitoring and forecasting of
the space environment.
"The many experiments conducted aboard Shenzhou spaceships have
provided important data crucial to future studies in life science
and material industry," Gu says.
Space application in the second phase of China's manned space
program -- establishing a lab in space -- will be even more
remarkable, especially as the role of human beings in the space lab
is gradually enhanced with short visits to perform needed manual
labor involving operations, maintenance and management, he
notes.
"This is a necessary procedure we must go through before we can
use space stations as ideal scientific experiment bases and perhaps
also as special processing centers for industrial materials and
drugs," explains Gu. He adds that the United States has already
compiled a list of dozens of products that could be produced in
space, while astronauts from the former Soviet Union and Russia
have completed 14,500 scientific experiments at space stations.
"After our own space station is established, the Shenzhou will
become the 'shuttle bus' between space and Earth," says Qi Faren,
the rocket's chief designer. "It can even take tourists into
space," he adds with a smile.
Group of young talents
The safe return of the Shenzhou V manned spacecraft to earth
created valuable wealth in human resources, equipment and culture,
said Qi Faren, chief designer of the spacecraft, on October 18.
Qi said at a symposium that the launch of the Shenzhou space
capsules had trained a large group of young scientists and
engineers. Commander-in-chief of the spacecraft system Yuan Jiajun
was only 41 years old, and many vice-engineers were in their early
40s.
"Fostering this group of young talent is a precious achievement
of the project," he said.
Eighty percent of the staff of the seven systems of the project
were below 40 years old.
Another valuable contribution of the project was a world-class
research center of space technology in Beijing, which was
established in just four years and 60 percent under budget.
"The research center laid a solid foundation for future
achievements in terms of infrastructure," he said.
After a decade, the thousands of space scientists and engineers
had nurtured a "zero error" culture, which accounted for every
possible circumstance and guaranteed the astronaut's safety, Qi
said.
Yang's 'space assistant'
A set of instruments, known as the "electronic secretary", in
China's first manned spacecraft provided detailed data and spoken
instructions for the country's first astronaut in space.
Experts with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp
(CAST), manufacturer of the spacecraft, described the system, which
included three display panels, six meters, a computer system and a
group of buttons.
Yang Liwei returned to Earth safe and sound on Oct. 16 after
orbiting the planet 14 times in a Chinese-made spacecraft.
The electronic assistant provided him with data coming from
inside and outside the capsule and alert messages in Chinese
characters and voice instructions.
Graphics like the world map and the position of the spacecraft
were available on the display panel at the push of a button.
The data included the altitude, speed, flight time, temperature
and humidity and status of various systems inside the capsule as
well as the physical condition on the astronaut.
The electronic device would alert the astronaut in both Chinese
characters and short, clear and artificial mezzo-soprano voice
instructions if data were not up to preset standards.
A stand-by electronic assistant was installed in the capsule,
including a display panel and a computer system, said the
experts.
A video monitor system in the capsule was also capable of
providing much of the data if the two computer systems failed.
(China Daily October 21, 2003)