Shenzhou 7

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Mission emblem
Mission emblem
Mission dates
Mission: Shenzhou 7
COSPAR-ID : 2008-047A
Spacecraft: Shenzhou
Launcher: Long march 2F
Crew: 3
Begin: September 25, 2008, 13:10:05 UTC
Starting place: Jiuquan Cosmodrome
Landing: September 28, 2008, around 09:38 UTC
Landing place: Inner Mongolia
Flight duration: about 2 d 20 h 27 min
Earth orbits: 45
◄ Before / After ►
Shenzhou 6
(manned) 		Shenzhou 8
(unmanned)
Next manned mission:
Shenzhou 9

Shenzhou 7 was a manned space mission from the People's Republic of China . The rocket was launched on September 25, 2008. It was the third manned flight by a Shenzhou spacecraft and the seventh in the Shenzhou program. For the first time in the history of Chinese space travel , an external mission took place as part of this mission .

team

Reserve team

Mission overview

The Shenzhou spaceship
Model of the Shenzhou 7 spaceship

The main task in this mission to China was the first exit into space . Zhai Zhigang was outside of the spaceship for almost 14 minutes on September 27th . The orbital part of the spaceship was used as a lock. The exit was broadcast by several outboard cameras.

Experiments and simple installation work were also carried out in a weightless space. First, the spacesuits were tested with the hatches open within the orbital module. Only then did Zhai Zhigang exit the spaceship, with Liu Boming remaining in the orbital module in order to be able to intervene in the event of any problems. Jing Haipeng remained in the pressurized landing module to monitor the systems and the exit itself.

As China Daily also reports, the successful flight of Shenzhou 7 is a prerequisite for a coupling maneuver between two manned ships in the next year, as part of the Shenzhou-8 and Shenzhou-9 missions and the testing of an orbital laboratory in the year after next ( Shenzhou 10 ).

Preparations

On September 20, 2008, the Chinese news agency Xinhua reported that after the Chang Zheng IIF launch vehicle had been completely refueled, the Shenzhou 7 spacecraft had been loaded with food, drinking water and traditional Chinese medicine and that final preparations for launch had now begun. Overall, the rocket with the rescue system and the spaceship now have a total height of 58.3 meters.

The last dress rehearsal took place on September 23rd. Scientists had simulated the ignition of the engines and the "movements of the capsule during the flight", reports the state news agency Xinhua. In addition, the observation, control and communication systems of the launch center in northwest China had been tested. A similar rehearsal took place the day before. According to chief engineer Cui Jijun , "everything went smoothly". No further changes to the settings were made until the spaceship launched.

Mission history

September 25th - 1st mission day

After a long speech by China's President Hu Jintao, the crew boarded their capsule at 6:28 p.m. local time. At 9:10 p.m., the Langer Marsch 2F launcher took off with the three space travelers and put them into orbit . The solar panels of the service module unfolded shortly afterwards.

September 26th - 2nd mission day

On the second day of the mission, the orbital engines were ignited for two minutes to move the spaceship from the slightly elliptical orbit to an almost circular one . After the Taikonauts had opened the hatch to the orbital part, this was climbed and began to unpack, assemble and put on the space suits on a trial basis. Since this could not be trained on earth under weightlessness , it was made up for.

September 27th - 3rd mission day

At 08:44 UTC, Zhai Zhigang left the spacecraft through the approximately 80 cm opening in the orbital module at the front end of Shenzhou 7. This made him the first Chinese to do a space exit. Liu Boming assisted Colonel Zhai and handed him a Chinese flag through the opening, but without leaving the spacecraft himself. Jing Haipeng monitored the spacecraft activities from the landing module, which maintained normal air pressure during the disembarkation. Zhai wore a Feitian - EVA suit developed by the Chinese Astronaut Education Center, while Colonel Liu wore a Russian Orlan spacesuit . Cameras inside and outside the spaceship transmitted the images of the event live to Earth. Both space travelers were connected to the spaceship by safety ropes, Zhai maneuvered himself with handles on the outside of the orbital module and also dismantled an experiment on the outside of Shenzhou 7. At 08:58 UTC the exit was officially completed and Zhai then closed the hatch of the orbital module. In the next hour the air pressure of the orbital module was increased again and adjusted to that of the landing module. A small satellite was also released to take pictures of Shenzhou 7 as it departed.

September 28 - 4th mission day

The crew landed safely in Inner Mongolia.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "Shenzhou 7" space mission successful - Radio China International. In: german.cri.cn. Retrieved November 24, 2018 .
  2. ^ Spacefacts.de - Shenzhou 7. Retrieved September 28, 2008 .
  3. ^ Astronauts ready to walk into history. Retrieved September 25, 2008 .
  4. ↑ China ready for third manned space flight. Retrieved September 22, 2008 .
  5. ↑ China's manned spacecraft Shenzhou-7 in final preparation for launch. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on September 22, 2008 ; Retrieved September 22, 2008 .
  6. ↑ China launches mission for first spacewalk. Retrieved September 25, 2008 .
  7. ↑ 徐晶慧: 中国 "航天 员 科研 训练 中心" 创新 发展 纪实. In: sci.ce.cn. March 11, 2010, Retrieved August 19, 2019 (Chinese).
  8. ↑ 李国利 、 朱 霄 雄: 中国 航天 员 中心 实现 载人 航天 飞行 ９ 类 关键 技术 重大 突破. In: xinhuanet.com. March 30, 2018, Retrieved August 19, 2019 (Chinese).
  9. ↑ China accomplishes its historic first spacewalk. Retrieved September 27, 2008 .
  10. ↑ China's landmark spacewalk mission ends. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on September 29, 2008 ; Retrieved September 28, 2008 .

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