Shenzhou 6
| Mission emblem | |||
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| Mission dates | |||
| Mission: | Shenzhou 6 | ||
| COSPAR-ID : | 2005-040A | ||
| Spacecraft: | Shenzhou | ||
| Launcher: | Long march 2F | ||
| Crew: | 2 | ||
| Begin: | October 12, 2005, 01:00:03 UTC | ||
| Starting place: | Jiuquan | ||
| Landing: | October 16, 2005, 20:32 UTC | ||
| Landing place: | Siziwang banner , Inner Mongolia | ||
| Flight duration: | 4 d 19 h 32 min | ||
| Earth orbits: | 75 | ||
| ◄ Before / After ► | |||
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Shenzhou 6 was the People's Republic of China's second manned space flight . It began on October 12, 2005. A spaceship of the Shenzhou series was used for the mission , which carried the two taikonauts Fei Junlong (commander) and Nie Haisheng (pilot) into earth orbit, where they stayed for 115 hours and 32 minutes .
Mission structure and objectives
The objectives of the mission were to test lighter spacesuits, carry out scientific experiments, switch to the orbital module for the first time and try out everyday things of human needs such as a new toilet. The height of the earth orbit fluctuates between 250 and 350 kilometers, the orbit inclination was 42.4 °.
Shenzhou 6 consisted of a return module and an orbital module. While the return module returned to Earth five days after the end of the actual mission, the orbital module remained in orbit to carry out further tests and experiments. The results are to be incorporated into the development and design of the planned Chinese space station, which is to be built between 2009 and 2012.
The selection of the Taikonauts
The taikonauts were selected from a pool, five pairs of which trained for the actual flight. Three pairs were selected from them one month before the start. The authorities only announced the names of the two Taikonauts immediately before the start.
The launcher
The Langer Marsch 2 F launcher was equipped with a fire safety system on the launch tower. A video camera transmitted the separation of the rocket stages and the Shenzhou spaceship.
The costs
Major General Tang Xianming (唐贤明, * 1949), director of the Manned Space Bureau since April 2004, stated at a press conference on October 17, 2005 the cost of the flight from Shenzhou 6 at 900 million yuan (then 111 million US dollars) . They were raised by the central government.
Course of the manned part of the mission
October 12th - 1st mission day
Accompanied by adverse weather conditions with snowfall until shortly before take-off, the mission started on October 12, 2005 at 1 a.m. UTC from the Jiuquan space station . 21 minutes after take off, Shenzhou 6 entered Earth orbit. Nine hours after launch, Fei Junlong switched from the return capsule to the orbit module. Meanwhile, Nie Haisheng stayed in the return capsule and photographed the orbital capsule. At 9:30 p.m. local time, the two Taikonauts spoke to their families for seven minutes.
October 13th - 2nd mission day
All planned experiments and emergency exercises were carried out as planned. The internal door of the spaceship was opened and closed again, the Taikonauts switched between the orbital module and the return module, tried out their spacesuits and tested the system for extracting the condensation water . Extreme events were simulated during the exercises in order to check the effects of the reactions on the spaceship . The results showed that Shenzhou 6 maintained its functionality during all assumed incidents. The body functions of both Taikonauts showed normal values, the systems of the spaceship passed all tests and worked without problems.
Meanwhile, an exercise took place on the ground at the planned landing site, during which four helicopters simulated a search and rescue operation at night. Fei Junlong photographed the island while flying over Taiwan . The official Chinese media took this as an opportunity to underline the territorial claim of the People's Republic of Taiwan and spoke of photos of the "fatherland".
October 14th - 3rd mission day
On the third day of the Shenzhou 6 mission, the first small course corrections were made at 05:56 local time in the morning after the start. The "Beijing Aerospace Control Center" in Beijing emphasized the normality of the process on a mission of this type. The spacecraft was at the planned orbit altitude at a speed of around 7.8 kilometers per second (approx. 28,000 km / h). The corrections began during the 30th orbit. The atmospheric drag in orbit caused by the very thin atmosphere slows down the spaceship and reduces orbit. During the maintenance work, the two Taikonauts on board observed the course correction on their monitors in the spaceship.
October 15 - 4th Mission Day
On the fourth day of the mission, Saturday October 15, a series of orbital and ergonomic experiments were conducted to generate data for space science. One of the main tasks was to conduct scientific tests in the orbital module and the return module.
During the following days, the Taikonauts made modifications to the space suits so that they could later be used for various purposes. They were supplemented by ergonomic tests of the equipment.
By switching between the orbital and return module and closing the doors of the return module, the space travelers examined the changes in the state in the respective modules, the effects and laws of movements of the astronauts and the psychological effects and schemes. All movements of the astronauts and the relevant vibrations were recorded in order to be able to correct the trajectory of the spaceship later with the help of this data. The Taikonauts carried out tests in the field of cell research and spatial awareness in humans. These served to further investigate the effects of weightlessness on humans and to develop methods to prevent or mitigate them.
October 16 - 5th mission day
On the fifth day of the mission, the ground control center announced the planned landing date for Monday morning. The two Taikonauts Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng put their space suits back on and closed the door of the re-entry capsule. The experiments planned for the mission have been completed. A Chinese expert reported that valuable technical data has been collected for the development of the national manned space program since the launch on Wednesday. Other experts said that tests of the spaceship's emergency systems, physical parameters of life support systems, and functional tests of various pieces of equipment produced satisfactory results.
Landing after 115 hours and 32 minutes
The return module touched down almost five hours after it left its orbit on the morning of October 17, 2005 at 20:32 UTC in the main landing area in central Inner Mongolia. As planned, the landing site was in the Siziwang-Banner region in northern China. All preparations were made there to enable a safe landing. Five teams were available for the rescue work at the designated landing site as well as at the replacement landing site: the land rescue team, the maritime rescue team, a team for monitoring telecommunications, a team for medical examinations and a security team. The primary task of the search and rescue teams was to locate the return module in the sky, rescue the astronauts from the capsule and retrieve the capsule as quickly as possible. The rescue teams faced some difficult tasks on the Shenzhou 6 mission, so a number of scenarios were worked out beforehand. As predicted, there was no rain, good visibility and little wind. Fei Junglong was the first to get out of the capsule, followed by Nie Haisheng. When asked by journalists, both said they were in good health.
Mission history of the orbital module
The orbital module remained in orbit. The control center ignited the spacecraft's engines twice around October 20, 2005, so that a maximum height of 355 kilometers was reached. Several remote-controlled experiments were conducted over the next several months. This phase ended on April 15, 2006. The module is still in orbit until it will burn up in the earth's atmosphere in a few years.
See also
Web links
- Raumfahrer.net: Two Taikonauts and Shenzhou VI
Individual evidence
- ↑ 唐贤明 少将 ： 指挥 发射 像 导演 一 出 大戏. In: xcjy.hfut.edu.cn. May 21, 2018, accessed October 16, 2019 (Chinese).
- ↑ Stage set for bigger space push. In: english.sina.com. October 18, 2005, accessed October 16, 2019 (Chinese).
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