TIM FURNISS / LONDON
Successful third Shen Zhou trial carrying dummy astronaut paves way for possible launch with human crew next year
China has taken another step towards becoming the third country after Russia and the USA to put humans into space. It achieved the successful landing of the Shen Zhou 3 spacecraft in Inner Mongolia on 1 April after a seven- day, 108-orbit flight.
The Chinese orbital test mission included in-orbit manoeuvring, featuring a rendezvous with a "phantom target", while the Shen Zhou's launch on a Long March 2F booster from Jiuquan included the first use of a launch escape system. The escape system allows crew rescue in case of problems on the launch pad before lift off and for 16s after launch.
The Shen Zhou 3 launch had been delayed from last year due to quality control problems, particularly with the booster, China concedes. The pressurised crew cabin carried a dummy astronaut "and instruments to simulate and monitor human vital signs".
Images of the three-seat Shen Zhou 3 capsule were released immediately after landing. Images of last year's Shen Zhou 2 landing were never released, leading to speculation that something went wrong with that test, possibly a hard impact landing due to the partial failure of a parachute. Shen Zhou 1 and 2 were launched in November 1999 and January 2001, with the descent modules returning after one day and seven days respectively.
China's space officials say that the operational Shen Zhou will be capable of missions lasting more than 20 days.
The Shen Zhou 3's autonomous orbital module has been left in orbit and is expected to perform orbital manoeuvres during a mission lasting up to nine months. The small Chuang Zing 1 data-relay satellite is expected to be deployed from the orbital module. Sources suggest that Shen Zhou 4 could rendezvous with the Shen Zhou 3 orbital module to demonstrate a manoeuvre which could eventually link two future Shen Zhou spacecraft to form a mini space station.
Shen Zhou 4 would have to be launched within six months due to the predicted orbital lifetime of the Shen Zhou 3 module, says Phil Clark, an analyst at the UK's Molniya Space Consultancy, which monitors Russian and Chinese space activities. "A manned flight is possible in 2003 on Shen Zhou 5, if the fourth mission is a success," he adds.
China has released the specifications of the Shen Zhou, which resembles a Russian Soyuz TM but is larger. It includes a forward orbital module, the crew re-entry capsule and a service module. The spacecraft weighs 7,800kg (17,200lb). The forward orbital module is 2.8m (9ft) long, with a diameter of 2.25m.
The front contains a docking system and access hatch. The mid-crew descent module is 2m long with a base diameter of 2.5m. The aft propulsion module is 2.94m long and 2.8m wide. A pair of 24m2 (258ft2) solar arrays are attached to the propulsion module.
Source: Flight International
