Everything about The Shenzhou Program totally explained
The
Shenzhou program is a manned spaceflight initiative by the
People's Republic of China. The program put the first Chinese citizen into orbit on
October 15,
2003.
Development began in 1992, under the name of
Project 921-1. The
Chinese National Manned Space Program was given the designation
Project 921 with Project 921-1 as its first significant goal. The plan called for a manned launch in October 1999, prior to the new millennium.
The first four unmanned test flights happened in 1999, 2001 and 2002. These were followed with another manned launch on
October 12,
2005. It is launched on the
Long March 2F from the
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The command center of the mission is the
Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Center.
The name is variously translated as "Divine Craft", "Divine Vessel" or similar, but is also a reference to a literary
name for China with the same pronunciation (神州; literally "Divine Land").
History
China's first efforts at
human spaceflight started in 1968 with a projected launch date of 1973. Although China did launch an unmanned satellite in 1970 and has maintained an active unmanned program since, the manned spaceflight program was canceled due to lack of funds and political interest.
The current Chinese human spaceflight program was authorized on
April 1 1992 as Project 921-1, with work beginning on
January 1 1993. The initial plan has three phases:
» *Phase 1 would involve launch of two unmanned versions of the manned spacecraft, followed by the first Chinese manned spaceflight, by 2002.
*Phase 2 would run through 2007, and involve a series of flights to prove the technology, conduct rendezvous and docking operations in orbit, and operate an eight-ton spacelab using the basic spacecraft technology.
» *Phase 3 would involve orbiting of a 20-ton space station in the 2010-2015 period, with crews being shuttled to it using the eight-ton manned spacecraft.
The chief designers include
Qi Faren and
Wang Yongzhi. The first unmanned flight of the spacecraft was launched on
November 19 1999 after which
Project 921-1 was renamed
Shenzhou, a name reportedly chosen by
Jiang Zemin. A series of three additional unmanned flights ensued. The Shenzhou reentry capsules used to date are 13 percent larger than Soyuz reentry capsules, and it's expected that later craft will be designed to carry a crew of four instead of Soyuz's three, although physical limitations on Astronaut size, as experienced with earlier incarnations of Soyuz, will likely apply.
The fifth launch,
Shenzhou 5, was the first to carry a human (
Yáng Lìwěi) and occurred at 9:00
CST (UTC +8) on
October 15,
2003.
Like similar space programs in other nations, Shenzhou has raised some questions about whether China should spend money on launching people into space, arguing that these resources would be better directed elsewhere. Indeed, two earlier human spaceflight programs, one in the mid-1970s and the other in the 1980s were canceled because of expense. In response, a number of justifications have been offered in the Chinese media. One is that the long term destiny of humanity lies in the exploration of space, and that China shouldn't be left behind. Another is that such a program will catalyze the development of science and technology in China. Finally, it has been argued that the prestige resulting from this capability will increase China's stature in the world, in a similar manner to the 2008 Olympics.
On
October 17,
2005, following the success of
Shenzhou 6, Chinese media officially stated that the cost of this flight was around $110 million USD, and the gross cost of Project 921/1 in the past 11 years was $2.3 billion USD. These values are lower than the cost of similar space programs in other nations, but it should be noted that given the closed nature of the Chinese regime (and semi-military nature of the program) they can't be verified and are probably under-stated. The true cost is likely comparable to that of other similar programs.
The Chinese media has heavily promoted the experiments undertaken by Shenzhou, particularly exposing seeds, including some from
Taiwan, to zero gravity and radiation. Most scientists, however, discount the usefulness of this type of experiment - instead relying upon crop modification at the genetic level for future productivity benefits.
Media outlets have suggested that there are elements of military motivation (presumably technological in nature) behind China's ability to put astronauts into space, specifically in the areas of reconnaissance and anti-satellite weaponry (as demonstrated by an ASAT test in 2007). On balance it's likely that a significant military dimension does exist in the Chinese space program, in particular due to the highly secretive nature of space research funding within China. The lack of transparency and pattern of little accountability is comparable to that which surrounded the space program of the USSR. However, the state-controlled Chinese media has downplayed possible military motivations although Shenzhou's orbital module, staying in orbit for more than 6 months before falling back to earth and disintegrating, is equipped with a high-resolution observation camera, which could be used for military intelligence purposes.
However the experience during the 1960s of both the United States with the
Manned Orbiting Laboratory and the Soviet Union with the
Almaz space station suggests that the military usefulness of human spaceflight is quite limited and that practically all military uses of space are much more effectively performed by unmanned satellites. Thus while the Shenzhou orbital module could be used for military reconnaissance there appears to be no military reason for incorporating such as system in a manned mission, as China could use purely unmanned satellites for these purposes. Yet, the nature of space exploration, with different nations trying successively to achieve the same goals (for example, the original U.S. - Soviet "space race", current efforts to duplicate
GPS and
GLONASS with
Galileo), implies that China may well be walking down this route as others have before them.
Shenzhou spacecraft
The
Shenzhou spacecraft closely resembles the Russian
Soyuz, although it's substantially larger, and unlike the Soyuz, it features a powered orbital module capable of autonomous flight.
Like
Soyuz,
Shenzhou consists of three modules: a forward
orbital module (轨道舱), a
reentry capsule (返回舱) in the middle, and an aft
service module (推进舱). This division is based on the principle of minimizing the amount of material to be returned to Earth. Anything placed in the orbital or service modules doesn't require
heat shielding, and this greatly increases the space available in the spacecraft without increasing weight as much as it would if those modules were also able to withstand
reentry. Thus both
Soyuz and
Shenzhou have more living area with less weight than the
Apollo CSM.
Missions launched
Planned missions
Shenzhou 7 - September 2008 - three man crew; a spacewalk performed by one crew member will be the main objective of the mission
Shenzhou 8 - 2010 (?) - unmanned mission, it'll be an eight ton "space laboratory module" (see Project 921-2) with two docking ports and target for Shenzhou 9 docking
Shenzhou 9 - 2010 (?)- unmanned mission, will rendezvous and dock with Shenzhou 8
Shenzhou 10 - 2010 (?)- two or three person crew, will dock with Shenzhou 8 and Shenzhou 9
Shenzhou 11 (?) - 2012 (?) - unmanned mission, it'll be an eight ton "space laboratory module" (see Project 921-2) with two docking ports and target for Shenzhou 12 docking
Shenzhou 12 (?) - 2012 (?)- unmanned mission, will rendezvous and dock with Shenzhou 11
Shenzhou 13 (?) - 2012 (?)- two or three person crew, will dock with Shenzhou 11 and Shenzhou 12
Shenzhou circumlunar (?) - 2015 (?)
This is similar to the process used by the Soviet Union in their early Soyuz program which was intended to test procedures for future Lunar flights.
Astronauts
November 1996 trainer selection
There were two astronaut trainers selected for Project 921. They trained at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center in Russia.
Li Qinglong - born August 1962 in Dingyuan, Anhui Province and PLAAF interceptor pilot and space instructor at Star City
Wu Jie
January 1998 Shenzhou astronaut candidate selection
Chen Quan
Deng Qingming - from Jiangxi Province and PLAAF pilot;
Fèi Jùnlóng - second Chinese astronaut, commander of Shenzhou 6, possibly in training for Shenzhou 7
Jing Haipeng - born October 1966 and PLAAF pilot
Liu Boming - born September 1966 and PLAAF pilot
Liu Wang - born in Shanxi Province and PLAFF pilot
Niè Hǎishèng - flight engineer on Shenzhou 6, back up in Shenzhou 5, possibly in training for Shenzhou 7
Pan Zhanchun- PLAAF pilot
Yang Liwei - first man sent into space by the space program of China, and his mission, Shenzhou 5, made the PRC the third country to independently send people into space, possibly in training for Shenzhou 7
Zhai Zhigang - back up in Shenzhou 5
Zhang Xiaoguan - born in Liaoning Province and PLAAF pilot
Zhao Chuandong - PLAAF pilot
In July 2007, plans were announced to select up to 14 men for another group of Shenzhou astronaut candidates.
Film
Following the success of the manned missions Shenzhou 5 and 6, Hong Kong film director Stephen Chow began work on his latest film, CJ7. It is a science fiction/comedy film about a man who crashes his spacecraft on another planet. The title of the film is clearly influenced by the Shenzhou missions, as were former working titles Yangtze River VII and Long River 7.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Shenzhou Program'.
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