. 24/7 Space News .
Shenzhou 6 Safely Returns Taikonauts
illustration only - sd 5 landing image
Beijing (AFP) Oct 17, 2005
China's second manned space mission returned safely to Earth early Monday after a successful five-day flight, in the latest chapter in China's ambitious drive to become a global space power.

Astronauts Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng were given a clean bill of health after the reentry capsule of their Shenzhou VI spacecraft glided to Earth on a parachute, ending up in Inner Mongolia, Xinhua news agency said.

"Our journey in space was very smooth, the living and working conditions inside the cabin were very good, our health is okay, thanks," Fei said on state television, with a radiant smile.

Emerging from the module, television pictures showed the two take a few seconds to adjust to the Earth's gravity, before being presented with bouquets of flowers and waving to assembled recovery teams and ground control staff.

Mission control declared the 115-hour space flight a success, Xinhua reported.

China's top legislator Wu Bangguo, who watched the return of Shenzhou VI from the Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Center, called the completed mission a "milestone," according to the People's Daily website.

"It is of great significance in elevating China's prestige in the world and promoting China's economic, scientific and national defense capabilities, and its national cohesiveness," Wu was quoted as saying.

A member of one of the recovery teams reported that the capsule landed upright after touching down at 4:32 am (2032 GMT Sunday), just one kilometer (1,100 yards) from the intended landing site, it added.

Fei and Nie were taken by helicopter from their remote landing site and given chocolate and herbal tea.

"I can feel that lots of people are thinking about us, we're very grateful for all the love and concern from our motherland and its people," Nie said on television.

In Nie's home town, in Zaoyang county of northern Hebei province, hundreds of proud residents hit the streets from before sunrise to mark the return of Shenzhou VI.

State television showed footage of the town celebrating its most famous native with firecrackers and dragon dances.

The flight was China's second-ever manned space mission following the historic Shenzhou V, which in October 2003 made China the third nation after the former Soviet Union and the United States to put a man into space.

Shenzhou VI had been carrying enough food, water and oxygen for a seven-day mission, although planners had expected it to spend just five days in orbit.

The spacecraft blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Inner Mongolia's border with Gansu province on Wednesday.

During his 21-hour maiden flight in 2003, lone astronaut Yang Liwei never left his seat in the re-entry capsule nor take off his space suit.

In contrast, Fei and Nie's flight saw them leave the re-entry capsule and enter the orbital capsule, shedding their bulky suits and donning ordinary work clothes so they could move around easily.

During their time in space, the astronauts successfully fired rockets to adjust the craft's altitude, ensuring it remained in its pre-planned orbit -- which was crucial for its return to Earth, a mission control spokesman said.

Premier Wen Jiabao hailed the historic second mission as a success after watching from the launch pad on Wednesday. The launch captivated the nation, with millions of Chinese watching it on television.

Dispelling concerns that China could use space for military purposes, Wen said the purpose of the mission was to conduct experiments "entirely for peaceful purposes."

The Chinese government also hopes to use the manned space program to invigorate patriotism and instill a curiosity in science and technology amongst China's largely agrarian population.

Spending on the Shenzhou series of launches has reached roughly 19 billion yuan (2.3 billion US dollars), less than 10 percent of the US annual spending on space programs, Xinhua quoted a space science researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences saying last week.

related report
Weather Looking Good For Return Of Shenzhou
Beijing (AFP) Oct 16, 2005
The Shenzhou VI spacecraft will return to Earth Monday after five days in space, state media reported.

The craft would land early in the morning "as scheduled", the Xinhua news agency said Sunday.

Earlier in the day, Chinese authorities said that weather conditions were looking good for the safe return of the spacecraft.

Yang Guiming, a senior engineer at the China Central Meteorological Station, said weather conditions were expected to be "pretty good" on Monday and Tuesday in the Siziwang region in Inner Mongolia where the craft is expected to land.

He said visibility was expected to be good, the wind steady and no rain was forecast.

The website of the People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party, said space officials were meeting Sunday to plan the re-entry of the vessel, China's second manned space flight.

State media have said the Shenzhou VI was scheduled to land in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia early Monday after five days in space, although the exact timing of the return could be subject to last-minute adjustment because of the weather.

A welcoming ceremony is tentatively scheduled for sometime between 6:30 and 7:30 am Monday (2230 and 2330 GMT Sunday) at a military air base in Inner Mongolia, the Beijing News reported.

At the landing site in Siziwang, a public notice has been distributed, warning potential onlookers to stay away.

Shenzhou VI is carrying enough food, water and oxygen for a seven-day mission although planners had expected a five-day journey.

The space craft blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Inner Mongolia's border with Gansu province on Wednesday.

The flight is China's second-ever manned space mission following the historic Shenzhou V, which in October 2003 made China the third nation after the former Soviet Union and the United States to put a man into space.

Astronauts Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng sent greetings late Sunday to the Chinese people, Xinhua said.

"We're grateful for the deep love and concern by all Chinese people, the Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan compatriots," Nie said in the brief satellite hook-up, according to Xinhua.

Fei pledged to "do our utmost to fulfill the mission", adding that the pair were "feeling good".

related report
China's President Hu Talks To Taikonauts Ahead Of Shenzhou's Return
Beijing (AFP) Oct 15, 2005
Chinese President Hu Jintao Saturday made a brief long-distance call to two astronauts on the nation's second manned space mission, as ground crews prepared for their return to Earth, state media said.

Hu arrived at the Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Center for a two-minute conversation transmitted live on TV and radio beginning from 4:29 pm (0829 GMT).

"The motherland and the people are proud of you," Hu told the two men in orbit as he stood up amid rows of space program workers in blue uniforms.

"I hope you will successfully complete your task by carrying out the mission calmly and carefully and have a triumphant return," he said.

Fei Junlong, one of the astronauts, thanked Hu and the Chinese people for their support, saying: "We'll definitely fulfill our mission."

The dialogue took place just a few hours after spacecraft Shenzhou VI, embarked on China's most ambitious foray into space yet, entered its fourth day of orbiting the Earth.

Shenzhou VI is scheduled to land in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia early Monday after five days in space, although the exact timing of the return could be subject to last-minute adjustment due to the weather, state media has said.

A welcoming ceremony is tentatively scheduled for sometime between 6:30 and 7:30 am Monday (2230 and 2330 GMT Sunday) at a military air base in Inner Mongolia, the Beijing News reported.

At the landing site in Siziwang county, a public notice has been distributed, warning all potential curious onlookers to stay away.

"Apart from ground crew involved in the return of the spacecraft, no one else is allowed to go to the landing site to watch," the Beijing News cited the notice as saying.

Herdsmen in the area have also been told not to house any outsiders in the coming days, possibly in an attempt to avoid an influx of space enthusiasts.

A more accommodating attitude was adopted Wednesday when Shenzhou VI blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Inner Mongolia's border with Gansu province. Large tour groups were allowed to within just a few kilometers of the launch site.

The stricter measures for Monday were justified with the need to ensure the astronauts' safety, according to the Beijing News.

The flight is China's second-ever manned space mission following the historic Shenzhou V, which in October 2003 made China the third nation after the former Soviet Union and the United States to put a man into space.

Meanwhile, state media said Saturday that China may choose its southern island province of Hainan as the site of a new launch pad for a new generation of carrier rockets.

The Xinhua news agency cited Liu Zhusheng, chief designer of China's carrier rocket system, as saying rockets launched from the site will have a launch capacity of up to 25 tonnes.

That would make them suitable for launching a space station, one of China's ambitions for the coming years.

Hainan had earlier been mulled as the site of a launch pad, with scientists going on record as early as 1999 saying it would be a favorable location.

related report
Shenzhou 6 May Return A Day Earlier
Hong Kong (SPX) Oct 13, 2005
Shenzhou 6, China's second manned spacecraft, is likely to return a day ahead of schedule, the Shanghai Morning Post said Thursday.

The spacecraft, which is orbiting the Earth, may land on the grasslands in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region about 6am Saturday, the newspaper said, citing an unnamed source.

There is no official announcement about its return time. But official TV anchormen and anchorwomen did not use "five-day space mission" Thursday as often as Wednesday during the live broadcast periods.

Shenzhou VI is officially scheduled to come back Sunday, five days after its blastoff on Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, a newspaper in Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, Wednesday also said the space voyage could shrink to three days from planned nearly five days.

"Experts" were quoted by the newspaper that weather conditions of the landing area and physical conditions of the astronauts will result in a change of original schedule.

Related Links
SpaceDaily
Search SpaceDaily
Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express



Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only














The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.