Encouraged by the successful return of Shenzhou III spaceship on
Monday, China Tuesday said it envisioned a bright future for its
space programme with the aim of building a permanently manned space
station.
A
senior officer in charge of China's manned space program said that
"Shenzhou III", or China's third unmanned experimental craft which
was launched on March 25 and returned Monday afternoon, is
"technically suitable for astronauts". A set of metabolic
simulation apparatus, human physical monitoring sensors and dummy
astronauts have been installed aboard the spaceship.
He
added that the successful launch and return of "Shenzhou III " has
laid a solid foundation for the country's future efforts to send
man into outer space.
The spacecraft was pronounced "technically suitable for
astronauts'' when it landed safely on Monday afternoon after
orbiting the earth 108 times in nearly a week.
"Following several test flights of unmanned spaceships, China will
send its astronauts into space early this century,'' said the
officer, who preferred not to be identified.
The officer did not specify how many unmanned space flights China
will need before staging a mission with a crew. But he said China
has formed a team of astronauts, who have been undergoing
training.
The officer gave a specific "orbit'' of how China's manned space
project will advance: proceeding from unmanned to manned spaceship,
China will build a space lab and finally establish its own
permanently manned space station.
China began to carry out its Manned Space Program in 1992. The
program branches out in seven aspects of astronaut training,
spaceship scientific application, manned spaceship construction,
carrier rocket manufacturing, developing launching sites and
landing sites, and monitoring and controlling headquarters.
Thousands of researchers from more than 3,000 organizations have
participated in the program, the officer said.
Thanks to their concerted efforts, China has mastered a chain of
key technologies in the field of manned space programmes,
successfully developed advanced carrier rockets and spacecraft, and
built a spaceship application system which represents the country's
top-notch scientific and technological achievements.
The country's launch vehicle is equipped with an escape and fault
detecting and handling system, which can guarantee the safety of
astronauts, he said. All previous test spacecraft were sent into
orbit atop Long March 2F rockets.
The success of the Shenzhou craft series is testament to the fact
that China has made breakthroughs in all systems involved in its
manned space programme and its corresponding technology has reached
a new level, he said.
After sending its astronauts into space, China will launch space
labs, and these will be manned by scientists for a short time. The
nation will then set up its manned space station, he said.
Although there is still a long way to go to fulfil all the goals,
which the officer said are full of risks and challenges, China will
surely be able to realize its development strategies outlined in
its manned space programme, he said.
(
April 3, 2002)