After one
day in space, the two astronauts aboard China's Shenzhou 6 spacecraft have already
racked up a series of firsts for their country's space program, not the least
of which began with leaving their seats.
Circling
the Earth in a 213-mile (343-kilometer) orbit, Chinese astronauts Fei Junlong
and Nie Haisheng conducted a day of observation and science in the orbital
module of their Shenzhou 6 spacecraft, according to state media reports.
The two
astronauts, both former fighter pilots, launched
into space on China's second manned spaceflight at 9:00 p.m. EDT on Oct. 11 (0100
Oct. 12 GMT) from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center), though it was 9:00 a.m. Oct.
12 local time at the pad when they lifted off. The astronauts are slated to
spend up to five days in space during their mission.
The flight
is aimed at demonstrating China's space prowess - the country is only the third
nation to independently launch a human into orbit - and the prestige of its
communist government. Shenzhou 5, China's first
manned spaceflight, launched astronaut Yang
Liwei on a 21 ½-hour mission on Oct. 15, 2003.
Orbital module
debut
Nine hours
after the successful launch, Fei unstrapped himself from his chair and floated
into Shenzhou 6's orbital module, and later switched positions with Nie, China's
Xinhua News Agency reported.
The crew's
movements marked another step in China's human spaceflight efforts. While Fei
worked in the orbital
module, Nie used a digital camera to take photographs of the flight, Xinhua
reported, adding that both astronauts were expected to have taken off their
22-pound (10-kilogram) space suits.
"It
suggests that the orbital module is functioning as expected and that's good," Dean
Cheng, a China space specialist with CNA Corp. in Arlington,
Virginia, told SPACE.com Wednesday.
"It certainly means that the Shenzhou is going to be able to keep its crew
occupied."
During the Shenzhou
5 mission, Yang spent the entire time in the spacecraft's crew compartment
and strapped in his chair as part of the test flight.
"This
second mission expands on [China's] ability to test life support systems," said
Joan Johnson-Freese, who follows China's space efforts and chair of
National Security Studies at the United States Naval War College in Newport,
Rhode Island. "Now they've established that [Shenzhou 5] was not a one-time
deal."
China's Shenzhou
spacecraft borrow a basic design from Russia's Soyuz spacecraft, but are tailored
with new systems and equipment. They consist of a primary crew-carrying reentry
module, an orbital module and a service module.
Shenzhou 6's
orbital module reportedly contains experiments and equipment, a food heater and
other new equipment to be tested on this flight. It carries its own solar
arrays and could stay in Earth orbit for a prolonged period, experts say.
Johnson-Freese
told SPACE.com that Shenzhou 6 pushes China past its first phase of
space development and on a path that could likely lead to ever-more sophisticated
demonstrations, including spacewalks and dockings and ultimately a hook-up of
its orbital modules into a flying space lab.
"I think we'll
find out in due course [whether] they are going to detach from the orbital
module and undertake a few maneuvers while they are still in orbit," Cheng said
of the Shenzhou 6 crew, adding that he does not expect a docking demonstration for
this flight. "That would be remarkably ambitious for a second flight."
Other
firsts for China
Fei and Nie
are expected to perform a series of physical exercises inside the Shenzhou 6
orbital module as well as life science tests to evaluate the effects of
weightlessness, Xinhua reported.
Photography
and biological cell tests are also slated to be performed throughout the
mission.
The science
experiments are the first to require astronaut interaction and are key if China
is to proceed toward future human space exploration, China space officials have
said.
Wang
Yongzhi, who heads China's manned space program, told Xinhua that the
Shenzhou 6 experiments will explore how astronauts adapt to the spaceflight
environment and return data that is vital for the development of a permanent
space station.
On a tastier
note, Fei and Nie have a far wider range of food available to them for this flight
than Yang,
according to state press reports.
The People's
Daily Online and Xinhua reported that about 88 pounds (40 kilograms)
of food rode into orbit aboard Shenzhou 6 to provide three meals of up to six
dishes each for Fei and Nie.
While rice
will be a staple - it comes sealed in five-ounce (140-gram) amounts - beef
cooked in orange peels and vegetables are also on the menu along with coffee,
green tea, orange juice and other fruits, Xinhua reported.
State press
accounts have also reported that the two astronauts will sleep in shifts during
their multi-day mission.
Heroes
of China
Earlier
today, the Shenzhou 6 astronauts spoke from space with family members at
Beijing Aeroespace Command and Control Center during a brief communications
session, state media reported.
"We are all
pleased to see both of you are in good spirits," said Wang Jie, Fei's wife, Xinhua
reported. "Meanwhile, we all feel very proud of you."
Fei thanked
his family for their support, and made plans to go fishing with his son Fei De,
who asked how the astronaut felt in weightlessness, Xinhua stated.
"I feel
fine," Fei said, according to state media.
Nie was
reportedly moved to tears while speaking with his wife Nie Haisheng and
listened to a birthday song from his daughter Nie Tianxiang, Xinhua
reported, adding that the astronaut turns 41 on this spaceflight.
According
to Chinese press reports, the Shenzhou 6 crew - like Shenzhou 5's Yang Liwei -
are already national heroes.
In Zaoyang,
Nie's hometown, in China's central province of Hubei, revelers let loose 1,000
pigeons and balloons in front of the astronaut's house, Xinhua reported.
"I was
very nervous when the launching process began, but now I feel so excited and
proud of my brother," said Nie Daozhi, the astronauts sister, told Xinhua,
adding that her entire family looks toward his safe return.
The Xinhua News Agency and other
state media contributed to this report.
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