BEIJING -- China's Shenzhou 2 spacecraft carried a monkey, a dog, a rabbit and snails into space earlier this month as Beijing prepared for a manned flight in the next five years, an industry source said on Thursday.

The flying menagerie returned to Earth alive on Tuesday from the seven-day mission after making 108 orbits as the unsung heroes of China's space program, the source said.

State media have said only that "various life forms" including animals, plants, aquatic creatures, microbes and cells made the journey, but gave no details.

Chinese leaders are eager for the pride and prestige that would come if China joined the United States and former Soviet Union -- now Russia -- as the only countries to put a person into space.

An official at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology has said China would follow the experience of other space powers with regard to sending animals into orbit.

The United States sent a chimpanzee into space and the Soviet Union put a dog into orbit before men.

The People's Daily said on Thursday that part of the "Shenzhou 2" remained aloft conducting scientific experiments after the successful return to Earth of the descent vehicle.

Following separation, the systems of the "orbital cabin" were functioning normally and it would stay aloft for several months, the newspaper said.

The orbital portion would monitor conditions and the environment in space, it said.

Last month, state media said China aimed to put an astronaut into space within five years, setting an official timetable for the first time.

In 1999, China announced a four-step manned spaceflight plan, with the aim of establishing a space station served by shuttle-style vehicles.

"The successful launching and recovery of Shenzhou 2 indicates China's manned spaceflight technology is advancing and has laid a solid foundation for the country to eventually conduct manned space flights," state media said this week.