Shenzhou 5

With Shenzhou 5, the People's Republic of China launched on 15 October 2003 about 01:00 UTC with a carrier rocket Long March 2F their first manned spacecraft from the Jiuquan spaceport in Gansu Province.

After 14 orbits in 343 kilometers above the Taikonaut Yang Liwei landed on 15 October at 22:23 UTC clock in Inner Mongolia. The total flight time thus amounted to 21 hours and 23 minutes.

The orbital module of Shenzhou 5 remained in orbit. By 16 March 2004 all scientific experiments were conducted on 30 May 2004, the orbital module entered the Earth's atmosphere and burned up one.

Crew

  • Yang Liwei

Parameter

  • Mass: 7790 kg
  • Lowest Erdentfernung: 332 km
  • Largest Erdentferung: 336 km
  • Orientation: 42.4 °
  • Round-trip time: 91.2 minutes
  • NSSDC ID: 2003 - 045A

Mission overview

Shenzhou 5 was on 15 October 2003 at 09:00 local time clock (UTC 01:00 clock ) started with a carrier rocket Long March 2F from the Baikonur Jiuquan in the Autonomous Province of Inner Mongolia in northern China. To 09:10 local time ( 01:10 UTC ) of the target orbit was achieved in 343 km altitude and the 38 -year-old fighter pilot Yang Liwei became the first taikonauts the People's Republic of China. Thus, China became the third nation after the Soviet Union and the United States, which is on its own in a position to bring people into space. The manned space program of China was included only in 1992.

Neither the start nor the landing were broadcast live on television, which is widely justified by the fear of the government prior to a disaster and the consequent loss of reputation abroad. However, the times of the start and landing in the run-up were announced and the Chinese China Central Television reported a few minutes after the events. However, this behavior is strongly reminiscent of the secrecy of the Soviet Union and the USA in the space race in the sixties.

Overall, Shenzhou 5 orbited the Earth 14 times and landed 21 hours after the start. The spacecraft entered the atmosphere on 16 October 2003 at 06:04 local time clock ( UTC: 15 October 2003 22:04 clock ) a. According to government figures, the parachute deployed as planned and the capsule landed at 6:28 ( 22:28 UTC) in Inner Mongolia, only 4.8 km from the planned landing site away. The orbital module of the spacecraft remained in orbit to conduct experiments nor automatic. On 30 May 2004, it burned up.

Hard Landing

Many images that were made shortly after landing, Yang Liwei show with an injured lower lip. Rumors of a hard landing circulated in China, probably spread by staff at the landing site. In addition, Liwei speaks of strong vibrations 120 seconds after the start, which he describes as " very uncomfortable ". As a consequence, the design of the rocket for Shenzhou 6 was still being revised.

Policy Implications

The launch of Shenzhou 5 was more widespread than any other event at this time in the Chinese media. But while the Chinese celebrated the event as a triumph for the Chinese science and technology, was highlighted in the Western media that Liwei waved the United Nations alongside the Chinese flag. Overall, the first manned flight of China was encountered in outer space with lots of praise from around the world.

International Designator Shenzhou 4 Shenzhou (spacecraft) Shenzhou 1 Shenzhou 2 Shenzhou 3 Shenzhou 7 Shenzhou 8 Shenzhou 9 Shenzhou 10
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