Shenzhou

Shenzhou

▪ Chinese spacecraft
      any of a series of Chinese spacecraft, the fifth flight of which carried the first Chinese astronaut into space.

      Shenzhou (Chinese for “divine craft”) is similar in design to the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Like Soyuz, Shenzhou consists of three modules: a cylindrical rear module that contains instrumentation and the propulsion system, a bell-shaped middle module that carries the crew during launch and landing, and a cylindrical forward orbital module that carries scientific and military experiments. (Unlike the Soyuz, the orbital module is capable of independent flight; on several Shenzhou missions, the orbital module remained in orbit for several months after its separation from the reentry module.) Shenzhou is 9.3 metres (30.5 feet) long and weighs 7,840 kg (17,280 pounds). The launch vehicle is a Chang Zheng (launch vehicle) 2F (CZ-2F, or Long March 2F), a version of the CZ-2 specifically developed for the Shenzhou program.

      The first four Shenzhou missions were unmanned test flights launched over a three-year period (1999–2002). On Oct. 15, 2003, Shenzhou 5 carried the first Chinese astronaut, pilot Yang Liwei, on a 21-hour spaceflight. China thus became the third country after Russia and the United States to launch a manned spacecraft. Shenzhou 6 was launched on Oct. 12, 2005, lasted five days, and carried two astronauts. Shenzhou 7 was launched on Sept. 25, 2008, and carried three astronauts; one of them, commander Zhai Zhigang, made the first Chinese space walk. Future plans for the Shenzhou program include complex rendezvous maneuvers and the assembly of a space station.

Erik Gregersen
       Shenzhou spaceflights Shenzhou spaceflightsThe table lists the spaceflights in the Shenzhou program.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Shenzhou 8 — (神舟八号) Données de la mission Vaisseau Shenzhou 8 (神舟八号) Équipage 0 (sans équipage) Date de lancement 31 octobre 2011 à 21 h 58 min 10 s (UTC) 1er novembre 2011 (en Chine) …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Shenzhou 9 — (神舟九号) Données de la mission Vaisseau Shenzhou 9 (神舟九号) Équipage 2 ou 3 Date de lancement Début 2012 Site de lancement Centre spatial de Jiuquan Date d atterrissage Site d atterrissage Tiangong 1 Dur …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Shenzhou 10 — (神舟十号) Données de la mission Vaisseau Shenzhou 10 (神舟十号) Équipage 2 ou 3 Date de lancement Fin 2012 Site de lancement Centre spatial de Jiuquan Date d atterrissage Site d atterrissage Tiangong 1 Dur …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Shenzhou 3 — (Chinese: 神舟三号) launched on March 25, 2002, was the third unmanned launch of the People s Republic of China s Shenzhou spacecraft. This was the first Shenzhou spacecraft launched that could have actually carried a human cargo and as such the main …   Wikipedia

  • Shenzhou 2 — (Chinese: 神舟二号) launched on January 9, 2001, was the second unmanned launch of the Shenzhou spacecraft. Inside the reentry capsule were a monkey, a dog and a rabbit in a test of the spaceship s life support systems. The reentry module separated… …   Wikipedia

  • Shenzhou 1 — (Chinese: 神舟一号) launched on November 19, 1999, was the first unmanned launch of the Shenzhou spacecraft. The spacecraft used was not equipped with a life support system or an emergency escape system. After orbiting the Earth 14 times, the command …   Wikipedia

  • Shenzhou 6 — es el segundo vuelo espacial tripulado realizado por China, llevando a bordo a Fei Junlong (comandante) y Nie Haisheng (copiloto), quienes permanecieron en órbita durante cinco días. Modelo a escala de la nave Shenzhou 6. Shenzhou en chino… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Shenzhou — may refer to:*Shenzhou spacecraft, spacecraft from China which first carried a Chinese astronaut into orbit in 2003 *Shenzhou program a manned spaceflight initiative by the People s Republic of China. *Shenzhou City, in Hengshui, Hebei, China… …   Wikipedia

  • Shenzhou 6 — es el segundo vuelo espacial tripulado chino, llevando abordo a Fei Junlong (comandante) y Nie Haisheng (copiloto) durante cinco días en órbita. Shenzhou en chino significa navío celestial , bajel divino o viento divino (???). Nave espacial china …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Shenzhou 5 — fue la primera misión tripulada de la República Popular China, que despegó el 15 de octubre de 2003, llevando a bordo al primer astronauta chino (taikonauta), Yang Liwei. La misión del Shenzhou 5 fue puesta en el espacio por el cohete Larga… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Shenzhou 6 — ] At 01:39 UTC Chen Bingde, the Chief Commander of the Chinese space program, announced the launch was successful. The crew ate their first meal in space at 03:11 UTC.Before the flight, the launch time had been the object of speculation by the… …   Wikipedia

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