Shenzhou 8
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section documents a scheduled or expected spaceflight. Details may change as the launch date approaches or more information becomes available. |
 |
| Shenzhou 8 (神舟八号) | |||||
| Mission statistics | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission name | Shenzhou 8 (神舟八号) | ||||
| Crew size | 0 (unmanned) | ||||
| Launch date | Early 2011 [1] | ||||
| Related missions | |||||
|
|||||
Shenzhou 8 (Chinese: 神舟八号) is a planned unmanned flight of China's Shenzhou (Project 921-2) program, that is scheduled for launch in 2011. According to the Chinese space agency (CNSA), the Shenzhou 8 spacecraft will be remotely docked with the Tiangong 1 space module (itself expected to launch in 2010). This unmanned docking attempt - China's first - will be followed in the same year with the manned Shenzhou 9 mission which will perform a manned docking (also China's first) with the Tiangong 1 module.
On September 29, 2008, Zhang Jianqi (张建启), Vice Director of China manned space engineering, announced in an interview of China Central Television [2] that Tiangong 1, an 8-ton "target vehicle", will be launched in 2010. Shenzhou 8, Shenzhou 9 and Shenzhou 10 are all intended to dock with it.
On October 1, 2008, Shanghai Space Administration, which participate in the development of Shenzhou 8, stated [3] that they have succeeded in the simulated experiments for the docking of Tiangong 1 and Shenzhou 8.
Contents |
[edit] Mission
Shenzhou 8 will feature a Russian androgynous docking module in place of the usual orbital module, and will perform its docking operation under ground control. [4]
The mission will also feature a biological sample supplied by the European Space Agency, which has been cited as an example of "international cooperation in the field of manned space" by Zhang Jianqi, deputy chief commander of China's manned space programme.[5]
[edit] Final Shenzhou spacecraft design
According to Zhang Bainan, the chief designer of China's spacecraft systems, Shenzhou 8 will be the last to see significant modifications from previous models. Future flights will use the same spacecraft design[6], which is intended for mass production[7]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iybcZW-FJGDR9LlLNi2RC3vR7uxQ
- ^ "China will launch small space station in 2010-2011 (in Chinese)". 2008-09-29. http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2008-09-29/145316381853.shtml.
- ^ "Simulated docking of Shenzhou 8 has succeeded (in Chinese)". 2008-10-01. http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2008-10-01/170014521590s.shtml.
- ^ http://www.sinodefence.com/space/project/shenzhou8.asp
- ^ http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/China_Shenzhou_8_Spacecraft_To_Carry_Bio_Sample_For_ESA_999.html
- ^ http://www.physorg.com/news7242.html
- ^ http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0903/02chinastation/
Preliminary Shenzhou VIII spacecraft in ground tests
- "China Might Be Planning Early Space Station Attempt". SpaceDaily.com. February 19, 2006. http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/China_Might_Be_Planning_Early_Space_Station_Attempt.html.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
