and remains a three-compartment structure with a propulsion module, a return module, and an orbital module, with a weight of about 8 tons
and is launched by a Long March 2F carrier rocket. . It is China's second spacecraft to carry astronauts, and also China's
first manned spacecraft to carry out "multi-person, multi-sky" missions.
Astronauts
Mission astronauts
Fei Junlong, commander
Nie Haisheng, operator
This is the first time that the two astronauts have flown on a space mission. Nie Haisheng celebrated his 41st lunar
birthday Oct. 13 in space.
Reserve astronauts
First echelon: Liu Boming, Jing Haipeng
Second echelon: Zhai Zhigang, Wu Jie
Heads of sub-systems
Chief commander of the astronaut system, chief designer: Chen Shanguang
Chief commander of the spaceship application system, chief designer: Gu Yidong
Chief commander of the spaceship system: Shang Zhi. Chief Designer: Zhang Bannan
Commander-in-Chief of Rocket System: Liu Yu, Chief Designer: Liu Zhusheng
Commander-in-Chief of Launching Site System: Zhang Yulin, Chief Designer: Lu Jinrong
Commander-in-Chief of Measurement, Control, and Communication System: Dong Deyi, Chief Designer: Yu Zhijian
Commander-in-Chief of Landing Site System: Sui Qisheng, Chief Designer: Hou Ying
Timeline
The following times are in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
Oct. 11
22:15-22:17 Astronauts enter the spacecraft
22:53 Shenzhou 6 return capsule hatch closes
Oct. 12
00:27 Rocket tower operating bracket opens fully
01:00:00 LM-2 F rocket ignition
01:00:03.583 Shenzhou VI launch
01:02:03 (120th second after ignition) Rocket abandons escape tower
01:02:19 (136th second after ignition) Rocket booster separation
01:02:42 (159th second after ignition) Rocket first and second stages separate, first stage Rocket falls
01:03:23 (200 seconds after ignition) Fairing detached at an altitude of 110 kilometers
01:09:43 (583 seconds after ignition) Spaceship and rocket separated successfully at an altitude of about 200 kilometers
01:09:52 Shenzhou VI enters the scheduled orbit
07:56 Shenzhou VI spacecraft Orbit change
Oct 13
02:10 Astronauts conduct on-orbit anti-jamming test
18:21 Sea conditions deteriorate in the area where Farwatch 1, Farwatch 2 and Farwatch 3 are situated
21:56 Shenzhou 6 performs its first orbital maintenance after orbit change
Oct 15
08:29 -08:31 Astronauts speak with Hu Jintao, President of the People's Republic of China*** and the People's Republic of China.
October 16
18:40 Shenzhou VI enters its 76th orbit around the Earth, over the Qingdao station's measurement and control area
18:44 Shenzhou VI's return command is unlocked
19:10 The dispatcher of the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center (BAFCC) announces that the return segment tracking has entered the 30-minute readiness
19:17 Shenzhou VI is
19:18 The propulsion module's solar sailboard is zeroed vertically
19:42 The Far-Eye Survey Vessel No. 3 captures the signal of Shenzhou VI
19:43-19:48 The Far-Eye Survey Vessel No. 3 carries out a series of key controls on Shenzhou VI, such as attitude adjustment, separation of the orbital module from the return voyage, and
braking and ignition, etc.
19:51 The Shenzhou VI is now ready for the return section. Shenzhou VI has entered the scheduled return orbit smoothly
19:43 Far Sight 3 sends commands to Shenzhou VI, and the first attitude adjustment of Shenzhou VI begins
19:44 The orbital module and the return capsule are successfully separated
19:45 The engine of the propulsion module fires up, and the return voyage begins
19:48:29 The orbital control engine of the propulsion module shuts down, and flies out of the Far Sight. The engines shut down and fly out of the measurement and control section of the Far Sight 3 survey ship
19:52 The capsule passes over the African continent, heading towards China
20:02 The capsule passes over South Asia, and the astronauts report that the spacecraft is working normally and feels good
20:07 The Propulsion Module and the Return Module are successfully separated
20:13 The capsule enters the communication blackout zone.
20:16 Landing site measurement and control equipment found the spacecraft
20:19 Main parachute cover opened
20:20 Deceleration parachute off, main parachute opened, helicopter visualized the target
20:23 Thermal bottom of the return capsule was successfully thrown off
20:33 The return capsule was successfully landed
21:04 The door of the capsule was opened
21:39 Two astronauts, Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, left the capsule
Launch
Shenzhou 6 was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 9:00 a.m. Beijing time (UTC+8) on October 12, 2005
Two Chinese astronauts, Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, were sent to space. The flight is expected to last five days. They will first orbit five times in an elliptical orbit with an inclination of 42.4 degrees, a perigee altitude of 200 kilometers and an apogee altitude of 347 kilometers, and then enter a 343-kilometer circular orbit after changing orbits. It takes 90 minutes to fly around the Earth, and the flight trajectory is projected as a sinusoidal curve that is constantly moving eastward on the Earth's surface. The orbital characteristics are the same as those of Shenzhou V.
In orbit
At 17:29 on Oct. 12, astronaut Fei Junlong opened the hatch between Shenzhou 6's return capsule and the orbital module, and entered the orbital
module to carry out space science experiments.
Beginning at 0400 on Oct. 13, the astronauts conducted an on-orbit disturbance force test, consciously increasing the amplitude of their movements in the capsule to test
check the effect of human disturbance on the attitude of the spacecraft. After opening and closing the hatch, putting on and taking off the pressure suit, walking through the cabin, and extracting condensate
four major "on-orbit disturbance force" tests, the astronauts' activities had little effect on the spacecraft's attitude, and the spacecraft could maintain a normal
flight without any need to correct the spacecraft's attitude.
On the morning of Oct. 14, Shenzhou VI carried out the first orbit maintenance after orbit change in the 30th lap, i.e., according to the orbit fine measurement parameters
tiny adjustments were made to bring the spacecraft back to the scheduled normal orbit. During the maintenance, the Shenzhou VI engine *** ignited for 6.5 seconds, lifting
the spacecraft 800 meters.
At 16:29 on Oct. 15, Hu Jintao spoke with astronauts Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng.
At 18:05, the astronauts transmitted digital images they had taken of the spacecraft's solar sail panels to Beijing
Space Flight Control Center.
Landing
After completing its scheduled mission, the spacecraft returned to its main landing site in Siziwangqi, Inner Mongolia, using lift re-entry. The Shenzhou
6 manned spacecraft needs to go through four phases to return to the ground: the braking flight phase, the free gliding phase, the re-entry
layer phase and the landing phase. After the separation of the orbital module and the return capsule during the orbiting flight, Shenzhou 6 will continue to fly in orbit for six months to conduct a series of scientific experiments.
Because the first manned spacecraft, Shenzhou V, flew in space for only one day, weather changes at the main landing site could be predicted accurately and in time, so the secondary landing site has not been activated; Shenzhou VI will fly in space for many days, and the weather is difficult to predict accurately, so the secondary site at the Jiuquan Satellite Launching Center will be activated as a back-up landing site. To prepare for the spacecraft's return at any time,
there are 13 landing sites on the ground***. In addition to the main and secondary landing sites at the Siziwangqi and Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centers in Inner Mongolia, there are 11 emergency landing sites at home and abroad. The landing site system includes the main and secondary landing site subsystems, the land
emergency search and rescue subsystem, the sea emergency search and rescue subsystem, the communication subsystem, and the astronauts' medical supervision and medical insurance subsystem, which are five
subsystems.
The equipment involved in astronaut search and rescue includes search and rescue helicopters, search and rescue helicopters, search and video helicopters,
command and dispatch vehicles, astronaut medical supervision and medical insurance vehicles, engineering transportation vehicles, astronaut transportation vehicles, return capsule cranes and small search
rope cars.
Four giant parachutes have been designed to ensure the safe return home of Shenzhou VI and the two astronauts. Return capsule in the landing process,
at least to successively open the guidance parachute, deceleration parachute, the main parachute *** 3 umbrellas, if necessary, but also to open the fourth backup umbrella
. Whether the spacecraft return capsule parachute can be opened smoothly is directly related to the success or failure of the recovery. The main parachute can't be opened all at once, or it will be blown through by the high-speed airflow, and the return capsule will be smashed. All is not lost when the spacecraft lands,
If the giant parachute is blown by the wind, it could drag the capsule into a fast roll. To ensure safety, a cutter on the capsule automatically cuts off the parachute harness the moment the capsule hits the ground,
allowing the parachute to float down on its own, so that the capsule isn't dragged away by the parachute.
This is the first time a spacecraft has landed on the ground.
Additionally, according to the opinion of Shenzhou V astronaut Yang Liwei, in order to minimize the impact on the astronauts when Shenzhou VI lands
, the seats of the astronauts in the capsule are also installed for the first time with "endowed shock-absorbing cushions," which are designed according to the shape of the astronauts' bodies, which are not the same as those of the astronauts. The energy-absorbing seat cushion, which is made according to the different
characteristics of astronauts, can quickly disperse the stress on the human body at the moment of impact, avoiding human body damage
At 3:44 a.m. on Oct. 16, 2005, the orbital module of the spacecraft was successfully separated from the return module, and at 3:45 a.m., the engine of the spacecraft was successfully ignited to start its return voyage. At 4:07 a.m. the spacecraft's propulsion module successfully separated from the return capsule, which
re-entered Earth on its own.
During the landing, there was a point of light in the night sky at the main landing site in Siziwangqi, as if a shooting star had crossed the night sky. When the module passed through the atmosphere at 4:13 a.m., it generated high temperatures, creating a black block of communication and suspending contact with the control center
for three minutes. At 4:20 a.m., the module opened its main parachute and slowly landed at the main landing site in Siziwangqi. At
4:33 a.m., the module successfully landed, and the two astronauts, Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, reported their safety to the control center, where
staff members applauded and celebrated. About half an hour later, a search-and-rescue helicopter spotted the capsule first, and the actual landing site was only 1 kilometer different from the predicted
plan. After the crew opened the door to the return capsule, medical personnel examined the two astronauts and suggested
that the two could exit the capsule on their own.
Unlike Shenzhou 5 astronaut Yang Liwei, Fei Junlong first climbed out of the capsule on his own, wearing a space suit, and waved to workers on the scene
. Nie Haisheng also climbed out of the capsule and walked down the iron ladder, and the two men sat on chairs and accepted flower offerings from staff members
and thanked everyone for their concern and love, Fei said, noting that the trip to space had gone very smoothly, and that they had worked and lived well inside the capsule, and were in good health. The two astronauts stayed in space for 115.5 hours, more than five times the flight time of Shenzhou V
, creating the longest stay in space for Chinese people and bringing to a successful end China's first
"multi-person, multi-day" space journey. Fei and Nie were picked up by helicopters after their return to the ground, followed by a special plane that sent them back to Beijing, where they were temporarily quarantined for 14 days.
Technical improvements
More than 40 pieces of equipment and six pieces of software were newly added to the spacecraft, bringing it to more than 600 pieces of equipment, 82 pieces of software, and more than 100,000 pieces of meta-vehicle
pieces, and 110 technological improvements were made in four areas.
Improvements centered around a two-person, multi-day mission: food cabinets were put to real use, and astronaut water was prepared in two ways
via water tanks and separate soft packages. The condensate tank was enlarged, and all exposed piping was labeled with absorbent material to ensure that the spacecraft
humidity was kept below 80 percent.
Improvements in the functional use of the orbital module: food warmers and utensils were placed. A sleeping bag is hung in the orbital module
for the two astronauts to take turns resting. There is also a special cleaning cabinet in the capsule, where astronauts can clean themselves with items such as warm wipes. The urine and feces collection device is also being used for the first time this time.
Improvements to enhance astronaut safety: The seat cushion for astronauts has been redesigned so that astronauts can see out the porthole after the seat is lifted
before return. The rapid
automatic detection device for the hatch closure between the return module and the orbit module has been successfully developed. Developed a special rag that does not produce fibers, static electricity, or odor and is specifically designed to clean
the hatch.
Continuous improvement: the "black box" not only has a storage capacity 100 times larger than the original, but also the speed of writing and reading data
has increased by more than 10 times, while the volume is less than half of the original
Carrying
The items carried on board the Shenzhou VI spacecraft were mainly souvenirs of the manned spaceflight project, such as stamps, paintings, flags and
other souvenirs, as well as microbial strains and crop seeds used for scientific experiments.
Experimental use
Some eggs, silkworm eggs and Yunnan Pu'er tea will be sent up with Shenzhou VI to study the possibility of genetic mutation.
Twenty-four cell culture boxes containing beating heart muscle cells and wall-stretching osteoblasts have been placed on the spacecraft, and astronauts
and ground crews are synchronizing a series of scientific comparative experiments on the two identical sets of living cells, to study the cellular molecular mechanisms by which the space environment affects the heart and skeleton, and to validate the effects of cell culture in the cell culture fluid, in the cell culture solution, in the cell culture medium, and in the bone culture solution through the real-time flight in space. culture fluid and
screened on the ground to verify the protective effects of the drugs placed in the cell culture fluid. The astronauts operated 24 sample cassettes in three time periods. During the operation, the astronauts would
place the cell culture tape on their legs, squeeze through two capsules containing activators and immobilizers at different time periods to
activate or immobilize the living cells, and examine the state and
changes of the cell samples in the different gravitational conditions before and after the spacecraft was put into orbit.
Memorial use
There are 10 grams of special clay, consisting of 9 grams of mainland clay and 1 gram of Taiwan clay, signifying ten perfections and wishing for peace and
peaceful reunification of the motherland.
Ship data
Ship name: Shenzhou VI
Launch: Oct. 12, 2005 09:00:00 BST
Takeoff: Oct. 12, 2005 09:00:03.583 BST
Landing: Oct. 17, 2005 04:33 BST
Flight time: 115 hours, 32 minutes
Orbit: 76 revolutions
Altitude: 343 kilometers