Shenzhou 3
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| Mission type | Test flight |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 2002-014A |
| SATCATno. | 27397 |
| Mission duration | 6 days, 18 hours, 51 minutes |
| Orbits completed | 107 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Shenzhou |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | March 25, 2002, 14:15:04UTC |
| Rocket | Chang Zheng 2F |
| Launch site | JiuquanLA-4/SLS-1 |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | April 1, 2002, 08:51UTC |
| Landing site | Inner Mongolia[vague] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Inclination | 42.40 degrees |
Shenzhoumissions | |
Shenzhou 3(Chinese:Thần chu tam hào) launched on March 25, 2002, was the third unmanned launch ofChina'sShenzhou spacecraft.This was the first Shenzhou spacecraft launched that could have actually carried a human and as such the main objective of the mission was to test the systems required to support a human in space. On board it carried a dummy to simulate physiological signals of a human —palpitation,pulse,breathing,eating,metabolism,andexcretion.
The launch had been delayed several months due to design changes. It had been planned that Shenzhou 3 would use a new interior design but implementation problems meant reverting to the previous version. The rocket and spacecraft were eventually rolled out on the pad during the Fifth Session of the NinthNational People's Congressand the Ninth National Committee of theChinese People's Political Consultative Conferencein early March 2002.
Orbit[edit]
It is thought that Shenzhou 3 changed its orbit twice during the mission. The first was on March 29 at 10:15UTCwhen the aft maneuvering thrusters fired for about 8 seconds putting it into a 330.2 km x 337.2 km orbit. The second was on March 31. Both times were to raise its orbit. Shenzhou 3 operated in a slightly less inclined orbit of 42.40° to the previousShenzhou 1and2flights, which were in about 42.59° inclined orbits.
Scientific payload[edit]
On board were carried 44 different experiments. These included an imagingspectrograph,cloudsensor,radiationsensor, solarultravioletmonitor,solar constantmonitor,atmospheric compositiondetector,atmospheric densitydetector, multi-chamber space crystallization furnace, spaceprotein crystalequipment, a cellbioreactor,asolid mattertracking detector andmicrogravitygauge. Also on board was avideo camerathat broadcast images of the Earth as seen through one of the windows on the spacecraft. To test the radio transmitting systems, a pre-recorded female voice was transmitted.
Reentry[edit]
Shenzhou 3 reentered and landed successfully after 107 orbits. Unlike Shenzhou 2 where no photos had been released of the landing capsule, this time photos were released confirmed a successful touchdown. As with Shenzhou 2 the Orbital Module stayed in orbit for an extended mission. During this time it made some orbital adjustments, raising its orbit. Although it was speculated that it could serve as a docking target forShenzhou 4,this did not turn out to be the case. Its mission ended in October 2002 and it reentered on November 12 at about 06:38 UTC over 22°S 109° E over the Indian Ocean off western Australia.
Launch[edit]
The launch of Shenzhou 3 was attended byGeneral Secretary of the Chinese Communist PartyandPresidentJiang Zemin.Along with him wereWu Bangguo,member of thePolitburo of the Chinese Communist PartyandVice-Premier;Zeng Qinghong,alternate member of the Politburo and member of theSecretariat of the Chinese Communist Party;Yu Yongbo,member of theCentral Military Commissionand director of thePeople's Liberation Army's General Political Department; andCao Gangchuan,member of the Central Military Commission and director of the People's Liberation Army's General Armament Department.
Escape system[edit]
Shenzhou 3 was the firstLong March 2Flaunch to feature a workinglaunch escape system.Also added were two manual system that would have allowed an astronaut to activate the system in case of emergency. It was tested during the launch phase though Chinese officials did not confirm if the test was successful.
A day after launchChina Central Televisionbroadcast an artist impression of the spacecraft in orbit. Of interest was that the front of the orbital module appeared to have been equipped with three seven elementlog-periodic antennae.It is thought that it was designed for a frequency range of 300–1000MHz.Also shown was an animation of the orbital module after it had separated from the rest of the spacecraft. Three booms were extended from the front package, one left, another right and the third forward. It is speculated that this could have been some sort ofELINTpackage.
See also[edit]
- Chinese space program
- Tiangong program
- Shenzhou spacecraft
- Long March rocket
- Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
References[edit]
- Wei, Long (March 12, 2001)."Shenzhou 3 On The Pad Awaiting Launch".SpaceDaily.Retrieved2010-12-13.
- Wei, Long (March 13, 2001)."Shenzhou Design Changes Reason For Launch Delay".SpaceDaily.Retrieved2010-12-13.
- People's Daily(March 26, 2001)."China's President Attends Launch".SpaceDaily.Retrieved2010-12-13.
- Wei, Long (March 28, 2001)."Shenzhou 3 Proceeds Smoothly Halfway Through Mission".SpaceDaily.Retrieved2010-12-13.
- David, Leonard (March 28, 2001)."Voice Heard From China's Shenzhou 3".Space.com. Archived fromthe originalon May 23, 2009.Retrieved2010-12-13.
- Wei, Long (March 31, 2001)."Shenzhou 3 Back On Earth Monday".SpaceDaily.Retrieved2010-12-13.
- Wei, Long (April 1, 2001)."New Details Of Shenzhou And Its Launcher Revealed".SpaceDaily.Retrieved2010-12-13.
- Andrews, Ted (April 1, 2001)."China's Shenzhou 3 Capsule Returns to Earth".Space.com. Archived fromthe originalon November 10, 2009.Retrieved2010-12-13.
- Wei, Long (November 25, 2001)."Shenzhou 3 Module Reentry Wraps Up Long-Duration Mission".SpaceDaily.Retrieved2010-12-13.
- Grahn, Sven."The flight of Shenzhou 3".Retrieved2010-12-13.