Jan. 16 — China’s pilotless Shenzhou 2 re-entry module returned to Earth on Tuesday, a steppingstone mission that bolsters the country’s bid to become the third nation to launch humans into orbit. A large segment of the Chinese spacecraft remains in space.
THE RE-ENTRY SECTION of the Shenzhou 2 landed to the east of its takeoff point, the South Launch Center — a newly developed rocket complex at the Jiuquan Satellite Center in Gansu Province.
Shenzhou 2 was boosted into orbit Jan. 10 by a Long March 2F launcher. Spending nearly a week in space, the landing capsule touched down in China’s Inner Mongolia at 7:22 p.m. local time, according to a state-run television broadcast.
This is the second test hop of the automated Shenzhou vehicle. A maiden trek of the craft saw a Nov. 19, 1999 liftoff, with the vehicle looping around Earth 14 times before landing. That first voyage of the spacecraft lasted just 21 hours.
On the second outing of the spaceship, it not only remained in Earth orbit for a longer time, it was also put through an extensive set of maneuvers.
Want to learn more? http://www.msnbc.com/news/510455.asp
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-Administrator / Owner
"Everything was true. God was an astronaut. Oz really is over the
rainbow. ...and Midian is where the monsters live." -Nightbreed
THE RE-ENTRY SECTION of the Shenzhou 2 landed to the east of its takeoff point, the South Launch Center — a newly developed rocket complex at the Jiuquan Satellite Center in Gansu Province.
Shenzhou 2 was boosted into orbit Jan. 10 by a Long March 2F launcher. Spending nearly a week in space, the landing capsule touched down in China’s Inner Mongolia at 7:22 p.m. local time, according to a state-run television broadcast.
This is the second test hop of the automated Shenzhou vehicle. A maiden trek of the craft saw a Nov. 19, 1999 liftoff, with the vehicle looping around Earth 14 times before landing. That first voyage of the spacecraft lasted just 21 hours.
On the second outing of the spaceship, it not only remained in Earth orbit for a longer time, it was also put through an extensive set of maneuvers.
Want to learn more? http://www.msnbc.com/news/510455.asp
------------------
-Administrator / Owner
"Everything was true. God was an astronaut. Oz really is over the
rainbow. ...and Midian is where the monsters live." -Nightbreed