China goes long in conquering space

The Shenzhou 9 spacecraft has successfully paired with the Thien Cung 1 module on Earth's orbit on June 18, marking an important feat in China's space exploration program.

>>>The Shenzhou 9 ship flew into orbit

Xinhua quoted Beijing Space Control Center as saying that the effort to connect with the control of people between Shenzhou 9 and Thien Cung 1 takes place at 14:00 pm on June 18. Under the plan, the astronauts in the ship will step into the module at 17h22 the same day.

Image of Than Chau 9 ship and Thien Cung 1 module on the screen
big at Beijing Space Control Center. (Photo: Xinhua)

The center spokesman said the two objects were paired after Shenzhou 9 flew 4 around the globe. The ship kept changing in height during flight before reaching Thien Cung 1. The health of the three astronauts was very good. All communication systems in space and underground operate normally to support the operation of astronauts on orbit.

The Shenzhou 9 ship flew from orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China's Gansu province on June 16. The three astronauts participating in the flight were Jing Haipeng, Liu Wang and Liu Yang, in which Liu Yang was the first Chinese woman to fly into space.

The three astronauts will work in orbit more than a week after Shenzhou 9 successfully connected with Thien Cung 1. The two astronauts will work inside the Thien Cung 1 module to test support systems, while A person stays on the train to handle unexpected incidents. They will also test supplies of goods and people from Earth to modules in orbit.

Pairing two objects on orbit is a very difficult technique because they fly at speeds of up to several thousand kilometers per hour. The two devices must move close to each other gently and accurately, otherwise they will destroy each other. The Shenzhou 8 and Thien Cung modules are a successful auto pairing in November last year.