The mission: launch the first Chinese expedition into space. Time: less than a hundred days. The means: the space shuttle Shenju (divine vehicle) five, and three Chinese taikonauts (astronauts). The goal: to join the distinguished club of Russia and the USA, and by 2020 to reach the moon
Tal Dvir, Beijing, YNET
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In the beginning there was a Soviet cosmonaut, not long after him the world also saw an American astronaut, and now a new version is about to be added to the space dictionary, which you should start memorizing, and in Chinese: Taikonaut. It will happen in less than 100 days, and the countdown has already begun.
After about four decades of a careful and exclusive partnership in the highly respected club of countries capable of sending humans into space, China is now making final preparations to join Russia and the United States, even if the exact date for the first Chinese manned launch is a highly guarded state secret, and although in the official publication The last thing that was said was that this would happen "within the schedule, in the fall", it is possible to prepare for this historic event probably around October.
Rule the sky
This is not surprising. In China, which attaches great importance to pride, honor, ceremonies and symbolism, on October 1st, 54 years of the founding of the People's China will be celebrated, and there is no better date than a national holiday to launch a tremendous project, which is all based on strengthening national pride at home and the thirst for honor in the international arena.
So it is true that the weather in the area of the date in question is a bit problematic - sometimes it rains here, and the sky is not always blue - but the Chinese government has already proven in the past, during the celebrations of the anniversary of the founding of China, that the sky can also be controlled. I mean, to a certain extent. In preparation for that grandiose event, the polluting factories were shut down for many weeks, and chemicals were spread to create clouds and bring down rain. A deliberate torrential rain fell for three days, and quite amazingly, on the appointed day the sky was clear and beautiful and smiled upon the parade.
When it comes to launching a space shuttle, the matter is obviously a little more complicated, and this is also probably the reason that even the almighty Chinese regime does not risk and pinpoint the exact date. What is known now is that, unlike the four unmanned test launches that took place in the hours of darkness, the launch of the manned shuttle will take place in daylight. Both for reasons of national pride, and to ensure better launch conditions.
As far as is known, Shenju (Divine Vehicle)-5 will be launched using the "Long Journey F2" launcher, from the Jiuzuan Satellite Launch Facility, located in the Gobi Desert, in the northwest of Gansu Province. China's space launches, whether by satellites or unmanned spacecraft, have always taken place in the country's deserts. In the past, during the night launches, the ground crews had to deal with difficult conditions and low temperatures of almost minus 20 degrees during the launch and landing. Sometimes the severe weather conditions caused delays in the plans. China really does not want that to happen this time.
And who are the staff members?
Good question. The identity of the first Chinese taikonauts is also a guarded state secret. Over the past year, the heads of China's space program have revealed only a tap, announcing that 14 fighter pilots have been selected and are training for the mission. Now they gave another hint and said that the first limited team that will ascend to the sky has already been marked and chosen, but they still firmly refuse to reveal their identity, "so as not to make them tense before the mission".
Last January, with the successful return to Earth of the fourth unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou-4, and the announcement that the next launch would be the real thing, authorities released only three photos of the potential taikonauts in training. that's it. We will know the size of the team, the names of its members, their identities and a variety of details about who are expected to be the Chinese heroes of the modern era only shortly before the launch of Shenju-5.
All that is currently known is that the selected group has been training for many months in an isolated facility near Beijing, known by the code name "The Red Chamber". Space experts, observing the Chinese program, estimate that Shenzhou-5 will carry three taikonauts on board, who will stay in space for six days, but these are only estimates and a big question mark.
Although China has declared many times that the spaceships and rockets on which they are launched are the result of independent Chinese development, but an open secret is that the Shenju shuttle is based on the Russian "Soyuz" model, and that China receives extensive technological and financial assistance from the Russians, who even hosted and trained at the Cosmonaut School At least two of the crew expected to be sent into space.
Shenju-1, the first unmanned spacecraft, was launched by China in November 99, years after the beginning of the formation of the space project. The success of that experiment was widely publicized in China, and the sense of pride of the people and the leadership in China that day skyrocketed. Since then, three more spacecraft have been launched, which performed a variety of experiments. Some even carried animals, insects and vegetation on board.
Last January, in the successful journey of Shenju-4, a "dummy astronaut" doll and various experimental systems to support life in space were also sent into space. After that journey, during which Shangju circled the Earth 108 times in a week, the wall of silence was broken a bit and it was announced that the next launch would be manned. It was even reported that the same spacecraft that returned to Earth was one of the training facilities for the taikonauts, as another hint that the mission is indeed about to be carried out, and soon.
Self with receipts
The upcoming launch of the manned Shenzhou-5 will be, according to Yuan Jia, one of the leaders of China's space program, "a breakthrough in Chinese history." But this is not the only breakthrough, nor will it be the full realization of the dream. The working papers of "Project 921" also include China's stated intentions to reach the moon and even establish an independent space station.
But all this is still far away. Around 2005, China plans to send an unmanned lunar mission, and only in 2010 is the first landing of vehicles on the white is expected. A space shuttle that will reach the moon, and also return home with samples, is expected to be launched only in 2020.
The dream of sending a Chinese into space began to take shape already in the 70s among the Chinese leadership of those days, but in fact it was only in 1992 that the formulation of the plan, which was crowned with the code name "Project 921", began, in great secrecy. This project is managed, not surprisingly, by an arm of the Chinese military.
If and when he is crowned with success, China will enter the prestigious club and stand in line with the two superpowers (one former). Then China will have no better reason to celebrate its new position in the world. No longer a potential power, but a proven power. with receipts.
As a sign of China's growing self-confidence in the success of the mission, Shenju-4 mission commander Yuan Jihejun informed the future taikonauts at the end of the mission in January: “I wish you a good journey. I hope you are calm. We will await your heroic return to the landing site."
They knew about space operations outside the USA
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