Astronauts return to Earth after successful mission
(AFP)
Updated: 2005-10-17 08:57

China's second manned space mission returned safely to Earth after a successful five-day flight, in the latest chapter in China's ambitious drive to become a global space power.

Astronauts Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng were given a clean bill of health after the reentry capsule of their Shenzhou VI spacecraft glided to Earth on a parachute, ending up in Inner Mongolia, Xinhua news agency said.

Emerging from the module, television pictures showed the two take a few seconds to adjust to the Earth's gravity, before being presented with bouquets of flowers and waving to assembled recovery teams and ground control staff.

Mission control declared the mission a success, Xinhua said.

A helicopter pilot from one of the recovery teams reported that the capsule landed upright after touching down at 4:32 am (2032 GMT), just one kilometre (1,100 yards) from the intended landing site, it added.

The flight was China's second-ever manned space mission following the historic Shenzhou V, which in October 2003 made China the third nation after the former Soviet Union and the United States to put a man into space.

Shenzhou VI had been carrying enough food, water and oxygen for a seven-day mission, although planners had expected it to spend just five days in orbit.

The spacecraft blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Inner Mongolia's border with Gansu province on Wednesday.

During his 21-hour maiden flight in 2003, lone astronaut Yang Liwei never left his seat in the re-entry capsule nor take off his space suit.

In contrast, Fei and Nie's flight saw them leave the re-entry capsule and enter the orbital capsule, shedding their bulky suits and donning ordinary work clothes so they could move around easily.

During their time in space, the astronauts successfully fired rockets to adjust the craft's altitude, ensuring it remained in its pre-planned orbit -- which was crucial for its return to Earth, a mission control spokesman said.

Premier Wen Jiabao hailed the historic second mission as a success after watching from the launch pad on Wednesday. The launch captivated the nation, with millions of Chinese watching it on television.

Dispelling concerns that China could use space for military purposes, Wen said the purpose of the mission was to conduct experiments "entirely for peaceful purposes."

The Chinese government also hopes to use the manned space program to invigorate patriotism and instil a curiosity in science and technology amongst China's largely agrarian population.

China's state press gushed over the mission, with the leading People's Daily saying its success embodied "China's special character," its technical progress, national strength and international competitiveness.

The craft is based on the robust and thoroughly tested Soviet design for the Soyuz vessel, and consists of three modules.

These include the orbital module where scientific experiments are carried out; the re-entry capsule where the astronauts spend most of their time and the service module, which contains fuel and air, solar panels and other technical gear.

"This is the first time for Shenzhou spacecraft to apply the whole system, and the successful flight this time would indicate that China's technology in Shenzhou spacecraft is close to be mature," Zhang Bainan, chief designer of the spacecraft system, told Xinhua earlier.

Spending on the Shenzhou series of launches has reached roughly 19 billion yuan (2.3 billion US dollars), less than 10 percent of the US annual spending on space programs, Xinhua quoted a space science researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences saying last week.