Shenzhou 5

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Shenzhou 5
COSPAR ID 2003-045A
SATCAT № 28043
Mission duration 21 hours, 22 minutes, 45 seconds
Orbits completed 14
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type Shenzhou
Launch mass 7,790 kilograms (17,170 lb)
Crew
Crew size 1
Members Yang Liwei
Start of mission
Launch date October 15, 2003, 01:00:03 (2003-10-15UTC01:00:03Z) UTC
Rocket Chang Zheng 2F
Launch site Jiuquan LA-4/SLS-1
End of mission
Landing date October 15, 2003, 22:22:48 (2003-10-15UTC22:22:49Z) UTC
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Perigee 332 kilometers (206 mi)
Apogee 336 kilometers (209 mi)
Inclination 42.4 degrees
Period 91.2 minutes
Shenzhou 5 insignia.PNG
Shenzhou missions
← Shenzhou 4 Shenzhou 6 →

Shenzhou 5 (simplified Chinese: 神舟五号; traditional Chinese: 神舟五號; pinyin: shénzhōu wǔ hào) — was the first human spaceflight mission of the Chinese space program, launched on October 15, 2003. The Shenzhou spacecraft was launched on a Long March 2F launch vehicle. There had been four previous flights of unmanned Shenzhou missions since 1999. China became the third country in the world to have independent human spaceflight capability after the Soviet Union (later, Russia) and the United States.

Crew

Yang Liwei became the first man sent into space by the Chinese space program.
Position Crew Member
Commander Yang Liwei
First spaceflight

Mission parameters

  • Mass: 7,790 kg
  • Perigee: 332 km
  • Apogee: 336 km
  • Inclination: 42.4°
  • Period: 91.2 minutes
  • NSSDC ID: 2003-045A

Politics

The launch was widely heralded in the official Chinese state media with newspapers devoting far more space to the launch than any recent event. While the Chinese media portrayed the launch as a triumph for Chinese science and technology and a milestone for Chinese nationalism,[citation needed] it has also been pointed out in both Chinese and Western media that Yang Liwei showed the flag of the United Nations in addition to the flag of the People's Republic of China.[1][2] The state media also reported that crop seeds from Taiwan were brought aboard the spacecraft.[3]

General Secretary and President Hu Jintao, in an official celebration at the Great Hall of the People, hailed China's success in launching its first manned spacecraft into orbit, describing it as "an honor for our great motherland, an indicator for the initial victory of the country's first manned space flight and for an historic step taken by the Chinese people in their endeavor to surmount the peak of the world's science and technology."[4]

Hu added, "the Party and the people will never forget those who have set up this outstanding merit in the space industry for the motherland, the people and the nation." He also expressed congratulations and respect to specialists and people who have contributed to China's space mission development on behalf of the CPC Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission (CMC).[4]

The launch was met with praise from around the world. For example, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan called the launch "a great feat".[5] United States President George W. Bush congratulated Chinese President Hu and wished China continued success.[6] U.S. State Department spokesman said that the United States wished to "applaud China's success in becoming only the third country to launch people into space".[5] NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe called Shenzhou 5 an "important achievement in human exploration" and wished China "a continued safe human space flight program."[6]

The spacecraft has since featured prominently in festivities and celebrations not only in China but also in foreign countries, such as official North Korean commemorative stamps showing the first Chinese manned spacecraft alongside the DPRK's first satellite Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1.[7]

  • Shenzhou 5 re-entry capsule on display

  • The space suit worn by Shenzhou 5 crew member Yang Liwei on display

See also

References

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  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 https://fas.org/sgp/crs/space/RS21641.pdf
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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