Shenzhou 4
Encyclopedia
Shenzhou 4 launched on December 29, 2002, was the fourth unmanned launch of the Chinese Shenzhou spacecraft
. Carried on board were two dummy astronauts to test the life support systems.
The spacecraft was equipped for a manned flight, even featuring a sleeping bag
, food
and medication
. The windows were constructed of a new material that was designed to stay clear even after reentry to allow an astronaut to confirm that the parachute
s have deployed properly. It was said that the spacecraft flown on Shenzhou 4 had no major differences to that used on Shenzhou 5
. It flew with the ability for manual control and emergency landing, systems needed for a manned flight. A week before the launch, astronauts trained in the spacecraft to familiarise themselves with its systems.
Initially the spacecraft was in a 198 km by 331 km orbit inclined 42.4°. This was raised to 330 km by 337 km at 23:35 UTC on December 29. Also on January 4 and January 5 several smaller manoeuvres are thought to have taken place. The rate of orbital decay seemed higher after January 1 suggesting that the orbital module's solar panels may have been deployed for the first time. Compared to Shenzhou 3
the orbital period of Shenzhou 4 was much more tightly bounded with smaller manoeuvres.
The launch of Shenzhou 4 was watched by officials including Chairman of the National People's Congress
Li Peng
; Vice Premier and member of the Politburo Standing Committee
Wu Bangguo
; Jia Qinglin
, also a member of the Standing Committee; Cao Gangchuan
, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission
; Song Jian, vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
; and Li Jinai
, head of the General Armament Department of the People's Liberation Army
.
The spacecraft carried 100 peony
seed
s to investigate the effect of weightlessness
on plants grown from them. The 52 experiments onboard investigated areas in physics
, biology
, medicine
, earth observation
, material science and astronomy
.
Four tracking ships were used for the mission — one off the coast of South Africa in the South Atlantic Ocean, one in the Indian Ocean near Western Australia, one in the North Pacific Ocean south of Japan, and one in the South Pacific Ocean west of New Zealand.
The reentry module landed safely on about 40 km from Hohhot
in Inner Mongolia
. As with previous flights, the command for reentry to begin was given by a tracking ship off the coast of South Africa. It was thought before the flight that the Chinese could attempt a water landing
to test the emergency system but this did not eventuate. The orbital module remained in orbit until September 9, 2003.
Shenzhou spacecraft
Shenzhou is a spacecraft developed and operated by the People's Republic of China to support its manned spaceflight program. The name is variously translated as "Divine Craft," "Divine Vessel of God," "Magic Boat" or similar and is also homophonous with an ancient name for China...
. Carried on board were two dummy astronauts to test the life support systems.
The spacecraft was equipped for a manned flight, even featuring a sleeping bag
Sleeping bag
A sleeping bag is a protective "bag" for a person to sleep in, essentially a blanket that can be closed with a zipper or similar means, and functions as a bed in situations where a bed is unavailable . Its primary purpose is to provide warmth and thermal insulation...
, food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
and medication
Medication
A pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as medicine, medication or medicament, can be loosely defined as any chemical substance intended for use in the medical diagnosis, cure, treatment, or prevention of disease.- Classification :...
. The windows were constructed of a new material that was designed to stay clear even after reentry to allow an astronaut to confirm that the parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
s have deployed properly. It was said that the spacecraft flown on Shenzhou 4 had no major differences to that used on Shenzhou 5
Shenzhou 5
Shenzhou 5 — was the first human spaceflight mission of the People's Republic of China , 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...
. It flew with the ability for manual control and emergency landing, systems needed for a manned flight. A week before the launch, astronauts trained in the spacecraft to familiarise themselves with its systems.
Initially the spacecraft was in a 198 km by 331 km orbit inclined 42.4°. This was raised to 330 km by 337 km at 23:35 UTC on December 29. Also on January 4 and January 5 several smaller manoeuvres are thought to have taken place. The rate of orbital decay seemed higher after January 1 suggesting that the orbital module's solar panels may have been deployed for the first time. Compared to Shenzhou 3
Shenzhou 3
Shenzhou 3 launched on March 25, 2002, was the third unmanned launch of China's Shenzhou spacecraft. This was the first Shenzhou spacecraft launched that could have actually carried a human and as such the main objective of the mission was to test the systems required to support a human in space...
the orbital period of Shenzhou 4 was much more tightly bounded with smaller manoeuvres.
The launch of Shenzhou 4 was watched by officials including Chairman of the National People's Congress
National People's Congress
The National People's Congress , abbreviated NPC , is the highest state body and the only legislative house in the People's Republic of China. The National People's Congress is held in the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, capital of the People's Republic of China; with 2,987 members, it is the...
Li Peng
Li Peng
Li Peng served as the fourth Premier of the People's Republic of China, between 1987 and 1998, and the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body, from 1998 to 2003. For much of the 1990s Li was ranked second in the Communist Party of China ...
; Vice Premier and member of the Politburo Standing Committee
Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China
The Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China is a committee consisting of the top leadership of the Communist Party of China, whose membership varies between 5 and 9 people. The inner workings of the PSC are not well known, although it is believed that decisions of the PSC are...
Wu Bangguo
Wu Bangguo
Wu Bangguo is a high-ranking politician in the People's Republic of China. He is currently Chairman and Party secretary of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, a position that makes him China's chief legislator...
; Jia Qinglin
Jia Qinglin
Jia Qinglin is a senior leader of the People's Republic of China. He is the fourth ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Chairman and Party secretary of the National Committee of the People's Political Consultative Conference. Jia's functions as...
, also a member of the Standing Committee; Cao Gangchuan
Cao Gangchuan
Cao Gangchuan was vice chairman of Central Military Commission and former Minister of National Defense of the People's Republic of China. He was also state councilor and director of the PLA General Armament Department.-Biography:...
, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission
Central Military Commission
A Central Military Commission or National Defense Commission is an organisation typical of Communist one-party states, responsible for supervising the nation's armed forces....
; Song Jian, vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference [], shortened as 人民政协, Rénmín Zhèngxié, i.e. "People's PCC"; or just 政协, Zhèngxié, i.e. "The PCC"), abbreviated CPPCC, is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China...
; and Li Jinai
Li Jinai
Li Jinai is a general in the People's Liberation Army.-Biography:Li Jinai was born in Tengzhou, Shandong province in July 1942. He joined the Chinese Communist Party in May 1965 and joined the People's Liberation Army in December 1967...
, head of the General Armament Department of the People's Liberation Army
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
.
The spacecraft carried 100 peony
Peony
Peony or paeony is a name for plants in the genus Paeonia, the only genus in the flowering plant family Paeoniaceae. They are native to Asia, southern Europe and western North America...
seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s to investigate the effect of weightlessness
Weightlessness
Weightlessness is the condition that exists for an object or person when they experience little or no acceleration except the acceleration that defines their inertial trajectory, or the trajectory of pure free-fall...
on plants grown from them. The 52 experiments onboard investigated areas in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, earth observation
Earth observation
Earth observation is the gathering of information about planet Earth’s physical, chemical and biological systems. It is used to monitor and assess the status of, and changes in, the natural environment and the built environment. In recent years, Earth observation has become technologically more and...
, material science and astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
.
Four tracking ships were used for the mission — one off the coast of South Africa in the South Atlantic Ocean, one in the Indian Ocean near Western Australia, one in the North Pacific Ocean south of Japan, and one in the South Pacific Ocean west of New Zealand.
The reentry module landed safely on about 40 km from Hohhot
Hohhot
Hohhot , is a city in north-central China and the capital of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, serving as the region's administrative, economic, and cultural centre....
in Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
. As with previous flights, the command for reentry to begin was given by a tracking ship off the coast of South Africa. It was thought before the flight that the Chinese could attempt a water landing
Splashdown (spacecraft landing)
Splashdown is the method of landing a spacecraft by parachute in a body of water. It was used by American manned spacecraft prior to the Space Shuttle program. It is also possible for the Russian Soyuz spacecraft and Chinese Shenzhou spacecraft to land in water, though this is only a contingency...
to test the emergency system but this did not eventuate. The orbital module remained in orbit until September 9, 2003.