Shuguang spacecraft
Encyclopedia
Shuguang One meaning "dawn" in Mandarin
, also known as Project 714 , was the first manned spacecraft proposed by the People's Republic of China
during the late 1960s and early 1970s that was never built. The design was for a two-man capsule, similar to the American Gemini spacecraft
, that could be launched in 1973. Because of financial and political problems, Shuguang was cancelled on May 13, 1972.
developed during the sixties, various proposals for manned spacecraft were made. Serious planning began in 1966, with initial sub-orbital
test flights with animals
to be made before a manned mission. However, shortly after these plans were made, several leading scientists attached to the project were denounced during the Cultural Revolution
, bringing progress to a standstill.
As the Cold War
space race
for the Moon
between the USSR and the USA reached its climax, the Chinese leaders in direct ideological conflict with the revisionist line of Nikita Khrushchev
and therefore competing for the leadership of the communist world, decided not to give up the Moon and outer space to the only two superpowers.
Thus, Chairman Mao Zedong
and Zhou Enlai
decided on July 14, 1967 to start China's own manned space program. China first manned spacecraft was named Shuguang-1 (曙光一号) in January 1968。 China's Space Medical Institute (航天医学工程研究所) was founded on April 1, 1968, where space medical research were conducted. The Central Military Commission
issued the order of starting the selection of astronauts among the People's Liberation Army Air Force
pilots. The criteria of selection were: 1.59 to 1.74 meters high, 24 to 38 years of age, 55 to 70 kg and 300 hours of flight time. At the end of 1969, after two months of selection and after the screening of 1918 pilots, 215 primary candidate were selected. Then a second phase of screening based on flying techniques, psychological, physiological and general medical examination criteria left only 88 candidates remaining. Dedication to Chinese revolutionary political ideas were also a determinant factor. 19 astronauts were chosen when the screening process ended on March 15, 1971, including Lu Xiangxiao, Wang Zhiyue, Dong Xiaohai and Fang Guojun. During a conference in April 1971, it was decided that the spacecraft should follow the design of the two-man American Gemini craft, and the program was deemed "Project 714" after the year and month of the conference. The astronauts were to begin training in November 1971, with the first mission planned for 1973. The Shuguang craft was developed for this purpose and was planned to be launched on the CZ-2A rocket.
in the Sichuan
province was decided, located farther from the Soviet border, thus safer. The 'Shuguang One' spacecraft was expected to be launched from the launch pad number one. After the cancellation of the program the launch pad was never completed. Today a viewing platform for officials has been built at the site.
.
, which would have been in the form of a splashdown
, as there was no soft-landing system designed for the vehicle.
-class space tracking ships for recovery of re-entry vehicles at sea was built. The Space Flight Medical Research Centre was founded in Beijing. Recoverable space capsules of the FSW
-class, EVA spacesuits, space food
, space tracking stations and radar
s, astronaut
selection process and training and related facilities were developed, laying the ground for the successful 921 manned space program (Shenzhou) that followed three decades later.
Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
, also known as Project 714 , was the first manned spacecraft proposed by the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
during the late 1960s and early 1970s that was never built. The design was for a two-man capsule, similar to the American Gemini spacecraft
Project Gemini
Project Gemini was the second human spaceflight program of NASA, the civilian space agency of the United States government. Project Gemini was conducted between projects Mercury and Apollo, with ten manned flights occurring in 1965 and 1966....
, that could be launched in 1973. Because of financial and political problems, Shuguang was cancelled on May 13, 1972.
Early development
As the Chinese space programChinese space program
The space program of the People's Republic of China is directed by the China National Space Administration . Its technological roots can be traced back to the late 1950s, when the People's Republic began a rudimentary ballistic missile program in response to perceived American threats...
developed during the sixties, various proposals for manned spacecraft were made. Serious planning began in 1966, with initial sub-orbital
Sub-orbital spaceflight
A sub-orbital space flight is a spaceflight in which the spacecraft reaches space, but its trajectory intersects the atmosphere or surface of the gravitating body from which it was launched, so that it does not complete one orbital revolution....
test flights with animals
Animals in space
Animals in space originally only served to test the survivability of spaceflight, before manned space missions were attempted. Later, animals were also flown to investigate various biological processes and the effects microgravity and space flight might have on them...
to be made before a manned mission. However, shortly after these plans were made, several leading scientists attached to the project were denounced during the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
, bringing progress to a standstill.
Planning
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
space race
Space Race
The Space Race was a mid-to-late 20th century competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for supremacy in space exploration. Between 1957 and 1975, Cold War rivalry between the two nations focused on attaining firsts in space exploration, which were seen as necessary for national...
for the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
between the USSR and the USA reached its climax, the Chinese leaders in direct ideological conflict with the revisionist line of Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
and therefore competing for the leadership of the communist world, decided not to give up the Moon and outer space to the only two superpowers.
Thus, Chairman Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
and Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976...
decided on July 14, 1967 to start China's own manned space program. China first manned spacecraft was named Shuguang-1 (曙光一号) in January 1968。 China's Space Medical Institute (航天医学工程研究所) was founded on April 1, 1968, where space medical research were conducted. 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....
issued the order of starting the selection of astronauts among the People's Liberation Army Air Force
People's Liberation Army Air Force
The People's Liberation Army Air Force is the aviation branch of the People's Liberation Army, the military of the People's Republic of China...
pilots. The criteria of selection were: 1.59 to 1.74 meters high, 24 to 38 years of age, 55 to 70 kg and 300 hours of flight time. At the end of 1969, after two months of selection and after the screening of 1918 pilots, 215 primary candidate were selected. Then a second phase of screening based on flying techniques, psychological, physiological and general medical examination criteria left only 88 candidates remaining. Dedication to Chinese revolutionary political ideas were also a determinant factor. 19 astronauts were chosen when the screening process ended on March 15, 1971, including Lu Xiangxiao, Wang Zhiyue, Dong Xiaohai and Fang Guojun. During a conference in April 1971, it was decided that the spacecraft should follow the design of the two-man American Gemini craft, and the program was deemed "Project 714" after the year and month of the conference. The astronauts were to begin training in November 1971, with the first mission planned for 1973. The Shuguang craft was developed for this purpose and was planned to be launched on the CZ-2A rocket.
New Space Center
In order to support the Chinese 'Project 714' manned space program in the 1960s, the construction of a new space center at XichangXichang
Xichang is a city in and the seat of the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, in the south of Sichuan province, People's Republic of China. In 2004 it had a population of 126,700.-Geography:...
in the Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
province was decided, located farther from the Soviet border, thus safer. The 'Shuguang One' spacecraft was expected to be launched from the launch pad number one. After the cancellation of the program the launch pad was never completed. Today a viewing platform for officials has been built at the site.
Cancellation
Due to the secrecy of the project and its low priority within the Chinese government, funding for Project 714 was meager. When Mao himself was asked to allocate more funds towards the project, he declared that the state must be concerned with terrestrial needs first. Because of the lack of funding, the astronauts were released from the project and sent back to their units. On May 13, 1972, the last staff member attached to Project 714 returned to his unit, and the project was officially canceled. During the late 1970s and 1980s, official announcements were made that China's manned space program was continuing, however, no significant amount of work was done, and these announcements were only propagandaPropaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
.
Design of the Shuguang craft
The actual Shuguang vehicle would have closely resembled the Gemini spacecraft, however, the Shuguang would have been lighter and smaller to allow it to be launched by the CZ-2A, which had a maximum payload of 3200 kilograms. The two crewmembers would have been seated in a pressurized crew compartment fitted with ejection seats (in case of an abort scenario) and instruments. The aft section of the spacecraft would have been fitted with orientation engines, propellant tanks and other pieces of hardware. The crew section would have separated from the aft section for reentryAtmospheric reentry
Atmospheric entry is the movement of human-made or natural objects as they enter the atmosphere of a celestial body from outer space—in the case of Earth from an altitude above the Kármán Line,...
, which would have been in the form of a splashdown
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...
, as there was no soft-landing system designed for the vehicle.
Legacy
Nonetheless, after eight years of development, a fleet of YuanwangYuanwang
The Yuanwang-class are used for tracking and support of satellite and intercontinental ballistic missiles by the People's Liberation Army Navy of the People's Republic of China ....
-class space tracking ships for recovery of re-entry vehicles at sea was built. The Space Flight Medical Research Centre was founded in Beijing. Recoverable space capsules of the FSW
Fanhui Shi Weixing
Fanhui Shi Weixing is a series of Chinese recoverable reconnaissance satellites. The satellites were used for both military and civilian observation needs, with a total of 26 flights. The first flight was FSW-0 on 1969-06-01 and the last SJ-8 on 2006-09-09....
-class, EVA spacesuits, space food
Space food
Space food is food products, specially created and processed for consumption by astronauts in outer space. The food has specific requirements of providing balanced nutrition for the health of individuals working in space, while being easy and safe to store, prepare and consume in the machinery...
, space tracking stations and radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
s, astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
selection process and training and related facilities were developed, laying the ground for the successful 921 manned space program (Shenzhou) that followed three decades later.