NASASpaceFlight.com
  • Forums
  • L2 Sign Up
  • SLS/Orion
  • SpaceX
  • Commercial
  • ISS
  • International
    • All Chinese European Russian
      European

      Ariane 5 launches Hellas-Sat-4/SaudiGeoSat-1 and GSAT 31

      February 5, 2019

      Featured

      Iran improving its rockets ten years after its…

      February 2, 2019

      Featured

      UK space sector on an upward trajectory after…

      January 31, 2019

      European

      Successful P120C test another milestone towards Arianespace’s new…

      January 29, 2019

      Chinese

      Long March 11 launches with four satellites

      January 21, 2019

      Chinese

      Long March 3B lofts Chinasat-2D

      January 10, 2019

      Chinese

      China lands Chang’e-4 mission on the far side…

      January 3, 2019

      Chinese

      Long March 2D concludes 2018 campaign with Hongyan-1…

      December 29, 2018

      European

      Ariane 5 launches Hellas-Sat-4/SaudiGeoSat-1 and GSAT 31

      February 5, 2019

      European

      Successful P120C test another milestone towards Arianespace’s new…

      January 29, 2019

      European

      Hera adds objectives to planetary defense test mission

      January 7, 2019

      European

      Arianespace Soyuz ST-A launches with CSO-1

      December 19, 2018

      Russian

      Soyuz 2-1A launches Kanopus-V pair and additional payloads

      December 26, 2018

      Russian

      Proton-M successfully launches with Blagovest No.13L

      December 20, 2018

      Russian

      Soyuz MS-09 lands after unprecedented on-orbit repairs, inspections

      December 19, 2018

      Russian

      Arianespace Soyuz ST-A launches with CSO-1

      December 19, 2018

  • Other
    • All Shuttle Uncrewed
      Featured

      Beginning of the end: NASA’s Van Allen probes…

      February 14, 2019

      Commercial

      NG-10 Cygnus departs ISS after 3 month science,…

      February 8, 2019

      Commercial

      Orbex reveals Prime’s second stage as it prepares…

      February 7, 2019

      Featured

      After Kepler, exoplanet discoveries continue to inspire

      February 7, 2019

      Shuttle

      Saving Hubble: Endeavour’s ambitious mission to rescue the…

      December 13, 2018

      Shuttle

      Two NASA space telescopes returning to work following…

      October 23, 2018

      Shuttle

      Thirty years after Return To Flight from Challenger,…

      September 28, 2018

      Shuttle

      Commercial Crew assignments; NASA nears goal of human…

      August 3, 2018

      Uncrewed

      Beginning of the end: NASA’s Van Allen probes…

      February 14, 2019

      Uncrewed

      NG-10 Cygnus departs ISS after 3 month science,…

      February 8, 2019

      Uncrewed

      After Kepler, exoplanet discoveries continue to inspire

      February 7, 2019

      Uncrewed

      As new lunar race heats up, the Moon…

      February 1, 2019

Popular
NASA set to purchase more Soyuz seats to...
Beginning of the end: NASA’s Van Allen probes...
NASA Stennis restarts RS-25 testing after December abort
International partners making progress on ISS funeral plans
Spaceflight notes expanding and evolving offerings as it...
NASA working to minimize shutdown impact to Springtime...
NG-10 Cygnus departs ISS after 3 month science,...
Orbex reveals Prime’s second stage as it prepares...
After Kepler, exoplanet discoveries continue to inspire
As Falcon Heavy celebrates anniversary, SpaceX manifest aligns

NASASpaceFlight.com

  • Forums
  • L2 Sign Up
  • SLS/Orion
  • SpaceX
  • Commercial
  • ISS
  • International
    • All Chinese European Russian
      European

      Ariane 5 launches Hellas-Sat-4/SaudiGeoSat-1 and GSAT 31

      February 5, 2019

      Featured

      Iran improving its rockets ten years after its…

      February 2, 2019

      Featured

      UK space sector on an upward trajectory after…

      January 31, 2019

      European

      Successful P120C test another milestone towards Arianespace’s new…

      January 29, 2019

      Chinese

      Long March 11 launches with four satellites

      January 21, 2019

      Chinese

      Long March 3B lofts Chinasat-2D

      January 10, 2019

      Chinese

      China lands Chang’e-4 mission on the far side…

      January 3, 2019

      Chinese

      Long March 2D concludes 2018 campaign with Hongyan-1…

      December 29, 2018

      European

      Ariane 5 launches Hellas-Sat-4/SaudiGeoSat-1 and GSAT 31

      February 5, 2019

      European

      Successful P120C test another milestone towards Arianespace’s new…

      January 29, 2019

      European

      Hera adds objectives to planetary defense test mission

      January 7, 2019

      European

      Arianespace Soyuz ST-A launches with CSO-1

      December 19, 2018

      Russian

      Soyuz 2-1A launches Kanopus-V pair and additional payloads

      December 26, 2018

      Russian

      Proton-M successfully launches with Blagovest No.13L

      December 20, 2018

      Russian

      Soyuz MS-09 lands after unprecedented on-orbit repairs, inspections

      December 19, 2018

      Russian

      Arianespace Soyuz ST-A launches with CSO-1

      December 19, 2018

  • Other
    • All Shuttle Uncrewed
      Featured

      Beginning of the end: NASA’s Van Allen probes…

      February 14, 2019

      Commercial

      NG-10 Cygnus departs ISS after 3 month science,…

      February 8, 2019

      Commercial

      Orbex reveals Prime’s second stage as it prepares…

      February 7, 2019

      Featured

      After Kepler, exoplanet discoveries continue to inspire

      February 7, 2019

      Shuttle

      Saving Hubble: Endeavour’s ambitious mission to rescue the…

      December 13, 2018

      Shuttle

      Two NASA space telescopes returning to work following…

      October 23, 2018

      Shuttle

      Thirty years after Return To Flight from Challenger,…

      September 28, 2018

      Shuttle

      Commercial Crew assignments; NASA nears goal of human…

      August 3, 2018

      Uncrewed

      Beginning of the end: NASA’s Van Allen probes…

      February 14, 2019

      Uncrewed

      NG-10 Cygnus departs ISS after 3 month science,…

      February 8, 2019

      Uncrewed

      After Kepler, exoplanet discoveries continue to inspire

      February 7, 2019

      Uncrewed

      As new lunar race heats up, the Moon…

      February 1, 2019

China’s Shenzhou-9 successfully docks with Tiangong-1

written by Rui C. Barbosa June 18, 2012

The three person crew of Shenzhou-9 – including the first Chinese woman to fly in space – have successfully conducted the first crewed docking for their country. Docking between their vehicle and the Tiangong-1 module – which has been on orbit since last year – was conducted at around 6:07am UTC on Monday morning.

Chinese Docking:

The approach and docking was very similar to the one seen during Shenzhou-8 last year, an unmanned event that was China’s debut attempt to join the handful of other nations that have the ability to rendezvous and dock vehicles in space.

Shenzhou-8, was launched unmanned on October 31, 2011, via the Long March 2F (Chang Zheng-2F). The main objective of the mission was the docking with the unmanned space module Tiangong-1 that took place at 17:28 UTC on November 2.

See Also

  • LIVE: Shenzhou-9 Updates
  • 65 Launch Vehicle Manuals (L2)
  • Click here to Join L2

The new orbiting complex flew for almost 11 days, with the controllers performing various tests to the complex systems, before first separation occurred at 11:24 UTC on November 14. A second docking took place at 11:28 UTC.

On November 16, at 10:30 UTC, the two vehicles separated for the final time and Shenzhou-8 begin its return to Earth, with landing taking place at 11:32 UTC.

For Shenzhou-9 – which launched on Saturday via a Long March 2F/G (Chang Zheng-2F/G) – the opening phase of the final stage of rendezvous took place at a distance of 52 km from the TG-1 space module, allowing for SG-9 to approaching to within 20 km.

In a similar scenario to the recent arrival of SpaceX’s Dragon to the International Space Station (ISS), several hold points – at 5 km, 400 meters and 140 meters – were required, allowing for a Go/No Go for continuing final approach, as numerous systems checks were conducted.

During this key stage of the mission, Shenzhou-9 held the role as the “active vehicle”, while the Tiangong-1 was placed into the role of the “passive vehicle”.

After soft docking, locks and bolts were secured between the two vehicles, lasting around 15 minutes. This was followed by the control center adjusting the cabin environment, such as temperature, pressure, in accordance with the conditions for crewed flight.

Crew ingress into Tiangong-1 was completed around three hours after docking.

Living in orbit:

During the docked phase, two of the taikonauts will sleep in the module, while the third will sleep on the Shenzhou-9.

Tiangong-1 is equipped with various systems and equipments for the crew, such as exercise equipment and a medical laboratory, in order to evaluate the astronaut’s health during their relatively long-term presence in space for the Chinese. The module also has waste recycling equipment, medical health monitoring equipment, male and female astronauts clothing, and fire extinguishers.

The TianGong-1 spacecraft is expected to stay in orbit for two years and rendezvous and dock with three different spaceships, the latter during the future Shenzhou-10 mission. The taikonauts will stay on board for a maximum of two weeks, a duration expected for the Shenzhou-10 mission.

The 3.35 meter experimental module is composed of a enclosed front cone shaped section, cylindrical section and rear cone shaped section. On the front end of the experiment module are the docking mechanism and the measuring and communication equipment, which are used to support the rendezvous and docking with vehicles.

The experimental module is where the taikonauts will live and work, with 15 cubic meters of space to move around in. This section is also equipped with two sleeping sections with adjustable lighting systems, exercise equipment, entertainment systems, visual communications devices and control systems.

The 2.8 meter resource module will supply the power necessary for flight – containing two solar panels, propellent tanks, and other systems.

In the future, the TianGong will be upgraded to a cargo vehicle to service the Mir-class station, with its core module due to launch in 2020. However, before that, China plans to launch the TG-2 TianGong-2 in 2014 (to develop the necessary technologies for water and oxygen regeneration necessary for short-term stay in orbit and to carry out some scientific experiments) and TG-3 TianGong-3 in 2015/2016.

TG-3 will likely be equipped with two docking ports, allowing a permanent residency of the module. TG-3 mission will involve the development of the technologies necessary for medium to long-term orbital stays and to carry out more sophisticated scientific researches and experiments.

At launch, Shenzhou-9 carried 300 kg of cargo on board, including water, food rations and experiments to be carried out during the mission.

The Chinese – as would be expected – will be focusing on protecting the crew’s health. The measures are designed to combat the influence of the gravity-free environment of spaceflight and to ensure the taikonaut’s health remains as expected.

While in orbit, medical examinations and protection measures will be conducted, including an on-orbit examination of the astronauts’ hearts, lungs and biochemistry conditions.

Equipment, such as a bicycle ergometer, chest developer and neuromuscular electrical stimulation have been prepared on board Tiangong-1 to protect the astronauts against the effects of weightlessness and maintain their cardiac and muscular functions.

Liu Yang will receive a special focus on her medical examinations and exercises, given this is the first time a Chinese woman has been in space.

The Chinese noted that they have three major mission goals for the crew, the first being the health monitoring of the taikonauts that mainly includes astronaut’s nutrition and metabolism, moods, and biorhythm changes in orbit.

Secondly, the crew will make research on the physiological effects mechanism of weightlessness and the countermeasures, which include the impact study on the functions of astronaut’s cardiovascular, vestibule and brain in the orbiting flight. They will also study bone loss in space.

Finally, the taikonauts will conduct research on environmental medicine and the astronaut’s operational capability in space.

(Images via CCTV and ChinaNews.cn).

chinaShenzhou
0
Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
previous article
Chinese Long March 2F/G launches Shenzhou-9 on historic mission
next article
SLS teams drawing on experience in preparation of actual hardware production

Related Articles

Long March 3C launches China’s third tracking and...

July 25, 2012

China open 2009 schedule with BeiDou-2 (COMPASS-G2) launch

April 14, 2009

Long March 3B lofts Chinasat-1C

December 9, 2015

Chinese duo launched to begin Shenzhou-11 mission

October 16, 2016

China delays Shenzhou-7 to 2008

March 4, 2006

China launches Kuaizhou-2 in second launch within 24...

November 21, 2014

China conducts Long March 5 maiden launch

November 2, 2016

Long March 3C lofts secretive TJSW spacecraft

December 24, 2018

Long March 2D lofts Gaofen-6

June 2, 2018

Shenzhou VI to Return China to Orbit

September 27, 2005

Active Discussions

Loading activity..
Advertisement Northrop Grumman
Advertisement Brady Kenniston
Advertisement NovaTech
Tweets by NASASpaceflight
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • About Us
  • Cookie Policy
  • Advertising Info

©2005-2019 - NASASpaceflight.com

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkRead more