2017年CRI A look back at China's manned space program

 

Astronaut Yang Liwei, the first Chinese to enter space, is seen here before he entered the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu Province on October 15, 1999. [Photo: 163.com]

China first unveiled its manned space engineering program in 1992, with the eventual¹ goal to construct a permanent space station in 2022.

Between late 1999 and early 2003, China conducted a total of four unmanned space flight tests to examine the various functions and designs of its spacecraft, launch vehicles and ground capabilities². The Shenzhou-1 was launched on November 20, 1999, while the Shenzhou-4 took off on December 30, 2002 and returned to the Earth seven days later after orbiting the Earth 108 times.

While still unmanned, the Shenzhou-4 was a fully³ functional⁴ spacecraft with the same capabilities and safety features as a manned vehicle. Its successful launch and return led to China's first manned space launch later in 2003, a major milestone⁵ in the country's space industry.

On October 15, the Shenzhou-5 carried 38-year-old astronaut Yang Liwei into space. Yang returned to the Earth safely 21 hours and 23 minutes later after orbiting the Earth 14 times. The successful mission made China the third country in the world, after Russia and the United States, to independently send a human into space.

Two years later in 2005, the Shenzhou-6 carried two astronauts into space. 2008 saw a Chinese astronaut carry out the country's first space walk during the flight of Shenzhou-7.

The unmanned Shenzhou-8, launched in November 2011, saw a breakthrough in China's space docking technology. The spacecraft successfully docked with the orbiting Tiangong-1 space module⁶, which was launched less than two months prior and then went on to dock with both the Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 in following years.

The launch of the Shenzhou-9 came in June 2012, carrying China's first female astronaut into space. Shenzhou-9 also saw the crew perform the first manned docking in space. Shenzhou-10 was launched in June 2013, when it became China's first applicantion-oriented space flight. Astronauts conducted medical experiments, technical tests and even delivered a lecture to students on earth about basic physics principles.

Last September, China launched the Tiangong-2 space lab into orbit, which is designed to enable two astronauts to live in space for up to 30 days. A month later in October, the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft successfully docked with the Tiangong-2 in space, allowing the two Chinese astronauts to enter the space lab. They spent 33 days in space before landing back on earth successfully.

The now launched Tianzhou-1, as China's first independently developed cargo⁷ ship, is expected to dock with the Tiangong-2 space lab, in addition to carrying out space experiments.

1 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

2 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

3 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

4 functional   

adj.为实用而设计的，具备功能的，起作用的

参考例句：

• The telephone was out of order,but is functional now.电话刚才坏了，但现在可以用了。
• The furniture is not fancy,just functional.这些家具不是摆着好看的，只是为了实用。

5 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

6 module   

n.组件，模块，模件；(航天器的)舱

参考例句：

• The centre module displays traffic guidance information.中央模块显示交通引导信息。
• Two large tanks in the service module held liquid oxygen.服务舱的两个大气瓶中装有液态氧。

7 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。