China will send at least two astronauts into outer space in
autumn 2005 and they will stay there for at least one week,
according to Yang Jiachi, academician of the Chinese Academy of
Sciences (CAS).
Yang made the remarks at an ongoing conference of academicians,
organized jointly by the CAS and the Chinese Academy of Engineering
(CAE) and held from June 2 to 6 in Beijing.
The astronauts will move between the reentry and orbital modules
during their flight to conduct experiments and various exercises,
according to Yang, who described this as the biggest breakthrough
for the mission.
China followed in the footsteps of the former Soviet Union and
the United States to achieve manned space flight last October, when
astronaut Yang Liwei orbited the earth 14 times.
"Possibly, Yang Liwei may not be chosen for this mission," Yang
said.
However, detailed plans, including exactly how many astronauts
will be sent into space and how long they will stay there, have yet
to be made.
Although methods have been developed to send multiple astronauts
into orbit together, safety and reliability tests on related
equipment are still under way, Yang said.
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"Many problems cannot be easily checked out after the spaceship is
launched," the scientist pointed out. "What's more, what we are
sending are real human beings, so we must be most careful."
Yang said scientists always act as psychological coaches in the
selection of astronauts, encouraging them to be fully
confident.
A Long March IIF carrier rocket will be used to launch the
mission and the design of the Shenzhou VI will remain basically the
same as that of the Shenzhou V.
Yang, 85, was one of the initiators of China's 863 High-Tech
Program and also an academician with the International Academy of
Astronautics (IAA).
(Xinhua News Agency June 4, 2004)