Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng (L) and Chen Dong (R), pictured at their send-off ceremony, spent 33-days orbiting the earth carrying out experiments on the Tiangong-2 space lab - AFP Photo
China's
Shenzhou-11 spacecraft returned to earth Friday, bringing home two astronauts
from the rising power's longest-ever orbital mission, in a milestone for its
vaulting ambitions.
China's
state broadcaster CCTV showed the return capsule's separation from the
Tiangong-2 space lab 393 kilometres (244 miles) above the earth, and its
descent through the atmosphere to its landing on the grassland of Inner Mongolia
in the country's north.
After it
landed, ground personnel rushed to plant two flapping red flags beside the
capsule while observers applauded in China's mission control.
CCTV later
showed footage of Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong being carried out of the capsule
and waving as staff wrapped them in blue blankets.
The manned
space programme's commander in chief Zhang Youxia announced that the mission
was a "complete success".
The men
spent the 33-day mission orbiting the earth carrying out experiments including
cultivating silkworms, growing lettuce, and testing brain activity.
The
Tiangong-2 space lab, launched in September, is also running experiments on
growing rice and thale cress.
Beijing is
pouring billions into its space programme in a bid to catch up with the US and
Europe.
It announced
in April that it aims to send a spacecraft "around 2020" to orbit
Mars, then land and deploy a rover to explore the Red Planet's surface.
In their
last entry in a space diary published by the official Xinhua news agency, the
astronauts wrote that they kept fit in space by doing somersaults and
zero-gravity tai chi.
"At the
end of a busy day, we have some free time before going to bed," they
wrote. "We take selfies to have some personal record of this unforgettable
journey, or just go to the window and quietly stare at that beautiful blue
planet called Earth."
Beijing sees
the military-run programme as a symbol of China's progress and a marker of its
rising global stature.
The nation's
first lunar rover was launched in late 2013, and while it was beset by
mechanical troubles it far outlived its expected lifespan, finally shutting
down only last month.
But so far
China has largely replicated activities that the US and Soviet Union pioneered
decades ago.
It intends
to set up its own manned space station by 2022, and eventually put one of its
citizens on the surface of the moon.
In an
interview earlier this week, Jing told Xinhua that "even in the wilderness
of space" the astronauts could "always feel the love from our
motherland".
Subscribe to our Email Updates to get the latest Articles in your Email instantly: Join our Email subscribers.
No comments:
Post a Comment
You are welcomed, Please make useful comment(s).
Note - Please do make useful contributions. Comment(s) that do not support the article you have read or that degrades the reputation of this site will be deleted by the Comment-Moderator (CM) within 24 hours maximum.