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At 1：18 p.m. on June 13， China’s fifth manned spacecraft， Shenzhou-10， completed automatic docking procedures with the Tiangong-1 orbiting laboratory.
After the air pressure inside the vessels equalized about three hours later， commander Nie Haisheng and astronauts Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping entered the lab module， which has been in orbit for about 620 days.
Shenzhou-10， atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket， blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China’s Gansu Province at 5：38 p.m. on June 11.
“The mission’s members carry the dreams of the Chinese people to explore space and represent their lofty aspirations，” said President Xi Jinping at the send-off. Xi had just returned from his visit to the United States.
Later in its planned 15-day journey， the crew will also manually dock the spacecraft to the laboratory module.
A new mission
This year marks the 10th anniversary of China’s first manned space flight. Since 2003， 10 Chinese astronauts have been sent into space.
Compared with the previous nine Shenzhou spaceships， Shenzhou-10 is no longer experimental but is now considered an applicable shuttle system for transporting astronauts and supplies to orbiting modules.
“Technically speaking， Shenzhou-10 has inherited the essence of Shenzhou-9. The mission marks a step forward from the experimental stage to application. That also means the space to earth transportation system is entering its final stage，” said Bao Weimin， Director of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
“It is like developing a new type of car. You have to try it on roads of varying conditions. Now trials are over and the car can be put into formal operation，” said Zhou Jianping， chief engineer of China’s manned space program.
On the other hand， the Long March-2F carrier rocket is technically the same as the one used with Shenzhou-9.
“No alteration means that China’s rocket technology is becoming mature，” said Jing Muchun， chief designer of the carrier rocket.
This Shenzhou-10 mission aims to further test technologies designed for docking and supporting astronauts’ stay in space， as well as to use new technologies related to the construction of a space station， said Wu Ping， a spokeswoman for China’s manned space program， at a June 10 press conference.
“So far we only conducted three automatic docking tests and a manual one. More tests are needed. We also need to further prove that our astronauts are fit for a longer stay in space and the orbiters are able to support their life and work，” Wu said. Food for astronauts， as well as waste processing facilities， will be improved， she added.
The mission will also involve maneuvering the spacecraft around the lab module to practice docking from different positions around Tiangong-1.
Zhang Bonan， chief designer of Shenzhou-10， said， “We aim to find out， solve and test certain problems that arise from constructing a space station. That’s one of our main focuses at the moment. In this sense， Shenzhou-10 is a transitional mission.”
There are risks that the conditions of some components on Tiangong-1 might not be at their best since the module is near the end of its service and has gone through four docking tests， Wu said.
Launched in September 2011， Tiangong-1 has about three months left before the designated end of its service.
The module is considered the first step toward China operating a permanent space station around 2020， which would make it the world’s third country to do so.
Shenzhou-10 is also engaging the public with an interactive video lecture on microgravity physics by astronaut Wang. She will discuss surface tension of liquids and help students understand weight， mass and Newton’s laws of motion.
“It is a festival for space fans，” said Zhao Yang， a researcher with the China Science and Technology Museum. “There might be an interesting introduction about the weightless condition.”
Space emissaries
Before joining the manned space flight program， Nie， Zhang and Wang were seasoned pilots in the national air force.
Wang is China’s first space traveler born in the 1980s， a generation growing up in the era of China’s reform and opening up.
Nie， a two-time space traveler， first visited space in 2005， aboard the Shenzhou-6 spacecraft.
The People’s Liberation Army （PLA） recruited Nie in 1983. He served as a navigation director of a PLA Air Force division and a firstclass pilot with 1，480 flight hours. He was selected to become one of China’s first astronauts in January 1998.
In April， 48-year-old Nie was selected to be a prime crew member of the Shenzhou-10 space mission. He is responsible for the manual docking operation.
Zhang， 47， will assist Nie in the manual docking operation.
Zhang joined the army as an airman in 1985 and logged 1，000 hours of safe flying. In January 1998， Zhang started training with China’s first batch of astronauts. He now holds the rank of senior colonel. He will also be filming Wang’s space lecture. Wang is responsible for monitoring the conditions of the spacecraft， space experiments and equipment. She is also the second Chinese woman in space， following Liu Yang who was aboard Shenzhou-9 last June.
Pang Zhihao， a researcher with the China Academy of Space Technology， said that female astronauts are more “keen and sensitive and have better communication skills than their male counterparts.” He said women were also good at dealing with relationships with their colleagues in space， which would be an important issue on a long mission such as a trip to Mars.
Growing up in a farmer’s family in east China’s Shandong Province， the 33-year-old joined in the PLA Air Force when she was 17 years old， and became an elite pilot after mastering four different types of aircraft. She has nine years of experience as a transport aircraft pilot and has logged 1，600 flight hours.
She joined China’s second batch of female astronauts in 2010， and was on standby for the Shenzhou-9 mission.
“We are all students in facing the vast universe. We are looking forward to joining our young friends to learn and explore the mystical and beautiful universe，” said Wang at the June 10 press conference.
After the air pressure inside the vessels equalized about three hours later， commander Nie Haisheng and astronauts Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping entered the lab module， which has been in orbit for about 620 days.
Shenzhou-10， atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket， blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China’s Gansu Province at 5：38 p.m. on June 11.
“The mission’s members carry the dreams of the Chinese people to explore space and represent their lofty aspirations，” said President Xi Jinping at the send-off. Xi had just returned from his visit to the United States.
Later in its planned 15-day journey， the crew will also manually dock the spacecraft to the laboratory module.
A new mission
This year marks the 10th anniversary of China’s first manned space flight. Since 2003， 10 Chinese astronauts have been sent into space.
Compared with the previous nine Shenzhou spaceships， Shenzhou-10 is no longer experimental but is now considered an applicable shuttle system for transporting astronauts and supplies to orbiting modules.
“Technically speaking， Shenzhou-10 has inherited the essence of Shenzhou-9. The mission marks a step forward from the experimental stage to application. That also means the space to earth transportation system is entering its final stage，” said Bao Weimin， Director of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
“It is like developing a new type of car. You have to try it on roads of varying conditions. Now trials are over and the car can be put into formal operation，” said Zhou Jianping， chief engineer of China’s manned space program.
On the other hand， the Long March-2F carrier rocket is technically the same as the one used with Shenzhou-9.
“No alteration means that China’s rocket technology is becoming mature，” said Jing Muchun， chief designer of the carrier rocket.
This Shenzhou-10 mission aims to further test technologies designed for docking and supporting astronauts’ stay in space， as well as to use new technologies related to the construction of a space station， said Wu Ping， a spokeswoman for China’s manned space program， at a June 10 press conference.
“So far we only conducted three automatic docking tests and a manual one. More tests are needed. We also need to further prove that our astronauts are fit for a longer stay in space and the orbiters are able to support their life and work，” Wu said. Food for astronauts， as well as waste processing facilities， will be improved， she added.
The mission will also involve maneuvering the spacecraft around the lab module to practice docking from different positions around Tiangong-1.
Zhang Bonan， chief designer of Shenzhou-10， said， “We aim to find out， solve and test certain problems that arise from constructing a space station. That’s one of our main focuses at the moment. In this sense， Shenzhou-10 is a transitional mission.”
There are risks that the conditions of some components on Tiangong-1 might not be at their best since the module is near the end of its service and has gone through four docking tests， Wu said.
Launched in September 2011， Tiangong-1 has about three months left before the designated end of its service.
The module is considered the first step toward China operating a permanent space station around 2020， which would make it the world’s third country to do so.
Shenzhou-10 is also engaging the public with an interactive video lecture on microgravity physics by astronaut Wang. She will discuss surface tension of liquids and help students understand weight， mass and Newton’s laws of motion.
“It is a festival for space fans，” said Zhao Yang， a researcher with the China Science and Technology Museum. “There might be an interesting introduction about the weightless condition.”
Space emissaries
Before joining the manned space flight program， Nie， Zhang and Wang were seasoned pilots in the national air force.
Wang is China’s first space traveler born in the 1980s， a generation growing up in the era of China’s reform and opening up.
Nie， a two-time space traveler， first visited space in 2005， aboard the Shenzhou-6 spacecraft.
The People’s Liberation Army （PLA） recruited Nie in 1983. He served as a navigation director of a PLA Air Force division and a firstclass pilot with 1，480 flight hours. He was selected to become one of China’s first astronauts in January 1998.
In April， 48-year-old Nie was selected to be a prime crew member of the Shenzhou-10 space mission. He is responsible for the manual docking operation.
Zhang， 47， will assist Nie in the manual docking operation.
Zhang joined the army as an airman in 1985 and logged 1，000 hours of safe flying. In January 1998， Zhang started training with China’s first batch of astronauts. He now holds the rank of senior colonel. He will also be filming Wang’s space lecture. Wang is responsible for monitoring the conditions of the spacecraft， space experiments and equipment. She is also the second Chinese woman in space， following Liu Yang who was aboard Shenzhou-9 last June.
Pang Zhihao， a researcher with the China Academy of Space Technology， said that female astronauts are more “keen and sensitive and have better communication skills than their male counterparts.” He said women were also good at dealing with relationships with their colleagues in space， which would be an important issue on a long mission such as a trip to Mars.
Growing up in a farmer’s family in east China’s Shandong Province， the 33-year-old joined in the PLA Air Force when she was 17 years old， and became an elite pilot after mastering four different types of aircraft. She has nine years of experience as a transport aircraft pilot and has logged 1，600 flight hours.
She joined China’s second batch of female astronauts in 2010， and was on standby for the Shenzhou-9 mission.
“We are all students in facing the vast universe. We are looking forward to joining our young friends to learn and explore the mystical and beautiful universe，” said Wang at the June 10 press conference.