China has successfully completed its first ever manual docking of a spacecraft with another space module.
Astronauts on the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft docked with the Tiangong-1 lab module without relying on an automated system.
State television broadcast images of Jing Haipeng, Liu Wang and China's first female astronaut, Liu Yang, smiling after carrying out the manoeuvre.
The docking is seen as a key step in the building of a space station.
A manual docking procedure would be used in the event of a failure with the automated system.
Liu Wang had been expected to take charge of the manual docking manoeuvres, while Liu Yang was to conduct aerospace experiments, according to AFP.
China aims to complete the construction of a space station by 2020, said the AFP news agency.
Manual docking was carried out by the USSR and US successfully in the 1960s.
The Shenzhou-9 spacecraft was launched on 16 June.
It docked with the Tiangong-1 module on 18 June after a successful automatic procedure.
real housewives of new jersey levon helm firelight world peace elbow kevin love earthquake think like a man
No comments:
Post a Comment