China has conducted its first-ever manual docking between a spacecraft and an orbiting space module. The three astronauts on the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft successfully docked with the Tiangong-1 lab module without using an automated system. One of the three is China’s first female astronaut, Liu Yang. The Shenzhou-9 spacecraft was launched June 16, and it docked […]
China Astronauts Conduct First Manual Spacecraft Docking
Chinese Astronauts to Attempt Manual Space Docking
China is planning to conduct its first manual docking between a spacecraft and an orbiting space module Sunday. Astronauts on the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft will try to dock with the Tiangong-1 lab module without using an automated system. One of the three is China’s first female astronaut, Liu Yang. The Shenzhou-9 spacecraft was launched June 16 […]
Chinese Astronauts Enter Space Station Module
Three Chinese astronauts boarded an experimental space module Monday, in the latest step toward Beijing’s effort to build a permanent space station. The Shenzhou 9 and its three-person crew, including China’s first woman in space, linked with the Tiangong 1 module just after 0600 UTC. The three will spend nearly two weeks performing experiments in […]
Chinese Space Capsule Docks with Space Station Module
A Chinese spacecraft docked with an experimental space module Monday, in the latest step toward Beijing’s effort to build a permanent space station. The Shenzhou 9 and its three-person crew, including China’s first woman in space, linked with the Tiangong 1 module just after 0600 UTC. Two of the three astronauts were expected move into […]
China Sends Its First Woman Into Space
China has launched its most ambitious space mission yet in which its first female astronaut and two male colleagues will attempt to dock with an orbiting space station module. The Shenzhou-9 spacecraft lifted off as scheduled at 6:37 p.m. from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi Desert in China’s northwest. […]
China to Launch Manned Spacecraft this Month
China’s official news agency says the country’s space agency will launch a Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft sometime in mid-June to dock with the orbiting Tiangon-1 space lab module. A spokesperson told the Xinhua news agency Saturday that a rocket carrying the spacecraft was moved to a launch pad in China’s desert northwest. State media reported earlier […]
Dragon Space Cargo Capsule Ready to Come Home
The SpaceX Dragon cargo ship, the world’s first privately-owned space supply vehicle, is getting ready to depart from the International Space Station and return to Earth. Dragon is set to undock from the space station Thursday and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean southwest of Los Angeles, California about six hours later. Dragon made a successful […]
ISS Astronauts Enter SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft
Astronauts at the International Space Station got their first glimpse inside the SpaceX corporation’s Dragon capsule Saturday, just one day after it made history as the first commercial spacecraft to reach the station. The crew members opened the cargo-filled Dragon Saturday morning, with U.S. astronaut Don Pettit commenting that the inside smelled like “a brand […]
SpaceX Dragon Opens at ISS
The astronauts on board the International Space Station have opened the Dragon capsule, a privately-owned spacecraft created by the U.S. corporation SpaceX. The astronauts opened the cargo-filled Dragon Saturday morning. One of the astronauts commented that the inside of the capsule smelled like “a brand new car.” The capsule docked at the station Friday after […]
Private Spacecraft Docks with ISS
A privately-owned spacecraft has for the first time reached the International Space Station. The Dragon capsule, created by the U.S. corporation SpaceX, docked Friday at the space station, where astronauts there were able to receive it. The astronauts used the station’s robotic arm to grab the capsule and are scheduled to open it on Saturday. […]