MOSCOW. (Yury Zaitsev, expert, Space Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences - for RIA Novosti) The United States, Russia, the European Union, the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Japan are the world's leading space powers today.
The Chinese space program is far more advanced than that of Japan, Beijing's traditional rival.
The development of the Chinese space program shows unequivocally that Beijing has been consistently realizing its goals in the field of manned missions, including future expeditions to the Moon and Mars.
The developers of China's manned spacecraft have scored a number of achievements since the 1970s when inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and related launch vehicles appeared. China was therefore able to orbit its first man-made satellites and became the third country in the world to develop and launch weather satellites. High-resolution TV satellites, which can relay educational and information broadcasts, were also designed. In addition, the PRC is expected to create several types of hi-tech military space platforms.
By the mid-1970s, China had streamlined spacecraft reentry methods and moved to design its first manned space vehicle. At that time, Chinese designers apparently tried to develop a single-seater capsule similar to the Soviet-made Vostok spacecraft and weighing up to 2.5 tons. However, this project was never completed, and no suborbital flight ever took place.
The national manned space program, Project 921, began to be implemented by the early 1990s after the throw weight of Chinese launch vehicles increased considerably.
It may seem strange to begin such a program from scratch, decades after Yury Gagarin's trailblazing space flight.
This decision can be explained if we consider the efforts of Chinese leaders to renounce "leftist" dogmas in favor of economic reforms and to unite the country with a national idea. This strategy was manifested vividly in Beijing's efforts to host the 2008 Summer Olympics.
At the same time, in today's world, when there is no space race, it seems futile to launch an astronaut into orbit merely in pursuit of political goals. On the other hand, the same applies to U.S. plans to launch a manned mission to Mars [announced by President George W. Bush] and proposals made by executives of the Russian space program to exploit the Moon's resources.
The PRC became the third country after the Soviet Union and the United States to launch an astronaut into orbit and to bring him safely back to Earth. In 1985, France, a highly developed industrialized power, announced its plans to develop the Hermes manned spacecraft, but scrapped the project in 1993.
The main motives and features of the Chinese manned space program, as well as the spacecraft's design and layout, were determined by its main objective - to launch an astronaut into outer space and ensure his safe return.
Top executives in charge of the Chinese aerospace industry analyzed the experience of foreign manned space missions and subsequently opted for the Russian multi-purpose Soyuz spacecraft. The Chinese manned space vehicle, which closely resembled the Soyuz, was named Shen Zhou or Magic Ship. It embodies Russian and Chinese technologies, as well as Western electronics and elements base.
The Shen Zhou is very similar to the Soyuz in many respects. Both space vehicles' spherical-conical descent modules look like a headlight. Optical sighting devices, attitude-control engines and parachute containers are located similarly.
However, Chinese sources insist that the Shen Zhou is not an exact replica of the Soyuz vehicle. Qi Faren, general designer of the Shen Zhou, said in an interview that his spacecraft was completely different from the Soyuz, had better specifications and had been developed independently on a par with its launch vehicle. He said the PRC had designed the spacecraft by the time Russia offered its design to Beijing.
But these statements do not necessarily mean that Chinese experts did not borrow many vital technologies from third countries, primarily from Russia. Good political relations between Russia and China and Moscow's financial problems may have facilitated this process.
To be fair, aerodynamic laws can explain the similar layout of Russian and Chinese spacecraft. Russia's Buran (Snow Storm) reusable space vehicle also differs little from its U.S. Shuttle equivalent.
The April 25, 1996 inter-governmental agreement provides the legal grounds for selling Russian space technologies to China. Since the agreement was classified, executives of Russian enterprises did not conceal their cooperation with the PRC but declined to offer any comments. Nevertheless, it has been reported that Beijing bought a Soyuz-TM descent-module mock-up, as well as automatic link-up and docking systems, from Russia's Energia Rocket and Space Corporation. In 1996-1997, Chinese astronauts-instructors trained at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.
China's successful economic development and the use of key Soyuz technologies made it possible to expedite the national manned space program and to speedily develop the Shen Zhou space vehicle.
The Chinese spacecraft's descent module is 14% larger and has 50% more volume than that of the Soyuz; its diameter is nearly 2.5 meters. Technically speaking, the Chinese have developed a new spacecraft. By copying Soyuz proportions and balancing parameters, they have saved considerable resources on aerodynamic and other tests. Had Chinese designers opted for a "double-decker" approach, the Shen Zhou could have accommodated four and more astronauts. But this did not happen. The instrument-service module is designed to contain available components, i.e. engines, solar batteries, etc., whereas the rudimentary orbital module differs completely from that of the Soyuz. It resembles the orbital module of the first Soyuz prototype spacecraft for orbiting the Moon.
Chinese experts decided to streamline the spacecraft design process. The orbital module played an important part in this respect and provided developers with information about the spacecraft's service life, the potential of its attitude-control and stabilization systems, thrusters, power-supply systems, heat-regulation equipment, radio-electronic systems and sensors.
The orbital module, which features solar batteries, can fly independent missions after separating from the descent module. It can serve as a utility module, airlock, automatic spacecraft or small orbital-station module.
Energia Rocket and Space Corporation developed similar modules for the Mir orbiter and the International Space Station (ISS) on the basis of the new Progress heavy-duty unmanned cargo craft.
The orbital module's photos apparently show optical-system sensors, those of an infrared local-vertical plotting system, magnetometer course indicator and solar trackers. Vostok sensors have a similar layout.
These duplicated systems are designed to send out correct braking impulses and to ensure astronauts' safe return to the Earth. A study of similar systems' operation in outer space will prove useful for subsequent R&D projects. Instead of copying foreign know-how, Chinese experts will use their valuable experience in this sphere to implement new engineering solutions.
It took the Soviet Union about a decade to streamline the Soyuz spacecraft. Chinese engineers, who copied many aspects of the Soyuz design, and who used their own effective concepts, built the Shen Zhou much quicker.
The multi-stage Chinese manned space program will take a lot of time to implement and will focus on simple and extremely dependable engineering solutions. It seems that the PRC is not going to launch its own orbital station in the foreseeable future.
The great Chinese philosopher Confucius said there were three paths that lead to knowledge: the path of contemplation is the noblest way; the path of imitation was the easiest; and the path of experience was the bitterest. It seems, China has a long way to go before it will be able to follow the path of experience, taken up the leading countries in space exploration, Russia and the U.S.
The noble path of contemplation is unlikely to find any followers in the PRC. Consequently, Chinese scientists have only one path they can follow: to copy foreign designs and to launch Soyuz-type spacecraft, which will eventually dock with the International Space Station.
This option is determined by the national aerospace industry's potential and by Chinese traditions. Qin Shihuan, the first emperor of China, formulated the Kang Shi principle for gradually invading the living space of others, just like a silkworm eats the leaves of a tree.
Quite possibly, the inhabitants of the first permanent lunar base will speak Chinese.
