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Astronauts adjust orbit as they begin 3rd day in space
(AP)
Updated: 2005-10-14 16:18
China's Shenzhou 6 briefly fired its rockets to adjust its orbit early Friday as the spacecraft began its third day of a mission meant to help prepare for the eventual launch of a Chinese space station.
The maneuver was carried out after the capsule was found to have been dragged closer to the Earth by gravity, said the Web site of the People's Daily. It said the "maintenance operation" lasted a few seconds, and there was no indication the crew was in any danger.
Astronauts Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng blasted off Wednesday on China's second manned space mission.
Chinese space officials say they hope to land an unmanned probe on the Moon by 2010 and want to launch a space station.
Traveling at about 28,080 kph (17,528 mph), the Shenzhou 6 was making its 35th orbit at midday Friday, circling the Earth at an altitude of 343 kilometers (210 miles), the People's Daily said.
The capsule began its orbit-correcting maneuver at 5:56 a.m. (2156 GMT), according to the People's Daily. It said boosters fired and the vessel picked up speed for a few moments before returning to its planned trajectory.
The government has not said how long Fei and Nie would stay up, but news reports said it could be three to five days.
The official Xinhua News Agency said a new road to the landing site in grasslands of the northern Inner Mongolia region opened Friday as the space program prepared for the capsule's return.
Recovery crews spent Thursday practicing rescue work, launching helicopters to the primary landing area in the Inner Mongolia region, Xinhua said.
Early Thursday, the crew set a Chinese endurance record in space, surpassing the time of the country's first manned space flight in 2003, when astronaut Yang Liwei spent 21 1/2 hours in orbit.
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