Shenzhou-9 (SZ-9)

Launch, orbit & landing data: Designation  38461 / 12032A Launch date - time  16 Jun 2012 - 10:37:24 UT Launch site  Jiuquan, SLS-1 Launch vehicle  CZ-2F/G Mass (kg)   Docking date - time  18 Jun 2012 - 06:07:05 UT Target spacecraft  Tiangong 1 spacelab Earth orbit:    - Perigee / Apogee   km    - Eccentricity      - Inclination   °    - Period   min Undocking date - time  24 Jun 2012 - 03:09 UT Redocking date - time  24 Jun 2012 - 04:49 UT Undocking date - time  28 Jun 2012 - 01:22 UT Deorbit burn date - time  29 Jun 2012 - 01:16 UT Landing date - time  29 Jun 2012 - 02:02 Landing location  42.263327°N, 111.278869°E Flight Duration (d:hr:min)  12d 15h 25m Nbr orbits  198

Crew:

Backup Crew

Description:

Delivery of Shenzhou-9 spacecraft. Photo source: CFP

Liu Yang during training

Crew of the Shenzhou-9 mission Jing Haipeng (center), Liu Wang (left) and China's first spacewoman Liu Yang wear pressurized suits in a return capsule simulator during training

• New spacesuits for ladies.
  "We developed a new series of spacesuits for female astronauts", said Li Tanqiu, deputy chief designer of the astronaut system department.
  Li said the new suit fits well and will enable swift movements, especially of the fingers.
• Besides spacesuits, astronauts also brought special underwear and sports suits.
• In addition, two sets of physical exercise training suits had already been placed in Tiangong 1, the space lab module launched last September with which Shenzhou 9 is supposed to dock.
• There is also a curtain installed in Tiangong-1 to protect astronauts' privacy when they are changing clothes.
• "Astronauts rely on good food to focus on work," said Chen Shanguang, general director of the astronaut system department.
  For female astronauts, Chen's fellow crew had introduced low-fat food and added more vegetables to the menu, which also features desserts, chocolate and food with blood-enriching effects.
  For this 13-day mission, the spaceship is stocked with over 50 kinds of food and different menus will rotate every four days.
• Another notable change is the enhanced flexibility in the crew's time management mechanism during this mission.
  Previously, the schedule was detailed to each minute, while astronauts can this time adjust the arrangements in accordance with their own conditions and routines of their bodies.
• Besides hard work, astronauts were also advised to have fun during the mission.
  They can use a video link to chat with the ground and their family members within each bedroom, adding that designers had planted many "surprises" inside the lab.

Flight details:

Ceremony taikonauts

• Launch of China′s Shenzhou 9 spacecraft took place on Jun 16, 2012. The crew is commanded by Brig. (daxiao) Jing Haipeng (who flew on SZ-7) and includes Brig. Liu Wang and Maj. (shaoxiao) Liu Yang. Major Liu is the first woman to fly in a Chinese space crew, and her launch as the 56th woman in space came on the 49th anniversary of the flight of Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova.
  (Note: the daxiao rank is sometimes translated ′Senior Col.′ and is roughly equivalent to UK ′Brig.′)
• At about 1440 UTC on Jun 17 the ship maneuvered from 261 x 315 km to 315 x 326 km. On June 18 at 0608 UTC the Shenzhou 9 spaceship docked with the Tiangong 1 spacelab. At 0910 UTC the three astronauts opened the TG-1 hatch and entered the lab for the first time.
  (The Shenzhou 8 ship had docked with TG-1, but this is the first visit with a crew).
• The Shenzhou-9 crew undocked from Tiangong 1 at 0309 UTC on Jun 24, 2012 and backed off to 300 m, then reapproached first to 140m and then to a manually controlled redocking carried out by Liu Wang at 0449 UTC. (These times are based on the live TV reports; the post-landing press conference gave slightly later times.)
• On Jun 28, 2012 at 0122 UTC Shenhzhou 9 undocked again for the last time; a brief manual re-rendezvous to 140m was carried out, possibly around 0300 UTC? Return to Earth came on Jun 29 with orbital module sep at about 0116 UTC, retrofire at 0117 UTC, service module sep at 0138 UTC and landing at 0202 UTC in Siziwangqi, a district in Ulanqab prefecture in Inner Mongolia.
• Summary of the reentry.
• Following the departure of Shenzhou 9, the Tiangong 1 spacelab was moved to a higher orbit. At around the same time, the SZ-9 orbital module (OM - ′guidao cang′) was jettisoned just before the main SZ-9 spaceship was deorbited. It appears that US tracking reports on Tiangong 1 between then and July 6, in a 330 x 338 km orbit were actually for the SZ-9 OM, with the real Tiangong being mistagged as something else. The OM was finally cataloged on Jul 6 in a 330 x 338 km orbit, and Tiangong 1 was rediscovered in a 354 x 365 km orbit.

Astrophilately covers:

Launch cancel. Credit: #411

2e docking cancel. Credit: #411

Launch cancel. Credit: #411

Undocking cancel. Credit: #404

Landing cancel. Credit: #411

Landing cancel. Credit: #411a