Shenzhou VI fine-tunes orbit on day 3
By Zhao Huanxin (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-10-15 06:52

Reports from the astronauts and data from a monitoring vessel in the Atlantic Ocean indicated the operation was a success. All the instruments and equipment aboard the craft have worked normally since Shenzhou VI blasted off, the centre said, without specifying.

The two astronauts piloting the capsule have conducted a raft of scientific experiments in the craft's return and orbital modules, and accumulated expertise in living and working in a weightless environment, the centre said. The astronauts reported normal body conditions.

Scientists will choose the optimum timing for Shenzhou VI to return to the Earth. The weather at the landing site in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is a key factor.

Wu Guoting, a senior researcher with the Chinese Academy of Space Technology, told Xinhua News Agency that the return time will be chosen in accordance with meteorological and other conditions at the main landing area.

Wu said the return was likely to occur around the fifth day of the mission.