JIUQUAN, Gansu - Last-minute preparations for the launch of the Tiangong-1 spacecraft beganat the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Monday, meaning the vehicle can soon embark on amission that will eventually have it dock with a spaceship, according to the center.
That feat, if carried out successfully, will mark the completion of China's first rendezvous anddocking mission.
At the launch site on Monday afternoon, crews were putting in place pipes and cables that willbe used to inject fuel into the rocket that will carry Tiangong-1 into outer space.
Without complications from the weather or other causes, the Long March II-F rocket will lift offfrom the launch center on Thursday or Friday, taking the Tiangong-1 with it, according to theXinhua News Agency.
Despite the preparations, space experts said carrying out the plan still comes with many risks.They explained that the spacecraft and much of the other equipment being used is new andhas not been tried on an actual mission.
"Tiangong-1 is a brand new spacecraft designed by China and is bigger and heavier than theShenzhou spaceships China had developed as a means of transporting astronauts from theEarth to space," said Yang Hong, chief designer of Tiangong-1.
In a vertical position, the Tiangong-1 looks like a cigar standing 10.4 meter tall, a height equalto that of a three-story building. It weighs 8.5 tons and has a maximum diameter of 3.35 meters,a dimension shared by its launch vehicle, he said.
In comparison, the Shenzhou spaceship stands shorter, at nearly 9 meters, is slimmer, having adiameter of less than 3 meters, and weighs less.
In another difference, the Tiangong-1 is composed of two modules rather than the three thathad made up the Shenzhou spaceship. Of the Tiangong-1's two primary components, one is anexperimental module that contains a place that astronauts can live and work in on futuremissions. It is also equipped with a docking port.
The other chief component, a resource module, will provide the craft with power.
Astronauts on Tiangong-1 will have 15 cubic meters of space to move in, "much more than theyhad in the Shenzhou spaceship", Yang said.
Inside the spacecraft are two sleeping sections with adjustable lighting systems, exerciseequipment, entertainment systems and visual communication devices, he said.
Hou Xiangyang, who helped design Tiangong-1, said: "The sleeping section is big enough for a1.8-meter-tall man to sleep in. An astronaut can adjust the light as he likes."
In space, Tiangong-1 will fly in a horizontal position. A paint scheme inside will help theastronauts aboard maintain their sense of direction; the module's inner walls will be in twocolors, one commonly associated with the sky and one with the ground.
"This will help astronauts avoid feeling as if they are standing upside down in the microgravityenvironment," he said.
Yang said the Tiangong-1 spacecraft is expected to stay in orbit for two years and rendezvousand dock with three different spaceships. Beyond the Shenzhou VIII, ships named Shenzhou IXand Shenzhou X will embark on similar missions; at least one of the two is to be manned.
Before astronauts climb on board Tiangong-1, the conditions inside its experimental module willbe adjusted to ensure they can live in an environment that contains enough oxygen, moistureand heat to be safe.
Tiangong-1 was originally scheduled to be launched into a low orbit around the Earth betweenSept 27 and 30. The earlier days were removed as possible launch dates, though, afterforecasters predicted a cold air mass would move into the area containing the Jiuquan SatelliteLaunch Center.
To ensure the spacecraft and Long March II-F carrier rocket are ready for launch, a full groundsimulation was conducted on Sunday afternoon.
