The re-entry capsule that brought the nation's two astronauts
safely back to the Earth earlier this week, is now in Beijing.
Scientists say they will retrieve data from the capsule, which they
believe will shed more light on the successful Shenzhou?VI
space mission. On top of that, they say the study will help future
missions.
Less than two days after the safe return of Shenzhou VI, the
re-entry capsule has arrived in the capital, after a train journey
from the landing spot in northern China's Inner Mongolian
Autonomous Region.
At a simple ceremony at one of Beijing's railway stations on
Tuesday afternoon, the capsule was handed over to scientists at the
Chinese Institute of Aerospace Technology.
Pan Teng, space program official, said, "We'll look at items
like photos and data, and compare them with those that we gathered
during the mission itself. The comparison should provide a
scientific basis for future improvements to the spacecraft."
The scientists say they will start work on the capsule on
Wednesday and look at the items that were taken into space, on
board Shenzhou?VI.
The capsule landed safely in the early hours on Monday, after
orbiting the Earth for five days.
(CCTV October 19, 2005)