Another 'normal' day in space for Shenzhou VI
By Zhao Huanxin (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-10-14 05:51

Each of them slept for seven hours, walked back and forth between the return and orbital modules of the spacecraft, and conducted a raft of tests.

Astronauts Nie Haisheng (left) and Fei Junlong, orbiting the Earth in the Shenzhou VI spacecraft, talk through phones with their family members October 12, 2005. China launched its second manned space mission Wednesday morning. [Xinhua]

That was how Chinese astronauts Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng spent their second day in space on board the Shenzhou VI spacecraft, which was sent into orbit on Wednesday morning.

"The flight of the spacecraft has been normal," the Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Centre said last night.

Also normal was the temperature, blood pressure and other physical signs of the astronaut duo, the centre said in a brief statement.

At 4:16 am yesterday, astronaut Fei woke up from seven hours and eight minutes of slumber in the orbital module and went to his working post in the return module.

Fei and Nie then conducted tests such as closing the return module door, and putting on and taking off their spacesuits in a weightless environment.

At noon yesterday, the pair took turns to move to the orbital module to conduct scientific experiments, the centre said. Wearing blue suits, they were seen videorecording and logging in details of the data obtained from the tests, according to pictures shown on the monitoring screens at the Beijing centre.

The centre did not specify what the experiments were.