Posted: Mon, Apr 1, 2002, 8:50 AM ET (1350 GMT)
China's Shenzhou 3 spacecraft landed successfully early Monday, Chinese officials reported. The spacecraft's descent capsule touched down in Inner Mongolia at 3:51 am EST (0851 GMT), a few hours shy of one week after its launch. A photo of the capsule, sitting upright and intact, was released within a couple hours of the landing; by comparison, no photos were released of Shenzhou 2 after landing, fueling speculation that something went wrong during its landing. Shenzhou 3's orbital module was expected to remain in orbit to conduct experiments for up to six months. While a People's Daily article quoted scientists who said that the spacecraft is "technically suitable for astronauts", the report also said that China will "launch more unmanned spacecraft until a manned spaceship takes shape."

Related Links:

•  AFP article
•  People's Daily article
•  Xinhua article