The safe return of the Shenzhou V manned spacecraft to earth
created valuable wealth in human resources, equipment and culture,
said Qi Faren, chief designer of the spacecraft, on Saturday.
Qi said at a symposium that the launch of the Shenzhou space
capsules had trained a large group of young scientists and
engineers. Commander-in-chief of the spacecraft system Yuan Jiajun
was only 41 years old, and many vice-engineers were in their
early40s.
"Fostering this group of young talent is a precious achievement
of the project," he said.
Eighty percent of the staff of the seven systems of the project
were below 40 years old.
Another valuable contribution of the project was a world-class
research center of space technology in Beijing, which was
established in just four years and 60 percent under budget.
"The research center laid a solid foundation for future
achievements in terms of infrastructure," he said.
After a decade, the thousands of space scientists and engineers
had nurtured a "zero error" culture, which accounted for every
possible circumstance and guaranteed the astronaut's safety, Qi
said.
(Xinhua News Agency October 18, 2003)
