Chinese space capsule to get check-up

With its astronaut back home and healthy, the orbital capsule that made China’s first manned space mission a success began its own physical examination today – an exhaustive, part-by-part check-up to determine if everything worked according to plan.

The kettle-shaped Shenzhou 5 re-entry module, 9.2 metres (about 28 feet) in length and 7,790 kilogrammes (17,175 lbs), came through its ordeal visibly none the worse for wear, and technicians said parts could possibly even be reused on the next Shenzhou mission, scheduled around the end of 2005.