China’s Fledgeling Space Program to Launch Budding Spacelab
- Posted on September 27, 2011 at 11:02am by
Liz Klimas
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The China National Space Administration is making some last-minute tweaks on its new Tiangong-1 spaceship that is set to launch this week. The spaceship is a prototype for a future space station, which is expected to be complete by 2020.
The spaceship will be unmanned and will later be met by three other spacecraft to create China‘s first space station while it’s in orbit for two years. According to Space.com, Tiangong-1 will test unmanned docking procedures and other tasks to prepare for a space station.
Watch this ITN News report:
China Daily has more:
Despite the preparations, space experts said carrying out the plan still comes with many risks. They explained that the spacecraft and much of the other equipment being used is new and has not been tried on an actual mission.
“Tiangong-1 is a brand new spacecraft designed by China and is bigger and heavier than the Shenzhou spaceships China had developed as a means of transporting astronauts from the Earth to space,” said Yang Hong, chief designer of Tiangong-1.
[...]
In comparison, the Shenzhou spaceship stands shorter, at nearly 9 meters, is slimmer, having a diameter of less than 3 meters, and weighs less.
In another difference, the Tiangong-1 is composed of two modules rather than the three that had made up the Shenzhou spaceship. Of the Tiangong-1′s two primary components, one is an experimental module that contains a place that astronauts can live and work in on future missions. It is also equipped with a docking port.
The other chief component, a resource module, will provide the craft with power.
Astronauts on Tiangong-1 will have 15 cubic meters of space to move in, “much more than they had in the Shenzhou spaceship”, Yang said.
Here‘s how China’ space station is expected to work:
Tiangong-1 original launch date was delayed after a booster, similar to that which will carry Tiangong-1, failed to enter orbit last month. Some are saying that even this week’s launch could be postponed if predicted cold weather comes through.
China made its inaugural walk in space in 2003. The country's first human-manned shuttle launched in 2003. (Photo: CCTV/Xinhua)
China’s space program launched its first astronauts into space in 2003. With that, China joined Russia and the United States as the only three countries to successfully launch humans into space.
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BloodyArtist22
Posted on September 28, 2011 at 12:30pmBeing in space–NASA–was proof that America’s capitalism was working. The world’s greatest countries put their men into space. Now we’re proof that our America is failing because our capitalism is threatened by socialist weasels, and NASA is out of a job. Thank you, Obama. Thank you, you Communist puppet arse.
Report Post »cemerius
Posted on September 28, 2011 at 2:01pmDon’t think I can add to anything else you said here…..sad days ahead for America :(
Report Post »LastAmerican
Posted on September 28, 2011 at 8:47amI’d hate to be in their astronaut program. Ground control to major fong.
Report Post »kenboo1
Posted on September 28, 2011 at 7:58amOMG listen to you guys… Too much pessimistic vibes here… We will be back in space before too long… Just as soon as everyone is equal… When all the money is divided and given out then we can get back to the eclectic matters of space exploration… Maybe!!!
Why do you think they would put nukes in the space station??? Billy Clinton allowed Loral Corp to sell them MIRV technology. You know what they say “keep your friends close and your enemies closer!!!”. Wasnt that a Chinese guy who said that???? Didn’t Billy get a lot of money from the chinese during his run for the presidency??? Things that make you go Hmmmmm!!!
Report Post »Harold B
Posted on September 27, 2011 at 10:53pmThe space race continues with out America as we empower minorities to trash our formerly free country and develop America into a third world socialist nation, American Caucasions will be an under empowered, over taxed, white minority.ruled without mercy by minority alliances. Racism is real and we will not have a choice rather we want to fight or not, but we can predetermine if we will win or die
Report Post »sURFNmADNESS
Posted on September 27, 2011 at 10:47pmI wonder if it will whistle when it goes up like the other rockets China builds.
Report Post »Skee
Posted on September 27, 2011 at 10:13pmI say we launch the shuttle one more time.
Report Post »Train the astronauts how to paint graffitti
and put the words on their space station
Property of the U.S.A.
I’m sure it took multiple cyber attacks to
acquire NASA’s blueprints.
book-fellow
Posted on September 27, 2011 at 6:51pmThere is not much in orbitals other than military platforms
Report Post »but there is a fortune of easy manufacturing money on the moon
I don’t think NASA can utilize it or race the Chinese
but once the new commercial space race cranks up
I expect some interesting accomplishments
For instance there is a large amount of rocket fuel in the regolith
easily extracted with lots of aluminum and titanium for structure
not good enough propellant to launch from Earth but easily good enough from there
also huge safe buildings can be built with ten by ten by ten glass blocks
and framed with steels that don’t rust
and glass is beyond easy with solar furnace heat and the ground is almost
half raw glass
rich rich rich rich rich rich rich
DarthOpto
Posted on September 27, 2011 at 6:10pmIt really is too bad that we, the once leaders of space exploration, have been reduced to hitching a ride. Honestly, I feel that if we were to set a space race in this country and set the goal lofty, it has to be Mars, that we would overnight create thousands of jobs and get this country back on its feet.
Report Post »tbl10
Posted on September 27, 2011 at 5:00pmsorry for the double post, stupid lag
Report Post »tbl10
Posted on September 27, 2011 at 4:59pmI wonder how long it would take a tactical nuke to hit the United States from a space station orbiting just a few hundred miles in the air. Does this concern anyone else. Meanwhile the US is stuck hitching rides into space. Thanks Bush and Obama
Report Post »tbl10
Posted on September 27, 2011 at 4:55pmChina will take the high ground and we will be like fish in a barrel. Meanwhile the US will have no way to get into space, unless we hitch a ride. Wonder how long it would take a tactical nuke to reach the United States from a space station parked a few hundred miles in the air. Does this concern anyone else.
Report Post »M-O-O-N Spells Moon
Posted on September 27, 2011 at 4:41pmSo is this an indication of why NASA is no longer allowed in space? Are these more jobs that are moving to China because we can’t compete? What’s next? A generation of children who once wanted to grow up to be astronauts now will grow up wanting to be Chinese?
Report Post »