China's Space Program News Thread

[paintgun]

first pic... Space tofu!?

watched the event life, both online and on TV, impressive and heartwarming moments

Liuyang (female) was visibly tense during initial launch phases and during lift off, but she seems to be quite happy when mission was considered a success (after final stage separation and solar panel deployment) playing her checklist and pen in zero gravity

congrats China!

 

[Maggern]

One of the commentators in the video above says Shenzhou 9 will dock with Tiangong-1 on Monday at 2:25 P.M (local time).

Is that local time for Tiangong (that would be interesting to keep track of....) :rofl:

---------- Post added at 09:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:57 PM ----------

first pic... Space tofu!?

watched the event life, both online and on TV, impressive and heartwarming moments

Liuyang (female) was visibly tense during initial launch phases and during lift off, but she seems to be quite happy when mission was considered a success (after final stage separation and solar panel deployment) playing her checklist and pen in zero gravity

congrats China!

She was not the only one being tense. When the camera moves across the VIPs present (as well as the chief of the space agency) you can see them breathing heavily, leaning forward and being really tense.

BTW: Seeing all these computers and screens make me wonder....this stunt was pulled off some forty years ago by the Soviets and the US, but back then computing power was miniscule compared to now. I wonder how this launch thus differs from the first time the other two powers had frantic space activity. Are the computers there just for backup and nice views? Does it make the whole thing easier to control? Is this launch orders of magnitude safer than the ones launched by the US and the Soviets back in the day?

 

[escobar]

An instrument measuring the astronauts's mass already installed on TQ-1, will be activated for the first time. China becomes the third country in the world after the USA and Russia to develop it. This instrument uses the second law of newton. The US and russian one use the method of measuring vibration period for measuring the mass while the chinese one measures directly the acceleration under the effect of a force.

Mission patch

 

[Quickie]

Is that local time for Tiangong (that would be interesting to keep track of....) :rofl:

China local time.

 

[escobar]

Training

 

[escobar]

According to information provided by the CMSEO to Xinhua and other sources, we learn more about how the dockings will happen

*On Monday, June 18 around 11 am local time, the Shenzhou-9 will pass in fully automatic mode and performs the first docking with TG-1. Once docked the astronauts will enter.

*6 days after launch, the astronauts will return to the Shenzhou-9 and lock all the doors.Shenzhou-9 takes control and therefore will undock in automatic mode. SZ-9 will "roll back" to the "point of parking" located 140m from TG-1. An astronaut will then regain control and performs the second docking in manual mode.(In the Chinese system, the manual system is considered as the reserve system, the automatic system is premium)

*Once the second docking is completed, the three astronauts will enter again.

*Just before the return to Earth, an astronaut will undock Shenzhou-9 from TG-1.

So there will be a docking and an undocking in automatic mode, then a docking and an undocking in manual mode.

We also learn that in the Shenzhou-9 astronauts have 15 days of food and water.

 

[Igor]

Is this launch orders of magnitude safer than the ones launched by the US and the Soviets back in the day?

Yes it is. It's safer than a former American shuttle launch too. The long-march is one of (I think 2nd after soyuz rockets) the most reliable launch systems on earth and always current with the latest improvements.

But when you're sitting on top of a controlled explosion things can go wrong quickly.

 

[escobar]

 

[vesicles]

first pic... Space tofu!?

watched the event life, both online and on TV, impressive and heartwarming moments

Liuyang (female) was visibly tense during initial launch phases and during lift off, but she seems to be quite happy when mission was considered a success (after final stage separation and solar panel deployment) playing her checklist and pen in zero gravity

congrats China!

No, it's not tofu, but squid balls.

 

[bladerunner]

Picture 4 Chinese Oreos

During the CCTV commentary the narrator said that the astronauts were isolated for a few days in a sterile enviroment to prevent them catching things like a cold etc, but there they are in the take of ceremony out in the open breathing in all the germs that are floating around the enviroment. .......... huh?