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China To Snap 4 Space Ships Into a Station
hackingbear writes "According to a report by Hong Kong newspaper Mingpao Daily (poor Google translation), quoting the Director of Jiuquan Launch Center, China is set to build a space station by snapping together four spaceships (Shenzhou 7, 8, 9, and 10), to be launched sequentially. Though other reports indicates that taikonauts abroad SZ 7 will return to Earth on September 28, the official said the ship will remain in the orbit to be docked with unmanned Shenzhou 8 and 9. Finally, the manned spaceship Shenzhou 10 will be launched and dock with the other three, completing the space station." A story at Space.com also briefly mentions Shenzhous 8 and 9 (with no mention of number 10), and adds that
China has selected its first spacewalker.
I dunno... I used to build those "snap together" model kits. They really might want to consider going with cement.
I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. I tagged this with "voltron"
-G
Their may be a grammatical error, misspeling, or evn a typo in this post.
Does anyone else find the practice of using the foreign-language version of "astronaut" a bit annoying? It seems a bit bizarre.
A Chinese astronaut is... an astronaut. A Russian astronaut is... an astronaut. You'll notice that during the Olympics, Chinese athletes were still called "athlete."
Why arbitrarily translate some words into the foreign language?
I thought china helped in the ISS, why don't they just use the ISS as opposed to spending the money on building lego in space?
-Ours is the wisdom of Solomon, the magic of Merlyn, the fall of Icaris.
In Chinese, it literally means "space person", which is what they call all professional space-faring people (eg astronaut, cosmonaut, etc.) no matter what their respective countries call them. So why don't we just call them all "astronauts"?
U.S.A.
China doesn't snap space ships together to make a space station, it secretly fits engines to its space station and uses it as a ship and plans to refuel on Europa.
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
"Though other reports indicates that taikonauts abroad SZ 7 will return to Earth on September 28, the official said the ship will remain in the orbit to be docked with unmanned Shenzhou 8 and 9. Finally, the manned spaceship Shenzhou 10 will be launched and dock with the other three, completing the space station."
If they fly each ship up and, "Snap", it with another, how are the Taikonauts getting home?!?
Are they going to make those folks hoof it back? Hitch a ride with the shuttle? Some cool new parachute technology they have been holding back? :)
Take care all,
Joe
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy - Benjamin Franklin"
One feature of the Shenzhou capsule is that the orbit module (which detaches from the reentry module before reentry) can stay in function as a separate spacecraft.
Thus part of Shenzhou 7 will stay in space to form part of the station, and part of it will return the men home.
If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we shoot people for Apollo-related non-sequiturs?
Sky lab was hurried to put together and the only tragedy was that they couldn't keep it in orbit. I suppose the Chinese attempt will also end in falling from space if they can't figure out how to refuel it and keep it higher in orbit.
They must be talking about leaving the Hab/Orbital module on orbit for SZ7. Since ShenZhou is a modernized Soyuz, it's fairly simple. The pressurized top module has independent RCS thrusters and is designed to act as a satellite after detaching from the descent module. The previous SZ flights have included experiments and observation packages that continued long after crew return - this is a logical extension of that concept. The article refers to SZ7 as a "target vehicle" - guarantee that is referring only to the orbital module.
IIRC, the Chinese were shopping around a "long node" station design a decade ago - this is the operational version of those viewgraphs.
Unless they plan to dock the orbital modules in sequence, one of the vehicles must include a Node - my guess is SZ8 but it could be 9, these are both uncrewed so that helps with the mass of additional docking adapters.
j
gigantino.tv - Heavy but weighs nothing.
I was reading about the fighter pilot china chose ( http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/080916/world/china_space ), and this is crazy ...
A 42-year-old fighter pilot has been chosen to become the first Chinese person to walk in space... Zhai Zhigang, a colonel in the People's Liberation Army...His pressurised spacesuit, which cost up to 100 million yuan (15 million dollars), is largely based on Russian designs and will include two lifelines that will supply oxygen and communications
China is spending millions on space suits and America is spending millions on bailing out big corporations. Strange how that works, huh?
I think it's spelled aboard, no abroad.
Look. "Astronaut" is Greek. "Cosmonaut" also Greek. "Taikonaut" is dumb.
But it's not the fault of the Chinese. They call their space travelers "Yuhangyuan".
First country to establish a permanent lunar base?
First country to establish a permanent martian colony?
I know where my money is riding.
If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
following the launch of manned spacecraft "God 7", "God 8" and "God 9" will be unmanned spacecraft, "God 10".
Snapping four gods together to form one orbital god?
Or is this just a bad google translation?
"Kill 'em all and let Root sort 'em out"
I wonder how "orbiting space barge of death" translates from the original Russian into Chinese.
Didn't they just recall the Shenzhou space craft from WalMart? Too much lead in the paint or something like that? Also I think the navigation software was pirated from Google Earth...
I guess the lead makes it too heavy to leave the Earth's gravity well. And also, you don't want your kids chewing on the outside of a space craft. They might get lead poisoning....
China is spending millions on space suits and America is spending millions on bailing out big corporations. Strange how that works, huh?
Maybe they should spend that to keep people from putting melamine in their food.
Instead of wasting all that thrust getting big liquid/airtight tanks into space only to let them fall back down, somebody will use them to expand our spaceborne volume.
Spacestations would be much cheaper if every rocket became an addon, even if they were only useable as liquid storage. Larger air capacity=less crisis when the scrubbers/recyclers fail.
Hell, grew some veggies in them, cut down on the vitamins we have to ship up.
I'd be interested to know how much this launch/assemble space station is going to cost the Chinese, and then comparing how much the ISS cost.
I know they build things cheaper in China, but I thought that was just t-shirts and sneakers and stuff.
Choose one from above, or come up with your own guess.
So, they never mentioned how they plan on getting the people they send up there back down. I guess when you've got 1.5 billion people it doesn't matter?
...by the Japanese who snapped 5 pieces of construction equipment together to form Devastator!!!
So they are after their own Mir station, so what? USSR has done that on multiple occasions (put together space capsules into some sort of a space station configuration.) It's just good engineering, but in this case it is not surprising at all, considering that Chinese space industry is sort of regurgitation Russian space industry.
You can't handle the truth.
Good for them.
China may well do this right, the 1950s Collier's space program way. Just mass produce and launch medium-sized rockets until there's a real space station in orbit. The problem with NASA has always been that they don't do anything in volume, so their costs are too high.
I know this is Slashdot, but here T properly translated FA. Contents inside [] are mine.
Bad article (it's tautology -- blame the writer) and bad translation (blame me).
Space Lab Planned after Shenzhou-X Launch
Mr. Cui Ji-Jun, director of Jiuquan Space Launch Center, today told the media that the Shenzhou-VIII and -IX spaceships, which are scheduled after this year's manned Shenzhou-VII unit, will both be unmanned. The tenth of the series will again send astronauts into space and snap with an orbiting target. After that, work will be done to construct a space-based laboratory.
According to the Qilu Evening [a Shandon-based newspaper], Mr. Cui said the featured task of Shenzhou-VII will be a spacewalk. Three astronauts will be aboard: one will take the walk out of the ship, another one will assist him in the orbiting unit (of Shenzhou-VII), and the third in the return unit. Cui also explained the reason behind the decision of launching the spaceship at night. [However the news fails to tell what it is:(]
Shenzhou-VIII and -IX, Unmanned
Cui said after Shenzhou-VII gets launched, a Target unit will be sent to space, and later the VIII to X units. Shenzhou-VIII, unmanned, will go after the Target unit and join with it. The IX unit will do the same. Shenzhou-X, piloted by astronauts, will also join with the Target. After this is done, the first task will be the making of a space lab.
Colorless green Cthulhu waits dreaming furiously.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Could someone not at least proof read the summary for typos and terrible grammar?
I find it interesting that they are all set to go for docking four ships together into a space station, and they haven't even done a spacewalk yet.
Web 2.0 == Giant Blogspam Circle Jerk
.. they will repeat the mission profile the Russians flew back in 1968 or so?
How blind can some people be???
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
Sorry, but with all the shoddy merchandise coming out of China, I can't believe for one second that this is going to end well. Needless to say that the Chinese Govt cares little for the safety of its citizens, but still someone stop them before the space junk floating around this planet includes little Chinese people. On the up side, if they pull it off at least we can get good take-out in space.
It's simply the most logical thing to do. Launching stuff into space is so incredibly expensive that scrapping the stuff or even bringing it back to earth makes absolutely no sense financially. I've never understood why there has not been some prior planning to do this with just about any spacecraft. We'd have had a space city by now and if something broke, it could be ditched after all. Even stuff that's completely useless at the moment could still come in handy later on.
In space useless crap is worth billions, you just have to keep it around long enough to find a use for it. There's more than enough space up there to do that;-)
0x or or snor perron?!
is on private enterprise. I think that before 2020 that Private enterprise will have a base on the moon, and by 2025, a base on mars. The reason is that being in space IS expensive. But being on the moon or mars is actually safer and cheaper. The moon will enable us to stretch out and build. The private enterprise will build at the pole using solar. American gov. will follow with nuke generator. In fact, the west will get behind Musk and Bigelow and jump on board. They will build their own infrastructure over time, but it will make use of others initially.
BTW, the first mission to mars will also be private enterprise. And it will be a one-way mission (or at least one where the crew is expected to stay there for 10 years or longer). The reason is that it is expensive. But I am guessing that Musk and others will try to capture asteroids and send them to earth. That same tech will allow them to send ammonia/water based asteroids careening into mars to make it habitable.
That is my bet.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
I know, I complained about this the last time Slashdot ran a story on Chinese space program, but it simply annoys the fire out of me.
If they are going to translate (well, it isn't even a translation, but a phonetic English spelling of a Chinese word) the Chinese word for "taikonaut", then they really ought to "translate" the word "Director" too, since they are both occupations held by a Chinese person. If you're going to make us have to deal with foreign pronunciations when we have perfectly adequate words in our own language, then you might as well be consistent.
Better known as 318230.
The Chinese have done two manned flights, Shenzhou 5 and Shenzhou 6. They also, if you hadn't figured this out from the names, sent up 4 unmanned versions of the craft before they put anybody in it.
Shenzhou 7 is due for launch in 8 days. Go on youtube and you can see video of the rocket itself ready to go out to the launch pad. If you think this is hot air you are a total nonce.
If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we shoot people for Apollo-related non-sequiturs?
Isn't there enough space junk up there already?
Which is why you shouldn't look at things 'basically'. You miss out on a whole lot.
Comparing the Voskhod missions to Shenzhou is totally absurd. Even the slightest bit of research would reveal this, but you prefer a more 'basic' view of things I see.
Although what the craft is doing, in the most basic sense of course, is similar to what was done before, Shenzhou is probably the most modern manned spacecraft flying right now.
If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we shoot people for Apollo-related non-sequiturs?
I say good for the Chinese, now they can spend the $$ and manhours dodging their space junk...maybe it will teach them to be a little more circumspect about blowing things up in space.
Impetuous! Homeric!
As the parent pointed out, Chinese, Russians etc.. have their OWN words for "astronaut"... kosmonavt, taikong ren etc... ****naut isn't what they call their own astronauts.
A 'taikonaut' is actually what "English people" (mostly media, I imagine) call a Chinese taikong ren. I would assume translators and english-speaking media do so because languages based on a different alphabet systems are difficult to pronounce and spell phonetically... And while astronaut would be just fine with me, I guess there is some need to supplement 'naut' (which seems to imply 'explorer') with a version of their native word for space.
Personally, I'd like to see the word 'astronaut' used instead of flavor_of_the_month_onaut, because that's what they are in English.. an astronaut. Shame on the translator for making arbitrary, cultural concessions.
Fact: Everything I say is fiction.
It's just good engineering, but in this case it is not surprising at all, considering that Chinese space industry is sort of regurgitation Russian space industry.
Only if the US space industry is regurgitation Nazi weapons industry.
Real science does not care about the nationality of the giants on whose shoulders we midgets stand.
Kudos to all humans everywhere who have triumphed over infantile nationalism and petty "not invented here" memes.
Oh no, you are using PPP values! You! You! Gah! ...Why don't people learn!? You use GDP nominal, as in real money, to measure the economic power of different countries.
With GDP nominal the figures are:
In real money terms China has the economic power equaling Germany that has GDP nominal of 3,32 trillion.
Survey research tool for commercial and scientific use
The linked article simply discusses China's gradual but steadily improving manned space programme. It says nothing about what the Chinese call their Astronauts, Tibet, Iraq, or about NASA or the shuttle. Why on earth do you people have to diss any nation that does anything positive be it Chinese, Indian, Russian or European?
To me, it comes across as pure envy that someone else is doing things that you used to consider your own territory.
There is nothing wrong with the American space programme and it has a long and proud tradition, and folks like the ones making the Falcon rocket look to be making space reachable by private people in the future.
So why the pressing need to insult the Chinese?
Similar to Russian spacecraft, the Shenzhou has a separate re-entry module and orbital module (whereas Apollo for example, had a command module which functioned as the both the orbital module and re-entry vehicle). The orbital module is what stays in orbit to become a piece of the space station.
Support Right To Repair Legislation.
Where only old people get sent to space stations.
I think this was episode 4 of season 2 in Transformers where the 5 cars turn into a mega robot...
cool episode...nice to see the Chinese remember such great shows!
Obligatory... You Iraq terrorizers are just saying this out of envy.
Was it any better than this?
Chinese government issued a country-wide Space Station Act under which each Chinese household is required to build at least one Shenzhou Module, successfully launch it and have it attach to the modules in orbit.
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I once wrote an article about how they should use the shuttle to send up in space one more time and use for parts, as they were planning to end its run as Us main shuttle to space. I had so many people blasting me about how it can't be done, and yet here go the Chinese and do the same thing I mentioned with not 1 but 4 shuttles and just leave them in space as materials for space station (although they are actually designed for this purpose
do not drink the powdered milk!
...4 space ships snaps YOU into a station!
If you quote this signature there'll be 72 copies of Windows ME waiting for you in Heaven.
You retarded asshole! Go to China and see for yourself. Chinese people are millions of times happier than you ever imagine, though there are many problems. And China would not "liberate" Iraq and kill millions of innocent people.
To take the external tanks for the Shuttle the rest of the way into orbit, and do just that.
And my wife, a former NASA engineer at KSC, says that management refused, because "that's not the way we've always done it".
And I hope this puts a bug up the anti-civilian-space Republican ass, that the Chinese may have put another space station into orbit in only a year or so, instead of the dozen years for Station.
mark
No! China's building a Beowulf Cluster in space!
Skylab actually spent several years in development and was intended to be used for a fairly long term. It was to be kept up by reboosts from the Apollo spacecraft that visited it, so it was possible to keep it in orbit. In fact, NASA was considering using the cancelled fourth manned visit to the station to primarily boost it high enough that it would stay in orbit until the shuttle's planned entry into service in 1979 (which ended up being two years late). However, the limitations of the station, compared to the capabilities of the shuttle (especially with a spacehab module in the payload bay), damage sustained during its launch, and the need for on-orbit maintenance led to those plans being cancelled.
Initial design work on Skylab began in 1966, 7 years before it was launched, as part of the Apollo Applications Program. The original plan was to use the second stage of a Saturn-1B rocket, which was actually the same as the third stage of the Saturn V. Because of the smaller capacity of the Saturn 1B, it would be a fully fueled stage with access points added so the first crew could enter the empty stage in orbit and convert the interior, which only had minimal gear at the time of launch. This was called the "wet lab" configuration.
The limitations and complexity of that approach led to a switch to the Saturn V, launching its converted third stage dry and much more fully outfitted (which they could now afford to do since it was full of cryogenic hydrogen and oxygen), including a large docking module at one end, plus all the necessary life-support gear. A large optical telescope was also attached. Three manned missions ultimately were conducted on board Skylab.
The Chinese should be able to similarly reboost this mini space station and replenish consumables each time they visit. However, this will be a very small station. The total interior volume of four Shenzhou orbital modules is barely more than 10% of the interior volume of Skylab and about 1/3 the size of the Soviet Salyut stations. It will also have limited amounts of consumables and power. It won't afford them a lot of versatility.
But if they use cement, they can't separate until they're needed to reform Voltron again.
Same's true for snap-fit, actually - the pegs will typically lock the parts together firmly enough that you can't separate them without breaking the pegs - and possibly damaging part edges in the process of trying to pry it apart... If you want to assemble a snap-kit and be able to take it apart again, you need to trim the pegs or cut the side of the socket to reduce the "locking" feature... Of course then you'll need cement again to make the assembly permanent...
Bow-ties are cool.
Everybody knows seven ate nine and ten.
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
Does anyone else but me get bummed out reading about their separate spacefaring adventures? Wouldn't it be great to have them contribute to the "International" space station as well?!?! Certainly would put a nice infusion of resources into the thing.
China is spending millions on space suits and America is spending millions on bailing out big corporations. Strange how that works, huh?
Now, now. What makes you think the modern US government chose only one of those two options?
We're currently spending $183 million on design work for the next generation of space suits for the Constellation program, with an option for future contracts for $260-300 million. That covers 4 suits for moon walkers and 6 suits for people headed to the ISS. (ref)
(Oh, and the Chinese are considering bailing out Lehman brothers, so they're getting in on that action too, I guess.)
If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
In addition to what the previous poster said, I'd like to point out that it's not like this is the first time someone's done manned space flights. China's just doing what other countries tried out first, having learned from our failures & successes instead of stepping forth into the unknown themselves.
I'd be rather disappointed in a nation with their economic might and engineering experience if they couldn't get it right in this timeframe.
If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
they will use melamine to hold it all together...
There exists no way of exchanging information without making judgments. --Bene Gesserit Axiom
Maybe they should have consulted the Danish for their snap-together solution?
And they were in Chingrish. Bery Cronfusing
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
Our "God 2" ascended almost 2000 years ago to snap together with "God 1" and "God 3".
Without reading every single post in this thread, might I ask the obvious(or, maybe not so obvious), if it hasn't been already?
How are the Taikonauts getting back to Mothership Earth?
China is going to snap together multiple spaceships to make a large space station? => main article link. That's cool. I appreciate their verfication. I figured after months of reading my posts and website pages they would pick up the idea. God knows the United States wouldn't use it for fear of offending someone {ahem, we dare not mention their name for fear of political repercussions and violent wrist-slapping} overseas.
For more information about my engine systems here are some posts I made September 11-18 in a Spanish blog.
Looks like China reads them so you may as well also.
Industrial Age 2 + How-to Stop Malignant Cancers.
IMO you need to be less defensive.
I have a great respect for the Chinese people, and one of the reasons for which is their seeming innate ability to find happiness under the harshest of conditions.
But let's be objective. The Chinese government, when compared to the rights and protections offered by western governments, just plain sucks from left to right in every area you care to name, with the possible exception of logistics and management. After all, even counting 1.5b people is a large challenge.
True national pride comes from having a moral superiority; the kind that the U.S. ceded to corporate interests and seems to have little interest in regaining. Start offering democracy and civil rights in more than mere name and I'll really be impressed.
There are those who say that governing a country the size of China requires a "firm hand". While this might seem a logical premise, it's a rationalization, pure and simple.
This comment is my opinion and does not represent an official position of Donald Trump or others I do not work for