Chinese Crew Completes Manual Docking With Orbiting Module

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Chinese Crew Completes Manual Docking With Orbiting Module

Posted by timothy on Saturday June 23, 2012 @09:21PM from the one-of-the-best-things-to-do-in-space dept.

A few days back, the crew of the Shenzhou 9 were along for the ride as their craft docked to — or rather, was docked to — an orbiting module. On Sunday, the docking procedure was repeated, but under the direction of the Chinese astronauts themselves rather than controllers on the ground.

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Congradulations China by arcite · 2012-06-23 21:27 · Score: -1, Flamebait

You have achieved something that was was first done over 46 years ago.
1. Re:Congradulations China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-23 21:38 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  I love the smell of butthurt American in the morning!
  Seriously, can't we congratulate for once?
2. Re:Congradulations China by arcite · 2012-06-23 21:49 · Score: -1, Troll
  
  If China was serious about Space exploration and development, they would sign up to the International Space Station, even the Russians managed that. Docking with a tin can is not a serious achievement (except for propaganda purposes).
3. Re:Congradulations China by M1FCJ · 2012-06-23 21:54 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  They tried to join ISS, A certain North American country said "never, never, never!", and it wasn't the Canadians nor Mexico.
4. Re:Congradulations China by GuruBuckaroo · 2012-06-23 21:54 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  The US blocked them from participation in the ISS. They wanted to participate, but weren't allowed to.
  
  --
  Poor means hoping the toothache goes away.
5. Re:Congradulations China by Runaway1956 · 2012-06-23 21:56 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  I have to agree with AC's sentiments. "Even the Russians"? WTF? Let me just ask - how many nations, corPorations, and other entities have gone into sPace? How many have docked with anything? How many have made a landing, from which PeoPle walked away, alive and well?
  It seems that the list makes uP a rather small, exclusive club.
  So, just congratulate the Chinese. I like to bash them when it's deserved. Start a thread on consumer goods, and I'll start the bashing for you. They sell a lot of substandard shit that isn't worth the effort of carrying home if it were given to you. In this case, they've done good. Better than the US can do. We don't even have a frigging sPacecraft anymore. We are reduced to bumming rides from PeoPle who can afford transPortation.
  Doesn't that remind you of your high school and/or college days?
  
  --
  "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
6. Re:Congradulations China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-23 22:11 · Score: 0
  
  Why would the Mexicans care about the ISS? They've already perfected trans-lunar cetacean conveyance. A puny space station is beneath them.
7. Re:Congradulations China by Sigg3.net · 2012-06-23 22:26 · Score: 1
  
  What you're saying is; USA USA USA USA! ... who blocked them out.
  
  --
  Defining Statistics and Social Research
8. Re:Congradulations China by Antarius · 2012-06-23 22:41 · Score: 1
  
  What's that? Learned how to spell "congratulations?"
9. Re:Congradulations China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-23 23:08 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  , even the Russians managed that.
  Very funny. Without the Russians experience with Saljut 7 and MIR there would be no ISS.
10. Re:Congradulations China by evanism · 2012-06-23 23:25 · Score: 0
  
  I smell fear in your voice, American.
  
  --
  Just bought a new quantum computer, but I'm uncertain how it works.
11. Re:Congradulations China by benjfowler · 2012-06-23 23:43 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Because they were caught repeatedly stealing US satellite technology.
  They are being punished for being thieves and moral bankrupts, and they only have themselves to blame.
12. Re:Congradulations China by M1FCJ · 2012-06-23 23:46 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  ISS is mainly MIR-2 and its assorted bits and bobs. If Russians decide to go and play their own ball and take Mir-2 bits, the rest would deorbit and burn in no time and the Russians would still have a viable space station.
13. Re:Congradulations China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 00:05 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Dude what's wrong with your P's???
14. Re:Congradulations China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 00:14 · Score: 0
  
  Your IntertwIned shIft and P keys are IntrIguIng to me and I'd lIke to subscrIbe to your newsIetter.
15. Re:Congradulations China by MightyYar · 2012-06-24 00:14 · Score: 2
  
  Look at his username - the lower-case 'p' ran away in 1956.
  
  --
  W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
16. Re:Congradulations China by AliasMarlowe · 2012-06-24 00:20 · Score: 2
  
  A certain North American country said "never, never, never!", and it wasn't the Canadians nor Mexico.
  Are you accusing the French of being responsible?
  BTW, North America also includes Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and arguably Panama. Also one other country whose name escapes me for the moment, but which all the others find extremely irritating...
  
  --
  Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
17. Re:Congradulations China by AliasMarlowe · 2012-06-24 00:22 · Score: 1
  
  Dude what's wrong with your P's???
  He needs a little p on his keyboard, but it got a big P instead...
  
  --
  Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
18. Re:Congradulations China by ewanm89 · 2012-06-24 00:38 · Score: 0
  
  Considering how much their Shenzhou capsules and Long March 2E rockets resemble Russian Soyuz designs (Oh they aren't identical, there are a few upgrades), I don't think China have learned all that much in the interim.
19. Re:Congradulations China by Nerdfest · 2012-06-24 00:41 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Come on man, give Ps a chance.
20. Re:Congradulations China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 00:41 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  >If China was serious about Space exploration and development
  Hmm ... how is a country that's actually exploring and developing space by physically being there and doing the work all by themselves not considered serious?
  Maybe their technology is trailing but they aren't kissing anyone else's ass or asking permission to be there. They're just getting the job done.
21. Re:Congradulations China by dotancohen · 2012-06-24 00:50 · Score: 1
  
  Come on man, give Ps a chance.
  If it were his username, then he would have green Ps.
  
  --
  It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
22. Re:Congradulations China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 00:55 · Score: 0
  
  It hurts when he p's
23. Re:Congradulations China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 00:57 · Score: 0
  
  He's just setting you up to be able to respond "that's what she said", but you had to go and change "P" to P's and then it doesn't work :(
24. Re:Congradulations China by wmac1 · 2012-06-24 01:21 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  and here is the proof that the punishment has been successful. Next time US will possibly need to apply to their program.
25. Re:Congradulations China by elrous0 · 2012-06-24 01:31 · Score: 2
  
  Yeah, and many a whaler died on the moon trying to bring it back.
  
  --
  SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
26. Re:Congradulations China by elrous0 · 2012-06-24 01:35 · Score: 1
  
  He clearly needs to mind his P's and Q's.
  
  --
  SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
27. Re:Congradulations China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 01:58 · Score: 0
  
  I'm fairly sure you never heard of Central America before, so all is forgiven.
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_America
28. Re:Congradulations China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 02:06 · Score: 0
  
  maybe , but they are sitting on 600 billion $$ of currency reserve and you are above an abyssmal international dette , now who's the moron ?
29. Re:Congradulations China by msk · 2012-06-24 02:08 · Score: 1
  
  Greenland?
30. Re:Congradulations China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 02:09 · Score: 0
  
  "They sell a lot of substandard shit that isn't worth the effort of carrying home if it were given to you."
  they sell what you are ready to pay for , if you're too cheap to buy quality , why they would subsidise you selling you quality product below manufactoring price ?
  funny to get a market economy lesson from "communist chinese" huh ?
31. Re:Congradulations China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 02:14 · Score: 1
  
  Why is it morally bankrupt to learn from what others have done? Wouldn't that mean that every single scientist who has ever walked on this earth has been morally bankrupt? Why should every nation that wants to go to space have to reinvent the wheel? And as the comment below points out, it seems they've learned a hell of a lot more from the Russians than the US, they after all actually have an active manned space program.
32. Re:Congradulations China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 03:01 · Score: 0
  
  Nah, he's just got a sticky pee key
33. Re:Congradulations China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 03:21 · Score: 0
  
  and Cuba and Jamaica and Haiti and....
34. Re:Congradulations China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 03:23 · Score: 1
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_and_dependent_territories_in_North_America
35. Re:Congradulations China by kelemvor4 · 2012-06-24 04:38 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I'm fairly sure you never heard of Central America before, so all is forgiven.
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_America
  Did you even read what you linked? Central America is not a continent, it's a subcontinent. While all those countries may be part of the Central America subcontinent, they're also part of North America.
36. Re:Congradulations China by RicktheBrick · 2012-06-24 04:54 · Score: 2
  
  Just out of curiosity, what would happen to the ISS if Russia decided that they would transport only Russian back and forth from the ISS? Could NASA somehow make it unusable to the Russian? I would think that we would want the Chinese to be capable of taking astronauts to the ISS only so we are not totally dependent on the Russians. It will probably another 3 years at least before any astronauts are taken up from the US. A Russian general has called for a preemptive strike on a ABM system in Poland. I can not see any cooperation with the Russian if they are militarily striking one of our allies.
37. Re:Congradulations China by wiredlogic · 2012-06-24 05:01 · Score: 2
  
  Actually, the Russians are going to disconnect their modules in 2018 and create their own follow on station.
  
  --
  I am becoming gerund, destroyer of verbs.
38. Re:Congradulations China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 05:40 · Score: 0
  
  You have OCD?
39. Re:Congradulations China by Runaway1956 · 2012-06-24 05:59 · Score: 1
  
  Funny how what goes around, comes around. I think the entire United States is going to be punished for harboring our own thieves and moral bankrupts, soon enough. How is our economy doing these days? I read that the average American household is worth 30% less today than it was about a decade ago. That was among some political propaganda - but let me find the link anyway:
  Hmm - not the link I was looking for, but it offers very much the same data, just with another political flavored spin on it:
  http://www.theburningplatform.com/?tag=household-net-worth
  
  --
  "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
40. Re:Congradulations China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 06:25 · Score: 0
  
  I read that a decade ago, they were overvalued by the same amount. The economy here isn't nearly as bad as it seems on the surface, people are just getting back to what works- saving up instead of spending all on credit. Takes a little time to catch up on the bills, and stack some in the savings account when you've been playing with a short stack of cash for a long time.
41. Re:Congradulations China by benjfowler · 2012-06-24 06:58 · Score: 1
  
  Thieves, liars, barbarians, murderers -- and also insufferably arrogant.
42. Re:Congradulations China by WindBourne · 2012-06-24 07:19 · Score: 2
  
  Not likely. It is almost certain that by 2018, we will have a tug for the western half. Even now, NASA is hard at work on developing a tug, as well as automated docking.
  
  The rest of it is great as it stands. The issue for Russian side is that they have very little room, and literally no power.
  
  --
  I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
43. Re:Congradulations China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 07:38 · Score: 0
  
  Still puts China ahead of laggard states like Germany, France, UK, Japan...
44. Re:Congradulations China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 08:34 · Score: 0
  
  Well, to be fair, a US congressman and former presidential candidate has called for a preemptive strike on Russia during the North Ossetian war. There are morons on both sides, that shouldn't prevent the intelligent, reasonable people from working together.
  In answer to your question: if "Russia" (I assume you mean the government, because roscosmos would never voluntarily do this) decided not to send Americans to the ISS, a very likely outcome is that the best and brightest that are still left at roscosmos would go to the US (...or China?), because that would essentially spell the end of meaningful space exploration for Russia. But it's a moot point, since the chance of that happening is probably about comparable to the chance of that "first strike" the general (or McCain for that matter) were talking about.
45. Re:Congradulations China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 09:53 · Score: 0
  
  Bought or not, have you looked at the Shenzhou spacecraft design?, to me it looks like a Soyuz capsule that has been painted blue and has Chinese writing instead of Russian.. I know they partnered with Russia at one point but, yea they do tend to copy stuff.
46. Re:Congradulations China by johnny+cashed · 2012-06-24 10:25 · Score: 1
  
  Where does Skylab fit in? No respect for the Skylab?
47. Re:Congradulations China by shutdown+-p+now · 2012-06-24 12:20 · Score: 2
  
  Chinese are adept at "copy first, improve later", which is an entirely reasonable attitude - much more so than building something that's already done from scratch. What many people are missing is the "improve" part - but it's there and working just fine. As a simple example, 40 years ago Chinese were using AK with minimal changes as their main infantry rifle. 20 years ago it was AK with considerable changes. Today it's a rifle in a different caliber, with completely different look and ergonomics - it's still ultimately derived from AK operation, but at that point it's far enough that it can no longer be meaningfully called a clone. They did similar things with aircraft, and are now working on the same for naval carriers. Why not space?
48. Re:Congradulations China by shutdown+-p+now · 2012-06-24 12:22 · Score: 1
  
  Well, to be fair, a US congressman and former presidential candidate has called for a preemptive strike on Russia during the North Ossetian war.
  I think you mean South Ossetian - North Ossetia is a Russian province, it hasn't been contested by Georgia.
49. Re:Congradulations China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 15:48 · Score: 0
  
  Wasn't the AK-47 itself a copy of the German StG 44?
50. Re:Congradulations China by shutdown+-p+now · 2012-06-24 16:12 · Score: 2
  
  No, it wasn't, though it's a very popular misconception, fueled largely by vaguely similar external look, especially the magazine shape (Czech Vz 58 is also mistaken for an AK for similar reasons). Constructively, the closest living relative of StG 44 is FN FAL. AK also uses long-stroke piston action, but otherwise it is dissimilar in how it locks the barrel, construction of the trigger, and general layout.
  You could probably say that AK - or rather the new intermediate 7.62x39 cartridge around which it was designed - was directly inspired by StG 44, since the latter was the first firearm designed around a similar cartridge, and as such the first assault rifle. But a copy it's not.
51. Re:Congradulations China by ewanm89 · 2012-06-24 16:55 · Score: 1
  
  I never said it was a bad strategy, but from a diplomatic/political point of view, it hasn't exactly served them.
52. Re:Congradulations China by DemonGenius · 2012-06-24 17:02 · Score: 1
  
  One thing that really annoys me here and in other social situations is when people don't understand context or feign misunderstanding of context in a weak effort to appear intelligent, or make someone look dumb to appear intelligent themselves, which is even worse. Get off your intellectual high horse and quit pretending you don't know what country the GP was talking about.
53. Re:Congradulations China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 19:46 · Score: 0
  
  Sadly you have yet to learn something that was first done over 500 years ago - to spell "congratulations".
  (BTW, that particular misspelling marks you out very clearly as both an American, and someone who does not read enough to have seen the correct spelling in print. Given how common that word is, it says very poor things about your reading habits)
54. Re:Congradulations China by cusco · 2012-06-25 05:12 · Score: 1
  
  Don't be such a tight-ass. It's funny.
  
  --
  "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
55. Re:Congradulations China by AliasMarlowe · 2012-06-25 05:33 · Score: 1
  
  Don't be such a tight-ass. It's funny.
  Especially since I left out Nicaragua (nobody noticed), a country which the others may or may not find irritating...
  
  --
  Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
56. Re:Congradulations China by stepho-wrs · 2012-06-25 13:03 · Score: 1
  
  Which side are we talking about again?
57. Re:Congradulations China by KingBenny · 2012-06-30 01:44 · Score: 1
  
  finally something positive amidst the artificially induced crisis rampage, the criminalization of privacy, tor, soon any kind of vpn perhaps, european censorship pointing fingers at the chinese and korea ... i love this shit, it's an in your face we did it while you just stood there bickering. I hope to see more. Hell, i vote the chinese for world domination, at least they're honest about the way they want to 'protect the people'
  
  --
  Free speech was meant to be free for all... how can anyone grow up in a nanny state ?
Alternative Spacerace by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-23 21:58 · Score: 0

It's not like the other countries involved in ISS have economic problems, engage in protectionism and have a foreign policy that differs from China. I understand that China wants to do some stuff for themselves.
Message for China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-23 22:06 · Score: 0

Please do not release the space ants.
1. Re:Message for China by elrous0 · 2012-06-24 01:38 · Score: 1
  
  Posting AC won't save you from the sugar mines, resister!
  
  --
  SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Is there some special about a manual docking? by nzac · 2012-06-23 22:12 · Score: 4, Interesting

Supposedly this is an advancement on an automated docking. Can someone fill me in or is this just media spin?
1. Re:Is there some special about a manual docking? by Malvineous · 2012-06-23 23:18 · Score: 1
  
  Computers are now so advanced that all we can do as humans is try to keep up.
  Actually I don't think they've done automated docking yet. The first was manually done from the ground, now it's been manually done from space. Maybe the next step is automating it.
2. Re:Is there some special about a manual docking? by icebrain · 2012-06-23 23:42 · Score: 0
  
  No, it's just an example of the old Soviet-style communist approach where the crew can't be trusted, so everything is set up to run automatically and/or from the ground. Once that has been proven to work, and if the crew is deemed reliable enough, they are allowed to try a manual docking.
  
  --
  The meek may inherit the earth, but the strong shall take the stars.
3. Re:Is there some special about a manual docking? by M1FCJ · 2012-06-23 23:48 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Russian automated docking systems used to fail once in a while. The famous Mir-Progress collusion was an attempt on doing a manual docking (to save money by not carrying the automated system which would burn away once the Progress would deorbit) with an unmanned spacecraft (Progress) with the guidance but no control from the manned craft (Mir) which went horribly wrong.
4. Re:Is there some special about a manual docking? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 00:50 · Score: 0
  
  just because there are "people" who use such things as stux, duqu and flame. You must have a manual backup.
5. Re:Is there some special about a manual docking? by Noughmad · 2012-06-24 01:05 · Score: 1
  
  In the first episode of TNG, Riker has to dock the two parts of the Enterprise manually. Maybe the Chinese like Picard so much.
  
  --
  PlusFive Slashdot reader for Android. Can post comments.
6. Re:Is there some special about a manual docking? by wmac1 · 2012-06-24 01:29 · Score: 2
  
  Thanks for the interesting reference. +Informative.
  Events leading to the collision of the Progress Cargo Ship with MIR, includes some reconstructed footage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM7fTLLmgbk
7. Re:Is there some special about a manual docking? by johnny+cashed · 2012-06-24 05:25 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  Not so simple. The Soviets had a system in place called Kurs. Kurs was engineered and produced in the Ukraine. After the Soviet Union broke up, Ukraine was the sole supplier of the Kurs system and also owned the IP of said system. They wanted too much $$$ to supply and/or license the system. Russia then develops the Toru system as a backup and kludge. They were salvaging Kurs computers from automated progress modules and sending them home on the Space Shuttle. I believe that the Kurs system was actually very reliable and had no issues. Toru, on the other hand, was a contributing factor in the collision.
  
  So basically, due to an IP dispute, Russia developed a much inferior system and this resulted in an accident.
  
  Citation: http://www.answers.com/topic/kurs-docking-system
8. Re:Is there some special about a manual docking? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 05:33 · Score: 0
  
  I think it is more of an engineering approach where your space crew (cosmonaut, astronaut, whatevernaut) are determined to be human and potentially fallible. The engineered automatic docking system takes some of the unknown variables out of the loop. Not only that, automatic docking allows for unmanned resupply spacecraft.
  
  On the other hand, Asstronauts are full of ego and come from a test pilot tradition and culture. They demand that they need to be part of the loop, even for something as mundane as docking a spacecraft to another.
9. Re:Is there some special about a manual docking? by Animats · 2012-06-24 05:42 · Score: 1
  
  Not really. Docking has been done automatically, manually by an onboard pilot, and remotely. Russian spacecraft since 1985 have used the Kurs system (which they now have to buy from Ukraine, at a somewhat inflated price). That's a full-auto, straight-on approach system, and has a good track record. The US used onboard pilot control for final shuttle docking. The Dragon spacecraft was remotely controlled into a close position to the ISS, then grabbed with the robot arm.
  Docking can be complicated. Until the craft are very close and have a very low relative speed, the orbital mechanics dominate the problem. So the maneuvering craft has to be aligned in the direction for firing its maneuvering engine for orbit adjustment. Early docking (Gemini, Apollo, etc.) was done with the target spacecraft aligned with its own orbit, so that the maneuvering craft didn't have to reorient to dock.
  Docking with something big, like the ISS, requires attitude changes and final maneuvering just before docking. Here's a video of a Soyuz docking with the ISS, using one of the less favorable docking locations because two other craft were docked already.
  This recent Chinese dock was aligned with the orbit.
10. Re:Is there some special about a manual docking? by Kittenman · 2012-06-24 13:11 · Score: 1
  
  Computers are now so advanced that all we can do as humans is try to keep up.
  Nonsense. From my experience computers always do what we tell them. Ipso facto, we're always ahead
  
  --
  "The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes" - Winston Churchill
11. Re:Is there some special about a manual docking? by Malvineous · 2012-06-24 23:03 · Score: 1
  
  Nonsense. From my experience computers always do what we tell them. Ipso facto, we're always ahead
  "Ah, but they don't, do they? You say 'keep an eye on that lamb,' and they do - they sit there for three hours and watch it burn." -- Rimmer (Red Dwarf)
Damn those Greenlanders. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-23 22:17 · Score: 2, Funny

they cock block everything
Get Paid Taking Surveys at Home! by sameerrarhi · 2012-06-23 22:38 · Score: -1, Troll

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Female Astronaut... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-23 23:11 · Score: -1

Wonder if they let Liu Yang drive?
Do you reverse park a space capsule?
Err Mission control you remember that space station you used to have in orbit :-))).
1. Re:Female Astronaut... by samoanbiscuit · 2012-06-24 01:45 · Score: 1
  
  Actually Liu Yang assisted in the manual docking. But the guy in charge was Liu Wang. I am not making this up.
But what does it mean, really? by cre_slash · 2012-06-23 23:26 · Score: 1

What is a "manual docking" anyway? Are they using paddles? Or maybe maneuvering by intertia provided by throwing wrenches around?
Congratulations on a successful expedition by msobkow · 2012-06-23 23:29 · Score: 4, Interesting

Competition is good, and it looks like the Chinese are proving very competitive in the space race. I'm sure there will be those who claim they "stole" the technology, but regardless of how they acquired the ideas, it's still the Chinese people and industry who are making it work. And as we all know from the failed launches of other nations, even having access to an internet full of historical designs and ideas doesn't make space technology work.
Only solid efforts and tenacity do that.

--
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
1. Re:Congratulations on a successful expedition by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-23 23:38 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  Absolutely correct. The Chinese deserve congratulations and well-wishes. What they've done is momentous. ANYthing that gets ANYone into space is good -- in the long run, we're all human and we need to get off this rock!
2. Re:Congratulations on a successful expedition by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 02:13 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  What do you mean "stole" the technology? As part of the red scare from 1950, the US government blacklisted the guy that created the first step rocket at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and later became their director, and when the guy wanted to leave got instead five years of house arrest and was exchanged for American prisoners in the Korean war.
  This brilliant episode of American realpolitiks effectively exported the whole US rocket program (including nuclear carrier technology) to China in a felling swoop. At least the guy was decent enough to start the development of the chinese program from soviet designs instead of just ripping the US ones that he ** design himself.
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qian_Xuesen
3. Re:Congratulations on a successful expedition by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 02:53 · Score: 0
  
  Yep, I'm sure that "How to dock spacecraft manually.doc" file came in handy. Now if they can find something along the lines of "How to send a man to the moon.doc" on NASA computers, they will be golden!
4. Re:Congratulations on a successful expedition by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 08:47 · Score: 0
  
  I also strongly suspects that the men in charge have no moral problems sending a manned spacecraft to mars or beyond, and the Chinese astronauts will accept the mission without a blink of an eye.
  Now, I'm not saying American or Russian astronauts would sit down an opportunity like that, but the moral of the western society would strongly be against it.
Nice Job China by Dolphinzilla · 2012-06-23 23:43 · Score: 4, Interesting

Having grown up on the Florida space coast watching Saturn V's and Space Shuttles since I was 6 - I can see the pride and excitement in the faces of the astronauts and spectators and I remember what that felt like. It's hard for me to not be a little envious. Have we "advanced" now that Obama Administration killed our manned space program (after promising not to BTW) ? I don't know.... Despite the great success of SpaceX I am skeptical that commercialized space will ever make enough money to survive without government subsidies, only time will tell. But congrats to China for a job well done, enjoy it while you can !
1. Re:Nice Job China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 00:53 · Score: 0
  
  no, no noo, it was the administration that killed the space for americans, but "some" warring paarty that shall no be mentioned here. Those same people created no child left behind. which turned out more like any child 's behind.
2. Re:Nice Job China by elrous0 · 2012-06-24 01:43 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Have we "advanced" now that Obama Administration killed our manned space program
  Son, every administration since Nixon has driven nails in that coffin.
  
  --
  SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
3. Re:Nice Job China by PNutts · 2012-06-24 03:06 · Score: 2
  
  Have we "advanced" now that Obama Administration killed our manned space program (after promising not to BTW) ?
  [Citation needed] - There may be one, I just can't find it.
  What I did find is an article describing his administration's committment to manned space flight. Even though we're not launching men now doesn't mean we don't plan to. The vision he described in 2010 is coming true with the recent SpaceX achievements.
4. Re:Nice Job China by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 03:47 · Score: 0
  
  Nice troll. Because we were one step away from a moon base, space elevator, and a manned mission to Mars until Obama ruined everything.
5. Re:Nice Job China by Dolphinzilla · 2012-06-24 03:54 · Score: 1
  
  fair enough - but this administration dug the hole, tossed the coffin in, and threw dirt on top of it. I guess I have a different perspective on it growing up in the shadow of rockets and going to school with the kids of genuine rocket scientists. It's honestly what made me choose engineering as a career and I was lucky enough to work on the expendable side of things back in the late 80's. I personally believe that space exploration is one of the very few areas that government SHOULD be doing - only the government can shoulder the huge liability of launching rockets and putting people and hardware into space. I applaud the efforts of SpaceX and Scaled Composites and others but I believe it will all come crashing down with the first major accident involving a big loss of property or worse life and the public will cry "why didn't the government protect us from these evil private corporations" unless the governemnt is prepared to indemnify these guys against lawsuits and provide sustained subsidies to keep it going I just don't see how it is a sustainable privatized pursuit. Its the same reasone why there aren't flying cars all over the place, people building their own nuclear reactors. Some things really are better handled by the government (not many but some) - I've seen several large rockets explode with my own eyes, its pretty damn sobering thing to witness - I don't really want one crashing into my kids high school.....
6. Re:Nice Job China by strack · 2012-06-24 05:04 · Score: 1
  
  Spacex was entirely privately funded. The Falcon 9 was entirely privately developed. No government subsidies involved. And it is profitable without 'government subsidies', selling commercial satellite launches. Time has told, and it says the shuttle did too little for what it cost, and the ares rocket was shaping up to be more of the same, so the obama administration axed it and gave a contract to spacex to do the same for a fraction of the cost, and spacex is delivering. Deal with it.
7. Re:Nice Job China by strack · 2012-06-24 05:19 · Score: 0
  
  Yeah. Cause no commercial airline that has lost passengers and large, expensive jumbo jets in a plane crash is still operating today, right? Man, you sure do spout some crap. You even threw some 'think of the children' in there too. Seriously.
8. Re:Nice Job China by WindBourne · 2012-06-24 07:26 · Score: 1
  
  Gads, Dolphin. You used to be over on Space.com screaming about O as well, making loads of wild assertions then.
  
  So, again, manned space program is certainly not dead in NASA. Never has been. We have several ppl up in space.
  Secondly, O promised to NOT kill manned space. It is doing just fine. W and you neo-cons killed the shuttle. And your same group killed constellation. The EARLIEST that Ares I would have flown was 2017 and it was already looking to slip again. br> Third, it is you neo-cons that are hard at work wasting money on the SLS, which will fly human in 2020, while private space is trying for 2014/2015. Sadly, you neo-cons are AGAIN trying to kill private space. Thankfully, an agreement was made for 2.5 funds (likely spaceX, boeing and SNC) for private space. The current problem is that we need MULTIPLE destinations for private space to go to. Sadly, again, you neo-cons are hard at work blocking bigelow aerospace.
  
  Assuming that SpaceX makes it in 2014, I think that BA will have their first BA-330 going up in 2014. At that time, hopefully, we can stop you neo-cons from wasting so much money.
  
  --
  I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
9. Re:Nice Job China by Dolphinzilla · 2012-06-24 07:44 · Score: 1
  
  You cite an industry that has oversight by the FAA for that reason, yes an airliner is a pretty powerful thing too, in the wrong hands it can take down a skyscraper. A rocket is a COMPLETELY different thing - when they go wrong there isn't some guy at the controls who can try and avert a school or a shopping mall, yes they have (most have) command destruct capability, but things can go wrong there too. A large booster loaded with solid rocket fuel, cryogenic fuels, or hypergolic fuels is not something your local fire department is prepared to deal with. Airlines and Space are completely different - airlines make money and are a necessary part of the global economy - the country went into gridlock after 9/11 when the airspace was shutdown across the globe. You know what happened when the Challenger exploded - shuttle ops were stopped, an investigation ensued, it was 32 months before we went back to space. Something like that happens to SpaceX they'll probably go bankrupt
10. Re:Nice Job China by cusco · 2012-06-25 05:48 · Score: 1
  
  In all honesty, I personally think that the Bush Madministration's joke of a "space initiative" should have had a stake driven through its heart before it ever got through Congress. As if slightly inflating the Apollo Command Module and claiming it was a revolutionary new design were not enough they had the audacity to name it 'Orion', perhaps in an attempt to make people forget the first proposed practical interplanetary spacecraft. Oh well, they got what they wanted, a pile of money shoveled into the coffers of their sponsors for 'planning' and engineering of hardware that they knew would never be built. Just wish it had actually been put towards something useful, but that's not the Washington Way.
  
  --
  "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
pu-lease by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 00:43 · Score: 2, Insightful

How short a memory so many have. If it were not for the "sharing" of guidance system technology in the not so distant past (Clinton era), the Chinese may have not been able to get off the ground successfully, let alone operate in space. Now we are so in debt to China, and have allowed them to manufacture so many of our high-tech products, no wonder they have "caught-up" in such a short time (relatively easy when you can steal what you cannot invent on your own). Yes, you congratulate your competitors when they deserve it, but you keep a wary eye on them, as they often only have their best interests at heart.
I think of the current situation as similar to a hostile takeover. A big company with lots of cash (China in this analogy) buys out a company deep in debt (USA), strips it of its most valuable assets, fires most of the employees, closes the company, then moves on to the next target.
What we need is the equivalent to the call to action this nation experienced after Sputnik so rocked the world. More and more we see reports of the decline of US students in education and see breakthroughs occurring regularly in other countries, but our people just want to play on the web and watch American Idol (which makes them Americans at Idle). Problem is, most Americans do not understand what is really happening in the world, what their "me-first" and lazy outlook has done -- and simply do not care.
1. Re:pu-lease by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 01:19 · Score: 1
  
  Stop being delusional.
  The "Americans" didn't invent the pyramids, nor did they invent vaccines, nor created philosophy and neither invented the sliced bread. Everything you have came from foreign roots. Stop acting like you bring light to the world. And start thanking all those who made the world work before 1492.
  China is known for millennia for just caring about their things. When did you hear the Chinese went for world conquest? Have you ever heard of some Chinese wanting to take over Europe like the Arabs did?
  It's not like American citizens buy Chinese things; American companies go there and bring cheap things to sell at higher price (and as I've seen once put a label written "Proudly inspected in the USA"... can one be more lame?)
  Contrary to that, the US "defends" itself from countries without WMDs, like Iraq, and there's a vicious campaign to transform Iran into a powerful enemy -- I wonder why Iran and not any other country nearby... maybe because of the larger area?
  Give me a break, will you? Do you have some stock on war-related companies or what?
2. Re:pu-lease by CohibaVancouver · 2012-06-24 01:54 · Score: 1
  
  (and as I've seen once put a label written "Proudly inspected in the USA"... can one be more lame?)
  For me, what's lame is what Apple puts on their products: "Designed by Apple in California."
3. Re:pu-lease by PNutts · 2012-06-24 03:10 · Score: 1
  
  Why? Both jobs are important, but there is a certain pride to being the guy with the slide rule instead of the guy with the screwdriver.
4. Re:pu-lease by CohibaVancouver · 2012-06-24 03:19 · Score: 1
  
  Because it's obvious the product was 'Designed by Apple.' It's a freakin' Apple product. That, and they're obvioulsy obfuscating the fact it's "Made in China." Even if a Dell laptop is assembled by an ODM it's still "Designed by Dell."
5. Re:pu-lease by Richard_at_work · 2012-06-24 04:54 · Score: 1
  
  It's not necessarily obvious - more than 60% of the Boeing 787 (without engines) was not designed by Boeing but by its risk sharing partners...
6. Re:pu-lease by johnny+cashed · 2012-06-24 06:20 · Score: 1
  
  Thankfully, the Chinese shared their firework technology with the west, thereby helping the US develop rocket technology.
7. Re:pu-lease by newbie_fantod · 2012-06-24 07:18 · Score: 1
  
  ...the current situation as similar to a hostile takeover. A big company with lots of cash (China in this analogy) buys out a company deep in debt (USA), strips it of its most valuable assets, fires most of the employees, closes the company, then moves on to the next target.
  Funny you should say that. It appears that China is also advancing embracing free-enterprise at a rapid pace.
8. Re:pu-lease by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 07:22 · Score: 0
  
  I would think a good deal of the "design" is also by China.
  It's like designing a car, some artsy type can come up with anything from sketches to CAD files, but it's up to the manufacturing unit to actually come up with an actual product, which invariably involve real world accomodations unforeseen by the artsy unit.
  Since Apple no longer have a manufacturing unit, various "design" recommendations will be coming from China itself.
  I would hardly call Steve Jobs an engineer.
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Normal to wear spacesuits inside? by tomhath · 2012-06-24 01:02 · Score: 3, Interesting

The linked article shows the astronauts wearing pressurized suits, I suppose that's just a precaution, or maybe they keep them on all the time?

Liu Wang took charge of the operation, while Liu Yang conducted aerospace experiments
... and Jing Haipeng was heard singing "Louie, Louie" in the background.
1. Re:Normal to wear spacesuits inside? by EdgePenguin · 2012-06-24 20:13 · Score: 1
  
  The crew of Soyuz 11 were killed by a depressurization accident that occurred during undocking (I believe the separation of one part of the Soyuz capsule from another) and the collision of a Progress craft with Mir caused a loss of pressure. Wearing spacesuits when you are doing docking stuff is a very good idea.
Bravery by Roger+W+Moore · 2012-06-24 02:42 · Score: 2, Funny

I don't think China have learned all that much in the interim.
I disagree - they have certainly learnt how to be brave. How many people do you know who would be willing to go into space in a craft with a "Made in China" sticker on the side?
1. Re:Bravery by Gordonjcp · 2012-06-24 09:04 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  How many people do you know who would be willing to go into space in a craft with a "Made in China" sticker on the side?
  More than would be willing to go into space in a craft with a "Made in America" sticker on the side. I mean, have you seen American cars? Imagine what it would be like if they ever tried to make a spacecraft!
2. Re:Bravery by ewanm89 · 2012-06-24 16:59 · Score: 1
  
  "Made in Russia" any better, how about a "Russian Ripoff, Made in China" sticker?
3. Re:Bravery by tibman · 2012-06-25 01:51 · Score: 1
  
  They would sport many government compliant safety mechanisms that would beep at you if you didn't use them?
  
  --
  http://soylentnews.org/~tibman
4. Re:Bravery by Gordonjcp · 2012-06-25 05:35 · Score: 1
  
  Oh ghod, don't...
  A couple of years ago I had to sort out the dodgy electrics on an imported Chevy Blazer - anyone who reckons Lucas electrickery is bad has never worked on a Yank Tank - and in among the normal quality issue gremlins there were some spectacular "features".
  I think the best was that the starter was locked out unless you were sitting in the driver's seat, with the seatbelt fastened, the door closed, the handbrake on and your foot on the clutch. That was one of the first things that got a date with the Big Green Snips of Doom.
5. Re:Bravery by tibman · 2012-06-25 11:31 · Score: 1
  
  Ditto for the seat-belt beeper : ) I wear it on the highway but not when going 25mph down the road to the snack shop (or during any parking maneuvers).
  
  --
  http://soylentnews.org/~tibman
what of the SpaceX shills? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 03:24 · Score: -1

woohoo, in before Teancum, Taiwanjohn, Windbourne.
Must all be busy with Elon Musk doing final prep for the SpaceX Pride parade float .
Remember boys, SpaceX float theme this year is Free Jerry Sandusky.
America the Beautiful by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 03:57 · Score: 0

I just read Chinese TV was playing America the Beautiful when the rocket took off. Go figure.
1. Re:America the Beautiful by PPH · 2012-06-24 10:43 · Score: 1
  
  Copy something that works. Why change anything?
  
  --
  Have gnu, will travel.
Congratulations!! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 04:11 · Score: 0

I'm glad to see their accomplishment, and congratulations are in order. Space exploration may not be dead after all, and I look forward to witnessing their future involvement and soon, leadership in this exploration, and besides; they wouldn't lend us (the U.S.) the money we needed for our rocket fuel.
Encounter at Farpoint by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 06:11 · Score: 0

Data: The Saucer Module is now entering orbit with us, sir.
Picard: Acknowledged. Commander Riker will conduct a manual docking. Picard out.
Riker: Sir?
Picard: You've reported in, haven't you? You are qualified?
Riker: Yes, sir.
Picard: Then I meant now, Mister Riker.
Data: You say you will be doing this manually, sir? No automation?
Riker: As ordered.
Copied from: http://www.scribd.com/doc/52290647/Star-Trek-The-Next-Generation-Encounter-at-Farpoint-script
OPSEK by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-24 08:32 · Score: 0

linky to what you said: OPSEK. Apparently the Russians still need to launch 2 modules, Nauka and Node Module, then they'll decouple the lot at the end-of-life of the ISS and continue on their own.
The US should fear the Chinese by EdgePenguin · 2012-06-24 20:45 · Score: 2

Its only a little space station, and its only a docking. Yes, the US did all this years ago. But what have you done since?
Whatever else you may think of the Chinese government, it's manned space program is excellent. Despite a low launch rate, it is inaccurate to describe it as slow. Each individual mission is a significant step forwards, whereas in the comparable stage in the US/Soviet space race, large numbers of similar missions were being flown.
They are being methodical and efficient. Every mission they launch is a clear and useful step towards their first major stated objective (an orbiting space station). Look at Tiangong 1 - despite its space lab moniker, its main role is as a docking target - comparable to the 'Agena' docking target of the Gemini project. Except that Tiangong 1 is dual use; loaded up with supplies, versions of it will be used as a cargo ferry to future Chinese space stations. Tiangong 1 itself is closely derived from the Shenzhou spacecraft, so they have greatly reduced the cost of developing a large cargo transport by piggy-backing it on the development and testing they would have to do for Shenzhou anyway.
China is only 'behind' in the list of things they've done in space, and are rapidly catching up. They have the technological base (largely thanks to US outsourcing manufacturing there) and they have a political culture which is patient and long term.
Contrast this to the US; the post Apollo era is characterized by presidents dreaming up the next big thing, and then having it cancelled or underfunded by later presidents (Nixon had the Shuttle, Reagan has "Space Station Freedom", Bush I had the 90 day study, Bush II had VSE, and now Obama has COTS and SLS - both might not survive the next guy)
If the US picked a program, funded it properly, and stuck with it - then its head start and technological know-how would leave China in the dust. But really, what is the chance of that actually happening? This is the view of a foreigner, but most US politics seems to centre around endless, futile, partisan bickering. Whence the political will for a long term, bi-partisan space program that presidents can resist the urge to constantly meddle with and reorganise?