China's First Cargo Spacecraft Launch a 'Crucial Step' To Space Station (cnn.com)

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China's First Cargo Spacecraft Launch a 'Crucial Step' To Space Station (cnn.com)

Posted by msmash on Thursday April 20, 2017 @08:40AM from the making-progress dept.

Earlier today, China launched its first unmanned cargo spacecraft on a mission to dock with the country's space station, marking further progress in the ambitious Chinese space program. Chinese state media Xinhua described the event as a "crucial step for China's plan to have an operational space station by 2020." From a report: The Tianzhou-1 took off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in China's southern Hainan province, on track to dock with the orbiting space lab Tiangong-2. The launch was the latest in a series of major announcements by the Chinese space program, which celebrated its longest-ever space mission in November.

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Obligatory Armageddon quote by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-20 08:43 · Score: 0

Lev Andropov: It's stuck, yes?
Watts: Back off! You don't know the components!
Lev Andropov: [annoyed] Components. American components, Russian Components, ALL MADE IN TAIWAN!
Familiar..... by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-20 08:47 · Score: 0

Now witness the firepower of this fully ARMED and OPERATIONAL battle station!
I remember by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-20 08:58 · Score: 1

when the US used to do this kind of stuff
1. Re:I remember by WrongMonkey · 2017-04-20 09:36 · Score: 2
  
  The last unmanned supply craft launched by the US to a space station was only two days ago.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
2. Re:I remember by chispito · 2017-04-20 09:52 · Score: 2
  
  when the US used to do this kind of stuff
  
  The last unmanned supply craft launched by the US to a space station was only two days ago.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
  That's probably why he had such an easy time remembering it.
  
  --
  The Daddy casts sleep on the Baby. The Baby resists!
3. Re:I remember by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-20 10:44 · Score: 0
  
  Isn't Thales Alenia Space based in France?
International Space Station by ghoul · 2017-04-20 08:59 · Score: 4, Insightful

I think it would be better for the US Space program to let the Chinese join the ISS as they have requested many times instead of forcing them to build everything independently. Once they have the infrastructure built out then they wont be interested in coming in to be a part of the ISS. Now that China is helping Trump on North Korea it may be time to stop freezing them out

--
**Life is too short to be serious**
1. Re:International Space Station by DontBeAMoran · 2017-04-20 09:07 · Score: 3
  
  If not, then in the future other countries might very well join the Chinese space station and China might ban the USA from joining.
  
  --
  #DeleteFacebook
2. Re:International Space Station by WrongMonkey · 2017-04-20 09:42 · Score: 1
  
  At this point why would they want to? The US is only committed to funding ISS until 2024. There are no plans on the table to extend the project. If China has longer term ambitions in space, they're better off going it alone.
3. Re:International Space Station by RubberDogBone · 2017-04-20 10:57 · Score: 1
  
  Given that the ISS program is nearing the end of its funding in 2020 and there is no money or particular interest in funding it to stay longer, there is little point to bring in China now. We're going to have a big problem just to stay beyond 2020 ourselves because the current administration has no interest in spending money on things like this and they have also tasked NASA with doing other very expensive things. So there is no money, although the ISS should last another 10 years if we did fund it.
  So, bringing in China now will do one things that seem likely to me:
  Either they are going to get stuck with a platform everybody else is going to abandon within the next decade. ISS for sale, AS IS WHERE IS NO WARRANTY.
  Or they are going to take full advantage of the 150 billion spent so far and leap ahead, and nobody wants to hand them a stepladder to the stars and damn well not for free.
  
  --
  Sig for hire.
4. Re:International Space Station by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-20 11:14 · Score: 0
  
  Maybe then the US could drop the ISS altogether and get onto real science in building the SCSC.
5. Re:International Space Station by thinkwaitfast · 2017-04-20 11:17 · Score: 1
  
  leap ahead
  Aaaahaha
  
  a stepladder to the stars
  AAAAAaaaaaaaaaaahahh. Aaahh. That's funny.
6. Re:International Space Station by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-20 15:25 · Score: 0
  
  Maybe we could bring the North Koreans in? They seem to have a bang up missile program...
7. Re:International Space Station by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-20 15:30 · Score: 0
  
  I think it's best to keep the Isis a float in space.
  I would actually try to get China to help pay for ISS in Space to extend the life of the Space Lab.
  Maybe China can even expand ISS and connect extra parts so that it would be more livable.
8. Re:International Space Station by cavreader · 2017-04-20 16:16 · Score: 0
  
  The last time China "leaped" forward over 30 million Chinese died from hunger and state sanctioned purges. It was Mao's way of getting rid of all the excess dead weight who did nothing but complain about his plans to turn China into a communist based utopian society. He was also able to jettison some more dead weight by sending a million bullet catching peasants into Korea to reverse UN territorial gains. While Mao's legacy has taken a hit because of China's conversion into a capitalist state at least he can take credit for foisting NK on the world.
9. Re:International Space Station by Gavagai80 · 2017-04-20 18:08 · Score: 1
  
  There's plenty of benefit for China -- not so much the ISS itself but what cooperation on it entails. It'd mean equal access to research, and the ability for their scientists to collaborate with American scientists, unlike the current situation where NASA employees are strictly forbidden from Chinese contacts. More importantly, it'd be a boon for Chinese industry -- currently any project involving NASA is strictly forbidden from working with any Chinese company, which is not good for the bottom line.
  
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  This space intentionally left blank
10. Re:International Space Station by dunkelfalke · 2017-04-20 23:02 · Score: 1
  
  ISS will not be abandoned. The russians plan to disconnect their part and use it as a base for their own space station.
  
  --
  "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
How did they do before? by manu0601 · 2017-04-20 12:41 · Score: 1

How did they feed Tiangong-2 with supplies before this achievement?
1. Re:How did they do before? by Areyoukiddingme · 2017-04-21 12:44 · Score: 1
  
  How did they feed Tiangong-2 with supplies before this achievement?
  With the cargo capacity of their manned capsules. Docking was performed manually, by the taikonaut on the spot. Mir was resupplied the same way by Russians using Soyuz capsules, and Skylab was resupplied the same way by Americans using Gemini capsules.
  Speaking of Soyuz, the latest Soyuz docking with the ISS was yesterday, 2017-Apr-21, delivering one Russian, one American, and some supplies.
Relevant Trivia by ElizabethGreene · 2017-04-21 01:56 · Score: 1

Due to alleged security concerns, all researchers from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are prohibited from working bilaterally with Chinese citizens affiliated with a Chinese state enterprise or entity.
- Wikipedia: Chinese exclusion policy of NASA
That's why they are rolling their own. The US Congress, in its painfully finite wisdom, locked them out of the ISS program among others.