China's Space Program News Thread

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A landing zone for the orbiting Shenzhou-9 spacecraft went into operation Monday to prepare for the return of the craft and its three crew members, according to landing zone personnel.

Personnel and equipment that are responsible for retrieval, search and rescue missions have arrived at the landing area in Siziwang Banner (county) in north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, landing zone personnel said.

The landing zone has been used for all previous Shenzhou space missions.

 

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After the manual docking, the astronauts continue their mission and experiences in TG-1

[video=youtube;69no7-zLxRA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69no7-zLxRA[/video]

YW-5, YW-3 and YW-6 formed a chain of monitoring and control in the Pacific Ocean to ensure the manual docking

[video=youtube;nmGI2zAyuC8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmGI2zAyuC8[/video]

 

[broadsword]

Here is one of those platforms:
[video=youtube;dpK89N_oUDY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpK89N_oUDY[/video]

Actually, it's not what I had in mind. What I hoped to see was a video of the ground based simulation of the docking that astronauts and engineers had been practicing and testing. But never mind, neither could I find it on Youtube.

 

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The Shenzhou-9 spacecraft has aroused many people's interests on the space flight. Of the various ideas on the Shenzhou-9, some are expectations and good wishes but some are rumors and misunderstandings. Regarding the incorrect "legends," relevant experts made explanations.

Rumor: In the video showing the launching course of the Shenzhou-9, two illuminant objects once appeared for a short moment. Some netizens cried that aliens had arrived to "convoy" the Shenzhou-9!

Expert's opinion: The illuminant objects probably were optical phenomena of the atmosphere.

Yang Yuguang, a researcher with the Second Institute under the China Aerospace Science and Industry Group, believes that the illuminant objects probably were optical phenomena of the atmosphere or other artificial objects such as aircraft. He also said that if only few cameras caught these illuminant objects, it is also possible that these illuminant objects were caused by the failure of the camera equipment.

Rumor: As the first female space-flying astronaut of China, Liu Yang is attracting the public's attention, the words regard the strict standards for selecting female astronauts could also be seen in various media: "The selection is extremely strict. They must have given birth to a baby, must have no decayed tooth, scar and body odor."

Expert's opinion: "Having given birth to a baby," "having no decayed tooth and scar" and other similar things were not included in the standards for selecting female astronauts.

"Facts have proved that whether she has given birth or not has nothing to do with fulfilling the space flight mission and the astronaut's subsequent health," said Huang Weifen, vice general designer of the system for astronauts. "Of foreign female astronauts, some have given birth to a child and some have not."

The 33-year-old Liu Yang has married but has not given birth to a child. The associate director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office Yang Liwei said that, of the final six astronaut candidates including Liu, five have not given birth to a baby.

"Originally, we indeed proposed that the candidates who have given birth to a child are superior. But then, we found that this standard was unpractical, because the age of around 30 years old is the golden age for astronauts to improve their skills. If they give birth in this period, they must suspend flying for at least two or three years and it will inevitably affect their careers," Yang said, "Not giving birth in this period is a reflection of the contribution spirit of the soldier."

Regarding "having no decayed tooth and scar" and "having no body odor," the director of the Institute for selecting and training Astronauts Wu Bin said that the standards for selecting astronauts are not that strict.

"Our fundamental requirements are: First, the mission must not be affected, and second the personal appearance must not be affected. It does not mean that the astronaut must not have even a single decayed tooth and a small scar. But of course, if an astronaut has severe decayed teeth, it will be hard to handle the possible toothache in the space," said Wu.

 

[PakistaniDragon]

Actually, it's not what I had in mind. What I hoped to see was a video of the ground based simulation of the docking that astronauts and engineers had been practicing and testing. But never mind, neither could I find it on Youtube.

[video=youtube;DO3hYjVtOJY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO3hYjVtOJY[/video]​

 

[Mysterre]

Well it seems to me that idiots are more likely to get a job as a report nowadays. The guy completely ignored the fact that the manual docking's final error is less than one degree off center, while the automatic docking tolerance is four degrees.



Yeah saw that news conference too, the total USD 6.12 billion figure is the total cost of 20 years of manned space program (921). China is extremely efficient and NASA is pretty bad with money.

OMG what the hell are you guys talking about? You're comparing a manned program with an entire agency's annual budget? And let's totally forget the difference in labor costs and salaries between the countries. NASA may or may not be wasteful, but comparing these two numbers is like comparing apples to oranges, and it amazes me that you guys can just flippantly dismiss NASA (and with such disdain) using just this comparison.

 

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He also said that if only few cameras caught these illuminant objects, it is also possible that these illuminant objects were caused by the failure of the camera equipment.

This must be some translation mistake. You don't expect a few cameras to have the same symptom of equipment failure all at the same time.

 

[Vini_Vidi_Vici]

This must be some translation mistake. You don't expect a few cameras to have the same symptom of equipment failure all at the same time.

Who knows, might even be some dust on the lens. Don't forget the cameras are outdoor, very prone to dirt, especially with the turbulence created by the rocket launch.

 

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A "storyboard" of the manual docking with several videos listed in chronological order for a more comprehensive view on how this docking took place

Vid 00 - 3D animation of the manual docking

[video=youtube;h9DwrB2up5Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9DwrB2up5Q[/video]

Vid 01 - Automatic separation of SZ-9, one can notice that the solar panels flap like wings

[video=youtube;L_WD-974g54]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_WD-974g54[/video]

 

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Vid 02 - The preparation of ground staff for the docking. One can notice a room called "Astronauts Private Communication Room" in BACC allowing astronauts to communicate with their family by videoconference without being heard in the control room.

[video=youtube;KKS5bBA7HOs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKS5bBA7HOs[/video]

Vid 03 - A CCTV reporter explains how the manual docking work

[video=youtube;GLdpvSThu5M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLdpvSThu5M[/video]