China's Space Program News Thread

[hmmwv]

I guess what I'm asking is how does sensors that measure 2000 °C works.

Type C thermocouples can be used to measure 2000C temperature.

 

[broadsword]

Planetary exploration has no clear military purpose where LEO and Lunar do have military implications. Do you agree?

It may not be clear off hand, but as you know, many technologies have dual purpose. Advanced materials, guidance technologies or software developed for planetary exploration may later be used in the military.

 

[kyanges]

This is what I believe is at work in China choosing goals in space. Planetary exploration has no clear military purpose where LEO and Lunar do have military implications. Do you agree?

Wait, what military applications are there for landing on the moon?

 

[escobar]

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Ocean-II satellite was officially put into use on March 2, 2012. As the first satellite developed by China to probe dynamic ocean environment, the new satellite collects wind, wave, flow, tide and temperature data in an ocean environment, under all weathers and at all time.

It will work with Ocean-I satellite, making up a three-dimensional monitoring system using both microwave and optical means. The combination of dynamic ocean environment watch and marine resources prospecting will enhance China's ocean monitoring system, raising Chinese made earth observation satellites’ probe and monitoring capability.

According to a briefing, Ocean-II enjoys a greatly enhanced remote sensing capability, through a range of proprietary innovations:

1) Internationally advanced observational capability. Designed with a measurement precision up to 8.5 cm, an effective wave height to 0.5 m, a wind speed at 2m/sec, and a temperature measurement up to 1.0K, Ocean-II satellite is a major microwave remote sensing satellite in orbit;

2) Internationally advanced orbit measurement. The satellite enjoys an enhanced orbit measurement precision from the meter level to the centimeter level, thanks to the advanced equipment applied onboard, including a dual-frequency GPS system and a laser corner reflector;

3) Realized a satellite-ground high-speed laser communication at a rate of 504Mbps;

4) Some key components were independently developed by Chinese researchers; and

5) An integrated digital design system developed by Chinese researchers has shortened the development and production cycle from design, to development, and further to production.

 

[Quickie]

Regarding your point about the Chinese space program, it seems that the military portion of China's program plays a heavy hand in the overall direction of the space program.

This is what I believe is at work in China choosing goals in space. Planetary exploration has no clear military purpose where LEO and Lunar do have military implications. Do you agree?

@escobar: I notice that the Chinese follow Russian procedure in having their returned space travelers sit during the adjustment to normal gravity. It will be interesting to see how quickly China advances its knowledge of the human body in micro gravity and in future missions emphasizes in orbit conditioning to speed the transition back to the 1-gee environment

Planetary exploration forms only a tiny part of NASA budget. In the end, the U.S. military budget says it all and there's nothing thinly veiled about it since it's clearly stated to be for military use.

 

[escobar]

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

On June 16, 2012, China successfully launched Shenzhou IX manned spacecraft. On June 18, Shenzhou IX completed the first rendezvous and docking with Tiangong-1 space module lab. In 2011, XIOPM witnessed Shenzhou VIII’s successful docking with Tiangong-1, and now the equipments it developed were applied to Shenzhou IX again, witnessing China’s first manned space rendezvous and docking.

The rocket-board and ship-board camera devices were set on Long March 2F carrier rocket and Shenzhou IX spacecraft, which successfully took images of Shenzhou IX’s launching, including booster separation, one-stage and two-stage rocket separation, fairing separation, satellite-rocket separation and images outside the propelling module. During the following traveling, the ship-board camera has gotten the real-time images of docking between Shenzhou IX and Tiangong-1 as well as astronauts’ working pictures in the cabin.

Rocket-board Camera Device

The Shenzhou IX spacecraft was launched carried by Long March 2F carrier rocket. In order to realize a better monitoring of rocket launching and flight state, 4 camera devices researched and developed by XIOPM were installed in the rocket to monitor each key motion during the process of launching and flight of the rocket.

The first camera device is used for monitoring the motions of booster separation and one-stage and two-stage rocket separation; the second for monitoring motions of fairing separation and satellite-rocket separation; the third for observing moving working state of engine; the fourth is a infrared camera device which works in long-wave infrared spectrum section and is used for monitoring temperature hot field of engine and adjacent pipeline during the process of flight.

Ship-board Camera Device

Many photoelectric imaging devices researched and developed by XIOPM are also installed in Shenzhou IX spacecraft. Extravehicular photographic devices can work in vacuum, high or low temperature, space radiation or other rough conditions and are used for acquiring real time video images of working state of extravehicular devices.

Besides, extravehicular photographic devices of Shenzhou IX spacecraft cooperating with those of Tiangong-1 target spacecraft have filmed the real-time motion of docking of Shenzhou IX and Tiangong-1. Cockpit camera lens researched and developed by XIOPM which are used to combine with CCD imaging components as cockpit camera are installed in the cabin of Shenzhou IX spacecraft for monitoring working state of astronauts and devices in the cabin.

Optical Imaging Sensors and Optical System Navigate the Rendezvous and Docking

Optical imaging sensors and optical system researched and development by XIOPM flying to the space with Shenzhou IX have navigated the rendezvous and docking again and witnessed the first automatic rendezvous and docking of Shenzhou IX and Tiangong-1. At the last close phase of automatic rendezvous and docking of Shenzhou IX and Tiangong-1 and approach phase of docking, high-accuracy surveying of relative location and relative posture of the two spacecrafts is required.

As main navigating sensors, CCD optical imaging sensors (including CCD camera and target marker) are used for close optical measurement rendezvous and docking of Shenzhou IX spacecraft cooperating with those of Tiangong-1 target spacecraft. The effectiveness of their measurement has the direct bearing on accuracy of acquisition of navigation information on rendezvous and docking. Optical imaging sensors and optical system researched and development by XIOPM are called as “eyeball” of CCD camera which provide key optical information for CCD camera and navigate the rendezvous and docking successfully.

 

[escobar]

From Union of Concerned Scientist: Why china is building a space station

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

The upcoming docking mission is an intermediate step in a 30-year Chinese plan to construct a national space station. The plan emerged from a contentious internal debate that began in March 1986 and engaged hundreds of Chinese experts in many fields, as well as the leadership of numerous Chinese institutions. In January 1992, when the Chinese political leadership finally decided to approve the initial phase of the plan, Chinese space professionals believed they would be latecomers to an expanding human presence in low Earth orbit. Ironically, by the time they finish their space station in the early 2020s, the Chinese might be the only people left up there. Absent changes in current U.S., Russian, and European space policies, the International Space Station (ISS) will be decommissioned and deorbited in 2020...

Talk about the history of the manned space program. I didn't know they had plan for a space shuttle before choosing shenzhou capsule model.

 

[NikeX]

Oh come on. Don't start pulling this weasely stuff on me. I am referring to the US MANNED space program. I feel I have been very specific about this point several times now, so you continuing to miss the point sounds at this juncture to be a deliberate oversight. But that's okay, I can see that you do not want to admit the obvious. Soldier on, good sir, soldier on.

Space Programs have many different components with unmanned launches making up the bulk of the military launches. If you knew anything about the history of different countries space programs you would know that both the Russians and Americans did away with pure manned military launches decades ago. Check out the American MOL program and the Almaz programs to clear up the confusion between military and civilian that is obviously in your mind

".....The ascent of man into space at the height of the Cold War raised the question of the military role for piloted spacecraft. On October 12, 1964, during a meeting of leading specialists of the OKB-52 design bureau, based in Reutov, on the eastern edge of Moscow, its chief-designer Vladimir Chelomei officially announced the beginning the Orbital Piloted Station, OPS, project code-named Almaz or "Diamond." The Soviet government saw the Almaz project as a response to the development of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory, MOL, by the US Air Force...."

---------- Post added at 01:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:08 PM ----------

Wait, what military applications are there for landing on the moon?

You tell me or better yet ask the other posters like t2contra to explain the military benefits of lunar exploration. Quite frankly I don't see any.

And regarding the so called "dual purpose" of many technologies developed for space exploration, the same argument can be made for civilian use of technologies developed for space exploration. Tang anyone?

".....Tang is a fruit-flavored drink. Originally formulated by General Foods Corporation food scientist William A. Mitchell[1] in 1957, it was first marketed in powdered form in 1959.[2]

Sales of Tang were poor until NASA used it on John Glenn's Mercury flight,[3] and subsequent Gemini missions.

Since then, it was closely associated with the U.S. manned spaceflight program, leading to the misconception that Tang was invented for the space program.[4][5] The Tang brand is currently owned by Kraft Foods."

---------- Post added at 01:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:16 PM ----------

Planetary exploration forms only a tiny part of NASA budget. In the end, the U.S. military budget says it all and there's nothing thinly veiled about it since it's clearly stated to be for military use.

I'm afraid you missed it since the majority of NASA missions continue to be for planetary science. This includes the upcoming Mars Science Laboratory mission due to land on Mars in early August 2012. All this focus on Mars is building towards a manned mission to Mars sometime next decade.

The urge to explore is greater than the urge to destroy the earth.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

---------- Post added at 01:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:27 PM ----------

Talk about the history of the manned space program. I didn't know they had plan for a space shuttle before choosing shenzhou capsule model.

The direction the Chinese have chosen is the safest and most direct way for that country to establish a presence in LEO. Trying to develop a space shuttle system would take decades for the Chinese to accomplish. Using tried and proven methods and hardware designs gives the Chinese a reasonable chance of success in the shortest possible time

 

[Quickie]

I'm afraid you missed it since the majority of NASA missions continue to be for planetary science. This includes the upcoming Mars Science Laboratory mission due to land on Mars in early August 2012. All this focus on Mars is building towards a manned mission to Mars sometime next decade.

The urge to explore is greater than the urge to destroy the earth.

No, I didn't miss those comparatively few missions.

And no, the urge to destroy the earth is much much more, considering the cost of all the nuclear weapons and its delivery systems and the annual military budget of US$700 Billlion.

 

[NikeX]

No, I didn't miss those comparatively few missions.

And no, the urge to destroy the earth is much much more, considering the cost of all the nuclear weapons and its delivery systems and the annual military budget of US$700 Billlion.

Why don't you post your comparison between civilian vs military missions so that the world can analyze your data. I think that you can plainly see that the majority of military missions are unmanned and do not involve NASA