China's Space Program News Thread

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I wish the thorough and meticulous approach of the engineers towards the operation and safety of the mission will set as an example for China made goods. Because if they can, a double digit growth rate is possible and so becoming number one will be earlier.

All of the products or just the very cheap ones you found in dollar store?

 

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CE-3

 

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All of the products or just the very cheap ones you found in dollar store?

Even the not so cheap ones like fans, kettles and other plastic household items.

 

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* On May 19, 2012, students of the Centre for research and development of satellite navigation, owned by the "College of Electronic Science and Engineering" from the National University of Defense Technology presented the Compass military receiver developed by the center.

* On May 21, we learn in a newspaper that Chinese fishing boats and 29 crew captured by North Korea have been located thanks to the Beidou-2 system. One of the owners of fishing boats showed reporters its Beidou-2 receptor that locates its boats to an accuracy of less than 2 m and send SMS to these boats.

*On June 8, The Office of the satellite navigation system offers a model of a Compass MEO sat to UNOOSA (United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs).

 

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Even the not so cheap ones like fans, kettles and other plastic household items.

Chuckle. Have you ever noticed that the top of the range/hugely expensive Samsung Galaxy phones 2/3 /note. lack a dust cover which would probably cost 1/20th of a cent for the charging port, which is also in the worst place possible (the bottom edge) which sits in your pocket and gets all sorts of dirt and stuffs into it. Friends of mine including my son inform me they have expierenced annoying problems because of that, within a year of purchase.

 

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Chuckle. Have you ever noticed that the top of the range/hugely expensive Samsung Galaxy phones 2/3 /note. lack a dust cover which would probably cost 1/20th of a cent for the charging port, which is also in the worst place possible (the bottom edge) which sits in your pocket and gets all sorts of dirt and stuffs into it. Friends of mine including my son inform me they have expierenced annoying problems because of that, within a year of purchase.

I can rant and rant over OT on this subject before popeye gives me the chop. On the subject of space, can you recall that in the 70's, Japan's satellites after launch quite often experienced failures? I recall they had quite a high failure rate but I do not have figures to back up.

 

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An article published on CASC website says that the 25Nms gyroscopic actuators installed on the YG-14 sat was successfully tested, This makes China the third country in the world after the United States and France to grasp the small control moment gyroscope technology. 200Nms gyro actuators were installed on TG-1, and it took four years to develop small gyroscopic actuators:

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Gyroscopic actuators(Control Moment Gyros : CMGs) is an attitude control device generally used in spacecraft attitude control systems. A CMG consists of a spinning rotor and one or more motorized gimbals that tilt the rotor’s angular momentum. As the rotor tilts, the changing angular momentum causes a gyroscopic torque that rotates the spacecraft. This type of device is intended to be on board maneuvering satellites.

 

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First episode of a reporting entitled "Launch Countdown" showing how the chief engineer of China's manned program ZH Jianping, chief engineer of the system CZ-2F launcher Mouchuen JIN, and Deputy Chief Engineer of the astronaut system Weifen HUANG spent their day on June 13

[video=youtube;Lu1HLoD_MZE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu1HLoD_MZE[/video]

Second episode

[video=youtube;ZiJTTYQyVZ0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiJTTYQyVZ0[/video]

 

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Chronological Infos on the progress of the upcoming CE-3 mission(from chinese press).

* October 16, 2009: The 3,750-kg (8,250-lb) spacecraft is due to be launched 2012 directly to the Moon without first orbiting the Earth, inserted into a 100 X 100-km orbit that will be adjusted to 100 X 15 km. When the vehicle reaches the 15-km. perigee, its engine will begin reducing its velocity from 1.7 km./sec. to about zero, turning it to a vertical attitude before the craft reaches an altitude of 2 km. The lander will hover at 100 meters, moving horizontally to avoid any hazards, and then slowly descend to 4 meters, at which point its engine will shut down for a free fall to the surface.

* November 5, 2009: The construction of the lunar probes systems simulation and verification center started. Covering 7000m² it includes a main building and three 1:1 scale simulation halls and belong to the fifth Academy of CASC.

* November 12, 2009: The 43th Institute completed a rigid support used for the future optical telescope to be installed on the lander.

* November 16, 2009: The project moves from design stage to the prototype phase. This passage has been assessed and validated by the joint team of the lunar program Engineering Center of the National Defense Department of Applied Science and CASC group.

* November 16, 2009: The rover will work about 90 days on the moon surface, will collect samples and perform analyzes on site and then return the data directly on the earth while the lander having its own instruments, will conduct scientific and astronomy experiments.

* February 5, 2010: The academician and chief scientist of the lunar exploration program, Ouyang Ziyuan, said that the lunar exploration program has not only the goal to deepen the knowledge on the moon but also aims to develop a set of technologies needed for the future (Martian and other program), he insists that these technologies must be able to benefit civilian areas in the near future.

On the question of when, China will launch astronauts on the moon, Ouyang temporized and said that the lunar program is not a competition policy and China will not take into account the lunar programs of other countries. He added that the Chinese government has not yet decided whether or not there is a sense of a man on the moon even if it has already asked all of China's space industry to study this possibility. Released dates such as 2020, 2025 or 2030 are only "individual" estimates.

* The lander is equipped with 7 types of instruments while there are eight on the rover.

* June 21, 2010: An Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) will be installed on the lander.

* The anti-particle protection will be strengthened on CE-3 because in 2013 there will be a very strong solar storm.

 

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Chronological Infos on the progress of the upcoming CE-3 mission

* October 7, 2010: CE-4,the backup of CE-3, will be launched in case the CE-3 mision goes wrong.

* November 24, 2010: the deputy chief engineer of the Chinese lunar program, Teng Yun YU, said that five landing areas are selected - Sinus Iridium is the recommended area.

* December 3, 2010, Ouyang gives more details on the landing. At 15km from the ground the probe go to active braking phase and reduce its relative speed from 1.6 km/s to 0. Between 15-2km the probe will enter the position correction phase.2km to 100m, the probe is suspended during 100s to automatically analyze the landing area. 100 to 4m is the slow dampening phase. And finally at 4m above the ground, the probe is in free fall.

OUYANG added the rover is the Chinese robot with the highest level AI ever built, and China will end its unmanned CLEP in 2017 and will launch the Mars program in 2013, and venus program between 2013 and 2015.

* The rover use a RTG(radioisotope thermoelectric generator) battery.

* January 20, 2011: the lander propulsion system has been successfully tested.

* August 24, 2011, the rover starts its real tests

* September 26, 2011: the CLEP deputy program director died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 40. Chinese netizens have strongly criticized the pressure put on engineers by the various institutions.

* September 26, 2011: The instruments assembling is completed. The lander descent testing, the rover land testing as well as the variable thrust engine testing are underway.

* December 8, 2011: Ouyang confirms the launch of in 2013. He stated that the CE-5 will be devoted to a detailed analysis of the moon geological composition.

* December 29, 2011: Obstacle avoidance tests, hover and fall test Vehicle flights and the rover land testing are completed successfully.

* January 23, 2012: Ouyang said the RTG batteries are capable of operating for 30 years. The rover will work on an area of 5km square for more than 90 days.

* March 4, 2012: The rover weighs about 100kg.

* March 6, 2012: The rover completed all the mechanical tests.

* March 13, 2012: The project is under development and construction phase(10 months behind its original schedule).

* April 26, 2012: The CE-3 payloads have passed the second quality inspection.

* July 6, 2012, All of the propulsion systems have been delivered for final assembly.