China's Space Program News Thread

[taxiya]

Maybe the lander and the rover are combined together. The whole rover lands on the moon and can travel on it's own.

It is clear that what the mobile lab sits on is not a lander. The lab itself is a cylindrical structure with four wheels. There is nothing else. A lander must have fuel tanks and retro-rocket nozzles for deceleration and hovering and many small nozzles for position control/keeping, yaw, pitch/roll controls. A lander/rover combo just don't look the way it is shown in the slide.

 

[no_name]

It is clear that what the mobile lab sits on is not a lander. The lab itself is a cylindrical structure with four wheels. There is nothing else. A lander must have fuel tanks and retro-rocket nozzles for deceleration and hovering and many small nozzles for position control/keeping, yaw, pitch/roll controls. A lander/rover combo just don't look the way it is shown in the slide.

Then maybe the rover sits on the lander when the lander lands, then somehow dismount to conduct missions, and then returns itself to rendezvous with the command module? Becuase I can just make out what looks like directional thrusters on the rover sides.

 

[by78]

Yuanwang 21, one of the dedicated transports that carry rockets assembled in Shanghai to the Wenchang launch center in Hainan.

 

[eprash]

Ma

Then maybe the rover sits on the lander when the lander lands, then somehow dismount to conduct missions, and then returns itself to rendezvous with the command module? Becuase I can just make out what looks like directional thrusters on the rover sides.

@no_name @taxiya
Maybe a Skycrane like Mars rover perhaps?

 

[no_name]

One of the proposed designs for moon landing descent and return module:

 

[eprash]

One of the proposed designs for moon landing descent and return module:

View attachment 64611View attachment 64612View attachment 64613View attachment 64614View attachment 64615

So four people in the lander and at least one person in orbiter makes it a five men crew That's actually impressive, Is it "official" ?

 

[no_name]

I don't actually know if it's official or just someone's fan idea.

China's next gen crew capsule which were tested not long ago is said to be able to carry 6 to 7 people though.

 

[eprash]

It looks like a proposal then sending more people doesn't make sense unless they are paying billionaire tourists and traditional staged rockets are too risky for that venture besides robots achieve more scientific objectives any day of the week.

Back to square one I guess, Even my gf doesn't tease this much!

 

[gelgoog]

You need at least a certain amount of astronauts to make a viable base.
Otherwise all you will get is a flag and footprints mission like Apollo.

 

[eprash]

You need at least a certain amount of astronauts to make a viable base.
Otherwise all you will get is a flag and footprints mission like Apollo.

Agreed, It should be a long term mission otherwise Chinese missions as impressive as it is won't be able to outshine Apollo ones but still machines does the job better sending a rover equipped with 3d printer makes more sense than sending half a dozen astronauts