People excited for successful launching of Shenzhou-6
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Fairthought
Junior Member
Congratulations to China for a hugely successful space mission.
Though the Chinese manned spaced program is proceeding more slowly than the primodial programs of the US and the USSR back in 1960's, it is accomplishing much more with each flight. Back then, the crash space program of the US and USSR led to several catastrophic launchpad failures and only proved the need to take things slow and in stages.
China has found its stride, and each successive launch will show a significant advance on the previous.
China's first manned spaceship (the ShenZhou 5, Oct 15th, 2003, flown for 21hours 23 min for 21 orbits) has room for three passengers. The Soviets's first manned spaceship (the Vostok, flown april 12, 1961 for 1 hour 48 min single orbital flight) only had room for one. The American's first manned spaceship (the Mercury, flown May 5, 1961 for a 15 min suborbital flight) only had room for one.
Furthermore, the Mercury was a phonebooth of a space capsule, shoehorned to fit on top of America's first ICBM, the Atlas I. This was part of America's 'Get a Man into Space Soonest' program that sought to save time be eliminating the need o develop a new carrier rocket. The Mercury was one-third the size of the Vostok. The Vostok was slightly over half the size of ShenZhou. The Mercury could only support a 24 hour flight. The Votok a ten day flight. The ShenZhou a twenty day flight.
The Shenzhou performs orbital maneuvers, which neither the Soviet Vostok nor the American Mercury could do.
I know there will be complaints about comparing China's current space program with the 1961 space programs of US and USSR. But this is China's first manned space flights, as 1961 represented the first manned space flights of America and the Soviet Union. What else can it be compared to?
Compared to ShenZhou5, the ShenZhou 6 mission had two passengers. They performed orbital maneuvers, ventured into the service module, and conducted experiments. They spent 115 hours and 32 min in flight.
ShenZhou 7 is expected to fly in 2007. The Chinese will attempt orbital docking and tethered spacewalk maneuvers. This will represent the extant of the abilities of America's Gemini space program (the precursor to the Apollo lunar program) as well as the Soviet's Soyuz space program (precursor to the Salyut space station program).
What this means is, after ShenZhou 7, the Chinese will be ready to either build a space station or send men to the moon. ...Or both.
Militarily, it also means China can construct weapon platforms in space. This could be for ASAT or missile defense projects.
Though the Chinese manned spaced program is proceeding more slowly than the primodial programs of the US and the USSR back in 1960's, it is accomplishing much more with each flight. Back then, the crash space program of the US and USSR led to several catastrophic launchpad failures and only proved the need to take things slow and in stages.
China has found its stride, and each successive launch will show a significant advance on the previous.
China's first manned spaceship (the ShenZhou 5, Oct 15th, 2003, flown for 21hours 23 min for 21 orbits) has room for three passengers. The Soviets's first manned spaceship (the Vostok, flown april 12, 1961 for 1 hour 48 min single orbital flight) only had room for one. The American's first manned spaceship (the Mercury, flown May 5, 1961 for a 15 min suborbital flight) only had room for one.
Furthermore, the Mercury was a phonebooth of a space capsule, shoehorned to fit on top of America's first ICBM, the Atlas I. This was part of America's 'Get a Man into Space Soonest' program that sought to save time be eliminating the need o develop a new carrier rocket. The Mercury was one-third the size of the Vostok. The Vostok was slightly over half the size of ShenZhou. The Mercury could only support a 24 hour flight. The Votok a ten day flight. The ShenZhou a twenty day flight.
The Shenzhou performs orbital maneuvers, which neither the Soviet Vostok nor the American Mercury could do.
I know there will be complaints about comparing China's current space program with the 1961 space programs of US and USSR. But this is China's first manned space flights, as 1961 represented the first manned space flights of America and the Soviet Union. What else can it be compared to?
Compared to ShenZhou5, the ShenZhou 6 mission had two passengers. They performed orbital maneuvers, ventured into the service module, and conducted experiments. They spent 115 hours and 32 min in flight.
ShenZhou 7 is expected to fly in 2007. The Chinese will attempt orbital docking and tethered spacewalk maneuvers. This will represent the extant of the abilities of America's Gemini space program (the precursor to the Apollo lunar program) as well as the Soviet's Soyuz space program (precursor to the Salyut space station program).
What this means is, after ShenZhou 7, the Chinese will be ready to either build a space station or send men to the moon. ...Or both.
Militarily, it also means China can construct weapon platforms in space. This could be for ASAT or missile defense projects.
Last edited:
Zhu Ge Liang
Banned Idiot
Hope that someday Chinese astronauts will reach and land on Mars much faster than the Americans ! And then we can name few provinces there in Chinese characters ! 
well just so that you know, the ShenZhou 5 capsule landed on its side. of course it's not possible to land upside down if everything worked, but there is still a possibility to land on its side.Longaxe said:
and i doubt landing upside down would kill the astronauts.
mainland chinese so silly.
in 1969, the US and soviet has already sent men into orbit. this technology is 35 years old. this is very very old tech. hey, you can only blame your CCP for this, your CCP is the one that closed china to the rest of the world for such a long time.
china used money to buy the rocket tech from france, and hired some europeans to put the parts together. the europeans are very desperate for money, they would even sell their own grandmothers.
in 1969, the US and soviet has already sent men into orbit. this technology is 35 years old. this is very very old tech. hey, you can only blame your CCP for this, your CCP is the one that closed china to the rest of the world for such a long time.
china used money to buy the rocket tech from france, and hired some europeans to put the parts together. the europeans are very desperate for money, they would even sell their own grandmothers.
Seawolf, shut the **** up.
China is the third country to send a man up into space, so according to your theory, Japan, EU and Italy's space programs are behind the US and Russia in more than 35 years old.
Provide some ******* proof and state some facts or leave, instead of ruining the forum with your personal (arrogant and ignorant) opinions.
China is the third country to send a man up into space, so according to your theory, Japan, EU and Italy's space programs are behind the US and Russia in more than 35 years old.
Provide some ******* proof and state some facts or leave, instead of ruining the forum with your personal (arrogant and ignorant) opinions.
DumLoco
New Member
Re: mainland chinese so silly.
What a pathetic opinion...
The manned misions are a great achievement for China, since no other nation after US and Russia has dare to concieve a serious and ambitious space program. Their technology is not 35 years old, they just must to start from this... They can't launch from one day to another a guy to the moon, so they are making all the required steps at a very impressive speed. And by the way, the technology of the Shenzhou missions is offcourse far better than the ones of the sixties US/Soviet missions.
:china:
seawolf said:
What a pathetic opinion...
The manned misions are a great achievement for China, since no other nation after US and Russia has dare to concieve a serious and ambitious space program. Their technology is not 35 years old, they just must to start from this... They can't launch from one day to another a guy to the moon, so they are making all the required steps at a very impressive speed. And by the way, the technology of the Shenzhou missions is offcourse far better than the ones of the sixties US/Soviet missions.
:china:
Oh yeah... the very thing that cross my mind too.. and also I notice that the booster produce very little respectable smoke. The flames were also very clear and distinct. Unlike the US shuttle launches.
But I believe the shuttle launch has a much heavier payload... so you can't compare that to the Shenzhou-6.
But the rocket boosters seems more advance than the ones used by the US.
But I believe the shuttle launch has a much heavier payload... so you can't compare that to the Shenzhou-6.
But the rocket boosters seems more advance than the ones used by the US.
Fairthought
Junior Member
It isn't just the the size of the payload. The ShenZhou uses liquid fuel propellant (specifically nitrogen tetraoxide as oxidizer and UDMH as fuel), which produces a much clearer plume. The Shuttle uses solid fuel propellant, which creates a much larger, opaque plume. Also the Shuttle plume is not smoke, per se, it is water vapor.
The US used to believe the solid fuel rockets were technologically a generation ahead of liquid fuel rockets because it has a stronger specific impulse (~15% more) than a liquid fuel rocket of the same dimensions.
For decades the US sneered at Russian rocket technology as being a whole generation behind America's because the Russian kept the liquid fuel. After the cold war it was revealed the Russian liquid fuel rockets had a major advantage over solid fuel: its a controllable burn. The russian's actually created rocket engines with throttle control to give their rockets a more efficient launch, thus a higher specific impulse. Liquid rockets also offer much higher safety for passengers, as the trajectory can be altered allowing multiple escape points throughout liftoff. The danger of a solid fuel rocket is there is no control. Once it burns, you're in for the pre-programmed ride and that's that.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, American generals were shocked to be told by US scientists that the Russian rockets were more advanced than their own. This went against everything the've been told for 30 years. Lockheed made a deal with a Russian company to buy the technology for throttle control liquid engines (the RD-180), which is now in service as their newest launcher, the Atlas V. I saw the first Atlas V while it was still in the Final Assembly Building. It was ironic hearing the factory guide extolling the Atlas V as Lockheed's greatest creation as we visitors could plainly see the rocket nozzle's were stencilled in Cyrillic script.
You see, part of the contract that Lockheed signed to obtain the Soviet technology was the agreement to purchase 100 RD-180 engines from russian factories. After that, Lockheed obtains the license to produce the engines on their own.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Chinese obtained the same engine technology from the Russians. At the time, russia was desparate for cash, and China has benefited alot from Russia's Soyuz heritage.
Here is how summarizes the difference between Solid and Liquid fuels:
The US used to believe the solid fuel rockets were technologically a generation ahead of liquid fuel rockets because it has a stronger specific impulse (~15% more) than a liquid fuel rocket of the same dimensions.
For decades the US sneered at Russian rocket technology as being a whole generation behind America's because the Russian kept the liquid fuel. After the cold war it was revealed the Russian liquid fuel rockets had a major advantage over solid fuel: its a controllable burn. The russian's actually created rocket engines with throttle control to give their rockets a more efficient launch, thus a higher specific impulse. Liquid rockets also offer much higher safety for passengers, as the trajectory can be altered allowing multiple escape points throughout liftoff. The danger of a solid fuel rocket is there is no control. Once it burns, you're in for the pre-programmed ride and that's that.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, American generals were shocked to be told by US scientists that the Russian rockets were more advanced than their own. This went against everything the've been told for 30 years. Lockheed made a deal with a Russian company to buy the technology for throttle control liquid engines (the RD-180), which is now in service as their newest launcher, the Atlas V. I saw the first Atlas V while it was still in the Final Assembly Building. It was ironic hearing the factory guide extolling the Atlas V as Lockheed's greatest creation as we visitors could plainly see the rocket nozzle's were stencilled in Cyrillic script.
You see, part of the contract that Lockheed signed to obtain the Soviet technology was the agreement to purchase 100 RD-180 engines from russian factories. After that, Lockheed obtains the license to produce the engines on their own.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Chinese obtained the same engine technology from the Russians. At the time, russia was desparate for cash, and China has benefited alot from Russia's Soyuz heritage.
Here is how summarizes the difference between Solid and Liquid fuels: