China's Manned Mission to Dock with Heavenly Palace Space Lab Next Week

 

                               

A manned space capsule of the The Shenzhou-9 mission is scheduled to dock with the nation's orbiting Tiangong-1 space lab for the first time next week on June 16th.

"The fact that China is going it alone here is significant," says Roger Launius, a historian at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. "It gains critical experience for China in long-duration missions, rendezvous and docking– something it must do to close the gap between it and the other spacefaring nations."

A capsule carrying three taikonauts, including include China's first female taikonaut, will launch atop a Long March-2F rocket (image above) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in north-west China. Two days later, the aim is to dock with Tiangong-1 ("Heavenly Palace") – a 10-metre long, 3-metre diameter space lab launched in September last year.

The crew is expected to The ability to shuttle crews between Earth and an orbital station will be a "significant step" for China, chief designer Zhou Jianping told China's official news agency, Xinhua. The

Daily Galaxy via newscientist and Reuters News

Image credit: Imaginechina/Rex Features

Comments

[Mark D]

It is a pity that we can't be a little more open, sharing tech know-how and experience so that unnecessary replication is avoided. Where do the Chinese stand in relation to the international space station for example? One wishes them good luck nonetheless and safe passage.

[Mark D]

A permanent Moon-base won't happen without Chinese co-operation in my opinion and even then, not before the end of the century.

I hope someone proves me wrong.

[kristianna276@msn.com]

The exploration and settlement of the planetary bodies of our solar system can't be accomplished without international cooperation. We have already proved that low orbit space stations can be constructed and manned by a team of international astronauts (primarily from Europe and sometime Japan). it is good that China is building a space station replacing MIR that was done during the time of the Soviet Union. It was the battle royal between the US and the Soviet Union that drove the space race, now it seems that there are several up and coming contenders to the old crown worn by the Soviets; China, India, and ESA. There is tension between ESA and NASA over our need to "go it alone". Although China is building this Heavenly Palace by itself, would the gates of paradise be shut to all but China? Would all be welcomed in the Heavenly Palace? What of people in Africa and South East Asia? I rarely hear of any astronauts for India, let alone Africans training to go to the ISS, let alone to the heavenly Palace. ESA uses the African continent as a launch bases to the stars, but never train the inhabitants to train to go to the International Space Station. ESA takes from the country by using French Guiana as a launch site, but never giving back. Will the Chinese train Africans to be part of their astronaut core to be in the Heavenly Palace? How about a training facility in South Africa constructed with the help of China, ESA and the South African government?

[kristianna276@msn.com]

The CNSA would have to work with the SANSA in order to help with the development of training facilities for an Astronaut Core and the development of science and engineering for South African and all of Southern Africa. There is a need for an MIT of southern Africa, and to put in the grave the grip of the old Apartheid regime and bring about true equality to southern Africa. To many white European men go to the ISS, and not enough women of people of color (and women of color) go to the ISS. NASA and ESA would not think of sending a total female crew to the ISS, then China should do what they refuse to do; then maybe they would do what should be done.

[Mark D]

Cheers Kristianna in all remarks although whatever gender... prospective crew-members should be the best trained and most appropriately skilled. Equal opportunity in reaching that level of expertise is certainly the issue.