China's space station

J20!

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China's Shenzhou-9 successfully docks with Tiangong-1

The three person crew of Shenzhou-9 – including the first Chinese woman to fly in space – have successfully conducted the first crewed docking for their country. Docking between their vehicle and the Tiangong-1 module – which has been on orbit since last year – was conducted at around 6:07am UTC on Monday morning.

Chinese Docking:

The approach and docking was very similar to the one seen during Shenzhou-8 last year, an unmanned event that was China's debut attempt to join the handful of other nations that have the ability to rendezvous and dock vehicles in space.

Shenzhou-8, was launched unmanned on October 31, 2011, via the Long March 2F (Chang Zheng-2F). The main objective of the mission was the docking with the unmanned space module Tiangong-1 that took place at 17:28 UTC on November 2.

On November 16, at 10:30 UTC, the two vehicles separated for the final time and Shenzhou-8 begin its return to Earth, with landing taking place at 11:32 UTC.

For Shenzhou-9 – which launched on Saturday via a Long March 2F/G (Chang Zheng-2F/G) – the opening phase of the final stage of rendezvous took place at a distance of 52 km from the TG-1 space module, allowing for SG-9 to approaching to within 20 km.

In a similar scenario to the recent arrival of SpaceX's Dragon to the International Space Station (ISS), several hold points – at 5 km, 400 meters and 140 meters – were required, allowing for a Go/No Go for continuing final approach, as numerous systems checks were conducted.

During this key stage of the mission, Shenzhou-9 held the role as the "active vehicle", while the Tiangong-1 was placed into the role of the "passive vehicle".

After soft docking, locks and bolts were secured between the two vehicles, lasting around 15 minutes. This was followed by the control center adjusting the cabin environment, such as temperature, pressure, in accordance with the conditions for crewed flight.

Crew ingress into Tiangong-1 was completed around three hours after docking.

Living in orbit:

During the docked phase, two of the taikonauts will sleep in the module, while the third will sleep on the Shenzhou-9.

Tiangong-1 is equipped with various systems and equipments for the crew, such as exercise equipment and a medical laboratory, in order to evaluate the astronaut's health during their relatively long-term presence in space for the Chinese. The module also has waste recycling equipment, medical health monitoring equipment, male and female astronauts clothing, and fire extinguishers.

The TianGong-1 spacecraft is expected to stay in orbit for two years and rendezvous and dock with three different spaceships, the latter during the future Shenzhou-10 mission. The taikonauts will stay on board for a maximum of two weeks, a duration expected for the Shenzhou-10 mission.

The 3.35 meter experimental module is composed of a enclosed front cone shaped section, cylindrical section and rear cone shaped section. On the front end of the experiment module are the docking mechanism and the measuring and communication equipment, which are used to support the rendezvous and docking with vehicles.

The experimental module is where the taikonauts will live and work, with 15 cubic meters of space to move around in. This section is also equipped with two sleeping sections with adjustable lighting systems, exercise equipment, entertainment systems, visual communications devices and control systems.

The 2.8 meter resource module will supply the power necessary for flight – containing two solar panels, propellent tanks, and other systems.

In the future, the TianGong will be upgraded to a cargo vehicle to service the Mir-class station, with its core module due to launch in 2020. However, before that, China plans to launch the TG-2 TianGong-2 in 2014 (to develop the necessary technologies for water and oxygen regeneration necessary for short-term stay in orbit and to carry out some scientific experiments) and TG-3 TianGong-3 in 2015/2016.

TG-3 will likely be equipped with two docking ports, allowing a permanent residency of the module. TG-3 mission will involve the development of the technologies necessary for medium to long-term orbital stays and to carry out more sophisticated scientific researches and experiments.

At launch, Shenzhou-9 carried 300 kg of cargo on board, including water, food rations and experiments to be carried out during the mission.

The Chinese – as would be expected – will be focusing on protecting the crew's health. The measures are designed to combat the influence of the gravity-free environment of spaceflight and to ensure the taikonaut's health remains as expected.

While in orbit, medical examinations and protection measures will be conducted, including an on-orbit examination of the astronauts' hearts, lungs and biochemistry conditions.

Equipment, such as a bicycle ergometer, chest developer and neuromuscular electrical stimulation have been prepared on board Tiangong-1 to protect the astronauts against the effects of weightlessness and maintain their cardiac and muscular functions.

Liu Yang will receive a special focus on her medical examinations and exercises, given this is the first time a Chinese woman has been in space.

The Chinese noted that they have three major mission goals for the crew, the first being the health monitoring of the taikonauts that mainly includes astronaut's nutrition and metabolism, moods, and biorhythm changes in orbit.

Secondly, the crew will make research on the physiological effects mechanism of weightlessness and the countermeasures, which include the impact study on the functions of astronaut's cardiovascular, vestibule and brain in the orbiting flight. They will also study bone loss in space.

Finally, the taikonauts will conduct research on environmental medicine and the astronaut's operational capability in space.
 

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Shenzhou-9 docks with Tiangong-1

By Jonathan Amos, Science correspondent, BBC News



The docking was an automated procedure, with computers in control of events

China's Shenzhou-9 capsule, with its crew of three, has docked with the Tiangong-1 space lab.

The coupling of the vehicles occurred at 14:07 Beijing time (06:07 GMT; 07:07 BST).

The latest Shenzhou mission was launched on Saturday, taking the nation's first female astronaut into orbit.

Thirty-three-year old Liu Yang flies with Commander Jing Haipeng, 46, and fellow flight engineer, Liu Wang, 42.

It was another two hours after the docking before the astronauts moved between the vehicles.

They first had to wait for pressures inside the vessels to be equalised before they could open the hatches.

Commander Jing led the way into the lab, followed by Mr Liu. Ms Liu initially stayed behind in the Shenzhou capsule in case of emergency.

A video camera inside Tiangong relayed pictures of the entrance of the two men, who waved into the lens. They immediately set about checking systems.

After 20 minutes, Ms Liu followed her male colleagues into Tiangong, and the three then turned to the camera as a group to wave.

Astronaut Liu Yang


  • Born in Henan province and an only child
  • Married, with no children
  • Air force pilot with rank of major
  • Member of Communist Party
  • Honoured as a "model" pilot in March 2010
  • Landed plane after being struck by birds
  • "Little flying knight" on QQ instant messenger
  • Likes cooking; a penchant for patriotic speeches

This is China's fourth manned mission. It follows on from last year's unmanned Shenzhou-8 outing which completed successful rendezvous and docking manoeuvres at Tiangong.

That gave Beijing authorities the confidence to put astronauts on the current flight.

Monday's docking was an automated procedure; computers - not the crew - were in charge of events.

A suite of radar, laser and optical sensors aligned Shenzhou with Tiangong. The capsule's thrusters then drove it into the space lab's docking ring.

The union happened at an altitude of about 340km (210 miles). Ms Liu operated a handheld video camera to record the moment of docking.

It is understood that for most of the time, only two members of the crew will work in the lab. The third individual will tend to hold back in the Shenzhou craft.

During the flight, a range of scientific experiments are planned, including a number of medical tests geared towards understanding the effects of weightlessness on the human body.

At some point in the next few days, the astronauts will attempt a manual docking.

This would see the crew uncouple their vehicle from the lab, retreat to a defined distance and then command their ship to re-attach itself.

Liu Wang will take the lead in this activity. "We've done over 1,500 simulations," he said during the pre-launch press conference.

"We've mastered the techniques and skills. China has first class technologies and astronauts, and therefore I'm confident we will fulfil the manual rendezvous."



China is already talking about a Shenzhou-10 mission to Tiangong sometime in the next year.

The lab is a prototype for the type of modules the nation hopes to join in orbit later this decade to form a permanently manned space station.

At about 60 tonnes in mass, this proposed station would be considerably smaller than the 400-tonne international platform operated by the US, Russia, Europe, Canada and Japan, but its mere presence in the sky would nonetheless represent a remarkable achievement.



The three astronauts will be attempting a manned docking later in the mission

Concept drawings describe a core module weighing some 20-22 tonnes, flanked by two slightly smaller laboratory vessels.

Officials say it would be supplied by freighters in exactly the same way that robotic cargo ships keep the International Space Station (ISS) today stocked with fuel, food, water, air, and spare parts.

China first put a man in orbit in 2003 (Shenzhou-5). This was followed by a two-man mission in 2005 (Shenzhou-6). In 2008, the Shenzhou-7 spacecraft carried three astronauts into orbit to perform the nation's first spacewalk.

Shenzhou-9 Commander Jing Haipeng was also involved in that venture, making him now China's most experienced spaceman.

Mr Jing's crew are expected back on Earth before the end of the month.


BBC News - Shenzhou-9 docks with Tiangong-1
 

JAYRAM

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JAYRAM

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From me too, congrats to all chinese here and to mainland...can we take part in the joy?..

:bhangra::basanti::tea::india::china::balle::dancemasti::bike:
 

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Ray

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China is doing well!
 

J20!

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On June 7, the integration of Shenzhou-9 to the fairing



On June 7, Shenzhou-9 integrated into the fairing through the leaching Wind's corridor



On June 7, Shenzhou-9 being transferred



On June 7, the integration of the fairing with the rocket

 

J20!

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On June 9, launch pads arms are closed



On June 13, general simulation of all systems and personnel involved in the launch



Launch pad

 

J20!

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the crew's first day in TG-1:


All three took their meals, and Wang Yang Liu and Liu rested last night and it is the commander Heiping JING who stayed up, he re-installed some equipment and prepared the experiments to do TODAY. This morning LIU Wang will perform several tests of communication with the ground (as sending emails, SMS, videoconferencing) while Yang LIU will begin medical experiments (it is her role in this mission).

The temperature in TG-1 is stabilized to 22°C ~ 23°C and humidity to 40%.
 
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J20!

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Chinese astronauts in space receive first e-mail from Earth

Astronauts in the orbiting lab module Tiangong-1 received their first e-mail from Earth on Tuesday afternoon, the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC) confirmed.

The e-mail containing photos, text and videos was sent through a special communication channel between the control center and the lab module, a statement from the center said.

Through this communication channel, astronauts can maintain instant contact with Earth, which facilitates their work and contributes to the quality of their spare time, the statement said.

The three astronauts, including the country's first female in space,entered the cabin of the Tiangong-1 on Monday afternoon, becoming the first group of Chinese to enter an orbiter in space, shortly after a successful automatic docking procedure between the orbiter and the Shenzhou-9 spaceship.

Deng Yibing, chief engineer of the astronaut training center, told Xinhua that the astronauts had been busy checking the facilities and doing experiments over the past day.

The environment inside the orbiter has been quite comfortable, with the temperature at 22 to 23 degrees Celsius and the humidity at 40 percent, Deng said.

Although they experience 16 sunrises and sunsets every 24 hours as the orbiter circles Earth every 90 minutes, astronauts wake up and rest in line with Earth time.

"They got up at 6 a.m. Beijing Time today and will go to bed in the evening," Deng said.One will remain on duty while the others sleep, and the three will take turns sleeping, he said.
 

p2prada

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Wow. What a first class achievement.

Excellent work. Hope to see more such launches.
 

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