Chinese Space Program (CNSA) & Ch. commercial launch and discussion

[SunlitZelkova]

I wonder if US intelligence agencies will notice this, and if it will affect the president's final decision on the new Artemis timeline. It wouldn't matter too much, but if he is serious about competing with China, trying to get to the Moon 4-5 years before China, as opposed to delaying the landing to 2028, might be a good option for "competition".

2 minutes ago, tater said:

There's a CNSA launch today I think.

Sorry, tomorrow.

Technically, it is tomorrow (or is about to be) in China, so today (in the US). Tianhe-1 is supposed to launch on the 29th. I am not aware of any livestreams as of this post though.

[tater]

 

 

[Guest The Doodling Astronaut2]

Can someone help me understand where this module fits into the station overall. I can't seem to understand where it's supposed to be

[tater]

2 minutes ago, The Doodling Astronaut2 said:

Can someone help me understand where this module fits into the station overall. I can't seem to understand where it's supposed to be

It's the core.

It unfurled solar arrays apparently.

 

Looks like 5 docking ports at the round end and one at the left side?

Unity connected to Zarya (beginning of ISS):

 

 

[kerbiloid]

22 minutes ago, The Doodling Astronaut2 said:

Can someone help me understand where this module fits into the station overall. I can't seem to understand where it's supposed to be

Spoiler

 

[Blasty McBlastblast]

it was interesting to watch the launch footage, does anyone know what was happening around T+76s when  the paint began to get stripped of the boosters?  also around T+140s you can see something flapping wildly near the base of the booster, is this normal?

[SunlitZelkova]

When I was first interested in space exploration, China had yet to launch its first space station, and I did not follow space exploration while the Tiangong stations were up, so the fact that there are now two space stations is pretty mind boggling.

3 hours ago, The Doodling Astronaut said:

Can someone help me understand where this module fits into the station overall. I can't seem to understand where it's supposed to be

Tianzhou is a cargo spacecraft, Shenzhou is obviously for crew transport, Wentian and Mengtian are "Laboratory Cabin Modules". And as tater said and is clear in this image, Tianhe is the core module. This is the final configuration although apparently there is a backup Tianhe module that could be docked to the other end of Tianhe-1 to expand the crew capacity to six.

[RCgothic]

That sounds more likely now that Tianhe-1 has launched successfully, but I presume there wouldn't be any point in launching Tianhe-2 if either of the laboratory modules were to fail.

[Selective Genius]

On 9/8/2020 at 10:11 AM, kerbiloid said:

I love the smell of hydrazine in the morning.

I don't think I will live long enough to fall in love with the smell of hydrazine.

[kerbiloid]

2 minutes ago, Selective Genius said:

I don't think I will live long enough to fall in love with the smell of hydrazine.

It's a quote.

[OrdinaryKerman]

2 hours ago, Blasty McBlastblast said:

it was interesting to watch the launch footage, does anyone know what was happening around T+76s when  the paint began to get stripped of the boosters?  also around T+140s you can see something flapping wildly near the base of the booster, is this normal?

That's probably temporary insulation, it falling off should be completely fine

[kerbiloid]

Spoiler

It's normal. A freelance painter on outsource job.

Upd,
(In Russian)

Spoiler

 

At 04:35 they explain that the things falling from the Chinese rockets are additional thermal insulation which can be stuck on the shround on customer's desire for additional money, because it's cold at the Chinese spaceports.

Do not confuse it with the white things falling from Soyuz, because they are ice caused by cryogenic fuel in tanks.

Edited April 29, 2021 by kerbiloid

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

That part of the video is striking, almost looks made up.  

[kerbiloid]

29 minutes ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

That part of the video is striking, almost looks made up.  

Probably many layers of thin sheets, to not pierce the tanks.

[RCgothic]

Ouch.

 

 

 

[SpaceFace545]

Russia just wants a friend. 

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

1 hour ago, SpaceFace545 said:

Russia just wants a friend. 

Don't you have to be a friend to have a friend? 

[SOXBLOX]

LOL. I just saw that in Scott Manley's video. Apparently China no longer feels it needs Russia. Now the question is, does Russia need China?

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

7 minutes ago, SOXBLOX said:

LOL. I just saw that in Scott Manley's video. Apparently China no longer feels it needs Russia. Now the question is, does Russia need China?

Link? 

[SOXBLOX]

'Ere ya go.

Sorry, my tablet hates embedding links.

[kerbiloid]

6 hours ago, SOXBLOX said:

Apparently China no longer feels it needs Russia.

Comparing the Tianhe and the Mir base module, yes. The 40-years old design can be reproduced without assistance.

6 hours ago, SOXBLOX said:

Now the question is, does Russia need China?

To reproduce Mir? Unlikely.

6 hours ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

Don't you have to be a friend to have a friend? 

USA has ever friended with China? Just a business, just a business.

Edited April 30, 2021 by kerbiloid

[SunlitZelkova]

7 hours ago, SOXBLOX said:

LOL. I just saw that in Scott Manley's video. Apparently China no longer feels it needs Russia. Now the question is, does Russia need China?

It is interesting. I think the LEO aspect of China's crewed space program is very much guided by showing that China is equal to Russia and the US, i.e. nationalism, so they don't want it to look like they need Russian support for their space station. On the other hand, the Moon (base and continuous exploration compared to the very experimental nature of Apollo) is something that no one has yet to do, so they don't mind entertaining the idea of cooperation more seriously. Whereas there was never a concrete plan to work with Russia for their modular space station, what has been revealed over the past few days makes it look like they are anticipating a fair amount of Russian participation in the lunar base (in the form of robotic exploration at least. The slides I shared do not mention anything about Yenisei, Oryolnok, or the LVPK, only Luna 25-28).

[kerbiloid]

I almost believe that all talks about lunar programs will stay talks, and any lunar base will start being built only when it becomes economically reasonable, i.e. when it will be possible to mine rare metals (if any) in industrial amounts, i.e. when the lunar He-3 from regolith  and the lunar D from ice can feed a fusion reactor, i.e. not earlier than 2050 or so, i.e. a couple of new orbital stations later.

Until that, nobody needs anyone's assistance to build a Mir-level station.
ISS is impossible even for USA, btw, as shuttles are dismissed. The best they can now is a new Skylab/LORL with Mirly attached modules, i.e. also a 1970s level.

See the LOP-G project. Pathetic. The level of Mir, but 40 years later.

So, Russia probably can Mir again.
China probably can Mir, too, now.
USA can just Mir, after it could ISS.
Everyone can Mir his own Mir. And that's all the everyone can.

So, I'm not sure, who should be smiling here.

Edited April 30, 2021 by kerbiloid

[RCgothic]

How not to win international friends:

 

 

 

[SOXBLOX]

9 hours ago, kerbiloid said:

USA has ever friended with China?

Believe me, we tried. And then, Tiananmen Square. Since then, no.

7 hours ago, kerbiloid said:

ISS is impossible even for USA, btw, as shuttles are dismissed

Hmmm... No. Anyone could still build something equivalent to the ISS. It just has to be modified to use current fairings and payload masses.