China Sci-Tech Garden
China-Sci-Tech-Garden
China Sci Tech Garden
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
China's first space docking to go on as planned
China Sci-Tech Garden
JIUQUAN - China 's first space docking will go on as planned despite the rescheduled launch of the unmanned space module Tiangong- 1 following a satellite launching failure last month ,according to a space program commander .The experimental space station will conduct the country 's first-ever space docking with the Shenzhou- 8 spacecraft , which is scheduled to be launched in November , said Niu Hongguang ,deputy commander-in-chief of the country 's manned space program .A Long March 2C rocket malfunctioned and failed to send the Shijian XI- 04 satellite into orbit in August , forcing authorities to reschedule the launch of China 's first experimental space station based on safety considerations , according to Niu , also a deputy head of the General Armament Department of the Chinese People 's Liberation Army (PLA ).The rescheduling of the Tiangong- 1 mission is aimed at allowing engineers to sort out any problems that might occur during the launch , said Niu .Tiangong- 1 is expected to dock with the Shenzhou- 8, Shenzhou- 9 and Shenzhou- 10 spacecraft in forthcoming launches , paving the way for the country to achieve its goal of establishing a manned space station by 2020.
China Sci-Tech Garden
China Sci-Tech Garden
Capital has designs on global stage
China Sci-Tech Garden
BEIJING - In an effort to boost technology-driven design , the capital launched an international event on Monday .The 2011 Beijing Design Week and the First Beijing International Design Triennial , the biggest event of its kind in the city , will last until Oct 3 and feature more than 130 activities , 30international events and almost 100 Chinese exhibitions .The weeklong extravaganza will showcase the country 's burgeoning design scene and bring leading creative minds to share experiences and nurture new ideas , organizers said .The people behind design weeks in London , Milan , Berlin , Helsinki and Seoul have been invited to participate , along with more than 20 masters of design and about 400 first-class international designers .More than 30 Chinese artists will display their talents in exhibitions at the China Millennium Monument .As domestic design brands play a more influential role on the world stage , the ultimate goal is to help "made in China " become "designed in China ", organizers said ."When it comes to design , Beijing may not have the economic pull of Milan or New York , but it knows how to celebrate and engage with design in thought-provoking and exciting ways ," said 32-year-old Wei Minghui , who studied interior design at Tsinghua University 's academy of art and design . Wei founded the design company WMH in 2009 and makes products from recycled materials such as abandoned advertisement fabrics and paper boxes ."Chinese designers need opportunities to show themselves and introduce their products to consumers . Beijing Design Week is a good chance to show us to the world ," he said . "Ask the creative community in the city if it 's a good city for designers , and the answer is a definite yes ." Kari Korkman , chairman of Helsinki Design Week , said : "It is amazing . Beijing 's inaugural design week ... has established the framework for richer content in the years to come ."Finnish designers have introduced new notions about water conservation to China , making people aware of how much water they consume in daily activities like cooking a bowl of rice , he said .Merete Brunander , chairwoman of Copenhagen Design Week , said she is impressed that Chinese designers have paid a lot of attention to sustainability and are eager to learn from their international counterparts ."So far I haven 't seen much of Chinese design on the world stage , but it will take some time for it to spread ," she said .
China Sci-Tech Garden
China Sci-Tech Garden
Spacecraft ready to go on mission
China Sci-Tech Garden
JIUQUAN , Gansu - Last-minute preparations for the launch of the Tiangong- 1 spacecraft began at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Monday , meaning the vehicle can soon embark on a mission that will eventually have it dock with a spaceship , according to the center .That feat , if carried out successfully , will mark the completion of China 's first rendezvous and docking mission .At the launch site on Monday afternoon , crews were putting in place pipes and cables that will be used to inject fuel into the rocket that will carry Tiangong- 1 into outer space .Without complications from the weather or other causes , the Long March II-F rocket will lift off from the launch center on Thursday or Friday , taking the Tiangong- 1 with it , according to the Xinhua News Agency .Despite the preparations , space experts said carrying out the plan still comes with many risks .They explained that the spacecraft and much of the other equipment being used is new and has not been tried on an actual mission ."Tiangong- 1 is a brand new spacecraft designed by China and is bigger and heavier than the Shenzhou spaceships China had developed as a means of transporting astronauts from the Earth to space ," said Yang Hong , chief designer of Tiangong- 1. In a vertical position , the Tiangong- 1 looks like a cigar standing 10.4 meter tall , a height equal to that of a three-story building . It weighs 8.5 tons and has a maximum diameter of 3.35 meters ,a dimension shared by its launch vehicle , he said .In comparison , the Shenzhou spaceship stands shorter , at nearly 9 meters , is slimmer , having a diameter of less than 3 meters , and weighs less .In another difference , the Tiangong- 1 is composed of two modules rather than the three that had made up the Shenzhou spaceship . Of the Tiangong- 1's two primary components , one is an experimental module that contains a place that astronauts can live and work in on future missions . It is also equipped with a docking port .The other chief component , a resource module , will provide the craft with power .Astronauts on Tiangong- 1 will have 15 cubic meters of space to move in , "much more than they had in the Shenzhou spaceship ", Yang said .Inside the spacecraft are two sleeping sections with adjustable lighting systems , exercise equipment , entertainment systems and visual communication devices , he said .Hou Xiangyang , who helped design Tiangong- 1, said : "The sleeping section is big enough for a 1.8-meter-tall man to sleep in . An astronaut can adjust the light as he likes ."In space , Tiangong- 1 will fly in a horizontal position . A paint scheme inside will help the astronauts aboard maintain their sense of direction ; the module 's inner walls will be in two colors , one commonly associated with the sky and one with the ground ."This will help astronauts avoid feeling as if they are standing upside down in the microgravity environment ," he said . Yang said the Tiangong- 1 spacecraft is expected to stay in orbit for two years and rendezvous and dock with three different spaceships . Beyond the Shenzhou VIII , ships named Shenzhou IX and Shenzhou X will embark on similar missions ; at least one of the two is to be manned .Before astronauts climb on board Tiangong- 1, the conditions inside its experimental module will be adjusted to ensure they can live in an environment that contains enough oxygen , moisture and heat to be safe .Tiangong- 1 was originally scheduled to be launched into a low orbit around the Earth between Sept 27 and 30. The earlier days were removed as possible launch dates , though , after forecasters predicted a cold air mass would move into the area containing the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center .To ensure the spacecraft and Long March II-F carrier rocket are ready for launch , a full ground simulation was conducted on Sunday afternoon .
China Sci-Tech Garden
China Sci-Tech Garden
Thursday, September 22, 2011
China calls for further Sino-US sci-tech co-op
China-Sci-Tech-Garden
BEIJING - State councilor Liu Yandong met US Energy Secretary Steven Chu on Wednesday ,calling for further Sino-US science and technology cooperation ."Under current rapid growth of science and technology and ever-deepening globalization ,strengthening science and technology cooperation between China and the US accords with the development momentum of the two countries ' bilateral relations , " Liu said . Sino-US cooperation in clean energy , cultural and educational exchanges , and science and technology have achieved remarkable progress in recent years , she added .Liu noted that the China-US joint clean energy research center has become the highlight of the two countries ' cooperation in science and technology and provided a new model and path for further cooperation .Liu said he hoped the two sides would promote pragmatic cooperation in science and technology innovation , clean energy , environment and healths so to further the bilateral relationship .China-Sci-Tech-Garden
China to launch lunar probe around 2013
China-Sci-Tech-Garden
The moon is seen in Harbin , Heilongjiang province on Sept 12, 2011.
BEIJING - China is shooting for the stars in preparation for the future launch of its Chang 'e- 3 lunar probe , a move that is in line with the country 's desire to eventually build a space station .
National authorities said Wednesday that China will launch the Chang 'e- 3 around 2013,marking the first time for a Chinese spacecraft to land on the surface of an extraterrestrial body .The mission will also mark the first step of the second stage of China 's ambitious three-phase lunar exploration program , although a timetable for a manned moon landing has yet to be announced .The probe 's mission is to land safely on the moon and carry out a number of scientific experiments , according to sources with State Administration of Science , Technology and Industry for National Defence .China began its quest for the moon in October 2007, when it launched its first lunar probe , the Chang 'e- 1. The probe went into orbit around the moon , transmitting pictures of the moon 's surface back to Earth before crashing to the surface at the end of its mission under the direction of Chinese scientists .China 's second moon orbiter , the Chang 'e- 2, sent back its first batch of data while orbiting the second Lagrange Point (L2) about 1.7 million km away from Earth . The orbiter is still in space and is scheduled to travel around the L2 orbit until the end of 2012, according to the administration .The data it sent back was obtained by the orbiter 's gamma-ray spectrometer , high-energy solar particle detector and solar wind ion detector while it traveled from the moon 's orbit to its current position .The Chang 'e- 2 will carry out exploratory activities around the L2, such as monitoring high-energy particles and solar winds .Li Chunlai , one of designers for the lunar probe project , said the Chang 'e- 2 will be the first moon orbiter in the world to observe solar winds for a fairly long time around the L2, a prime position for studying solar winds .The Chang 'e- 2 entered the L2 orbit , where gravity from the sun and Earth balances the orbital motion of a satellite , in late August and has been operating in stable condition for 26 days .There are five Lagrange Points about 1.5 million km from the Earth in the exact opposite direction from the sun . Positioning a spacecraft at any of these points allows it to stay in a fixed position relative to the Earth and sun with a minimal amount of energy needed for course correction .Liu Dongkui , deputy chief commander of China 's lunar probe project , said the Chang 'e- 2 had extended the traveling range for China 's spacecraft from 400,000 km to 1.7 million km .The Chang 'e- 2 is also the first spacecraft in China to undertake multiple tasks in one mission ,and the world 's first to leave the moon 's orbit for the L2, Liu said .Although Chang 'e- 2 was only designed to work in space for six months , the administration assigned it additional tasks as the orbiter still had fuel in its reserve tanks .Before arriving at its current position , the Chang 'e- 2 took photos of the northern and southern poles of the moon . It then descended to a lower orbit , approximately 15 km away from the moon 's surface , where it captured high-resolution images of the Sinus Iridum (Latin for "Bay of Rainbows "), an area where China 's future moon probes may land .During the third phase of the country 's lunar probe program , another rover will land on the moon and return to Earth with lunar soil and stone samples for scientific research around 2017.Although the country 's attempt to sent an experimental satellite into Earth 's orbit failed in August , China is still working to promote its space program .China 's space authorities announced on Tuesday that they will launch the unmanned experimental craft Tiangong- 1 as early as next week . It is scheduled to rendezvous and dock with another unmanned spacecraft , the Shenzhou- 8, which will be launched on a later date .China-Sci-Tech-Garden
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