China’s possible plans for expanding Tiangong-3
Though the plans have apparently not been approved, the designers of China’s Tiangong-3 space station are now considering expanding the station with additional large modules.
“Following our current design, we can continue to launch an extension module to dock with the forward section of the space station, and the extension module can carry a new hub for docking with the subsequent space vehicles,” [Wang Xiang, commander of the space station system at the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST)] told CCTV following the return to Earth of the Shenzhou-14 crew Dec. 4.
With a new docking hub, the Chinese would actually have the potential of doubling the station’s size by duplicating its present configuration with one central module (with the hub) and two side modules.
The station’s design, an upgrade of the Soviet Union’s Mir station, also allows for relatively easy replacement of modules as they age. Though the station only has a planned ten-year life, do not be surprised if it remains operational for many decades beyond that.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Though the plans have apparently not been approved, the designers of China’s Tiangong-3 space station are now considering expanding the station with additional large modules.
“Following our current design, we can continue to launch an extension module to dock with the forward section of the space station, and the extension module can carry a new hub for docking with the subsequent space vehicles,” [Wang Xiang, commander of the space station system at the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST)] told CCTV following the return to Earth of the Shenzhou-14 crew Dec. 4.
With a new docking hub, the Chinese would actually have the potential of doubling the station’s size by duplicating its present configuration with one central module (with the hub) and two side modules.
The station’s design, an upgrade of the Soviet Union’s Mir station, also allows for relatively easy replacement of modules as they age. Though the station only has a planned ten-year life, do not be surprised if it remains operational for many decades beyond that.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Just a question to the readership here…
I am fully aware that the Chinese are using a soup of stolen tech, russian tech, and home brewed tech…
But I, personally, believe that the more humans, we as a species, loft into LEO, the better chance we have of some future collaborations for genuinely huge missions… Man on mars… And beyond.
These aims are beyond the resources of any one nation state, ( at least in any sustainable form ) , and the chances of collaboration between the West, China, and Russia when it eventually chills out are chances for diplomacy.. Space is big, the moon.. mars.. are big, there is room for us all to cooperate without conflict. More so than here on earth.
My question is… Your opinions on my statement?
( I am not trying to bait anyone here… I am genuinely interested in the views of the right wing population here… We all love space, but do you hate real communism in another land, far away, over China’s genuine achievements in space? )
The Chinese gave up on ‘real communism’ decades ago, so that’s not an issue for me anymore. But as an authoritarian nation with no interest whatsoever in personal liberty or free markets, I do not wish them great success in space.
I’m happy to work with other nations in space, as long as their goals are not incompatible with ours. I’d boot the Russians off of the ISS and replace them with, say, India in a heartbeat.
@Matthew…. I hear you…. Personally ( of course!) I wish the ESA were a bit more in the mix… But the reality is that it is only the US, Russia and China that can launch people into space.
I’m still ( and only personally curious… I have no agenda!)
China in space… Good. Or bad ? Possible alliance or no chance?
I suppose China in space is good, only because if we drop the ball and are consumed as a nation by our own foolishness, there will still be *someone* (I don’t consider the Russians a serious space power, and the Indians aren’t quite ready to step up yet) trying to move forward.
Aside from that, I don’t think there’s any benefit to working with them. As long as we come to an arrangement on how to stay out of the way of each other’s legitimate interests in space, we’ll be good.
@ Lee S,
I challenge your assumption that we must have alliances to move outward. And that no nation state can handle it alone. It does however depend on the meaning of alone. As an individual, I have access to resources from all over the world to the extent that I can pay. Amazon, EBay, Ali Baba, and such are only too willing to take my money for products with no partnership agreements. Given proper management and the availability of an existing world wide supply chain, Denmark or Sri Lanka could move forward opening the space frontier.
It is proper management that is the sticking point. Citizens from many countries will move forward as long as they are not prevented from doing so by Central Planning. Each entity that finds a profitable niche will expand the frontier if permitted. I have no problem with the idea of Chinese space activity as it is likely to be permanently restricted by central control. Chinese entrepreneurs are more likely to dominate than the Chinese government.
If all the space nations unit into one unit the competition will evaporate inside a year.
They will all slow down to the pace of NASA, taking 20 to 30 years to do a decades worth of labor.
They will just become the same huge slow bureaucracy everyone in the world hates.
We would not have sports if everyone was on the same team.
And its the same with anything. Without competition we would stagnate and die.
Universal cooperation sounds great to the unwashed hippies of the 60’s and 70’s but how many communes still exist from then? Zero. The members all left the communes and entered the great rat race.
@ Matthew & John…. I could be wrong… Indeed in some ways I hope I am, but from where I’m sitting, I can’t see any country having the resources to set up a base anywhere alone. If I am correct then international collaboration will be essential, and could end up helping to thaw relations with Russia and China…
Perhaps I’m just an optimist… But the whole “pale blue dot” concept, the “overview effect” could maybe, just maybe, help to unite humanity into the first worldwide project.
Unfortunately I think it is all going to end up as another shlong waving race for the first flag on mars.. footprints and a flag.
@pzatchok,
Just because an idea doesn’t catch the first time around doesn’t mean it’s not got value… It could be argued that the masses were too brainwashed by the momentary point in human history when capitalism worked, that they didn’t disagree.
Those days vanished long ago… Almost to a man, ( almost no women post here..) long for the 50’s and 60’s when a man could earn enough to pay for the house, the car and a housewife … Those days are long gone.
There are no “Superpowers” now… Perhaps the unwashed hippies had the right idea after all?