Tiangong-1 orbiter starts planned cabin checks against toxic gas
China’s Tiangong-1 space station today started its first planned monthly cabin check to test the status of the station’s atmosphere.
Tag: China
Names of China’s second class of astronauts revealed by stamp collectible
The names of China’s second class of astronauts, kept secret by the government there, has been revealed by a stamp collectible.
Uncovering China’s vast network of nuclear weapon tunnels
Students at Georgetown University have uncovered details about China’s vast network of nuclear weapon tunnels.
According to a report by state-run CCTV, China had more than 3,000 miles of tunnels — roughly the distance between Boston and San Francisco — including deep underground bases that could withstand multiple nuclear attacks.
How a Chinese cave got listed on the U.S. stock market
Four times a year 80 Chinese children walk to school by scaling 1000 ft cliffs and fording swollen rivers
Who says it was tougher in the old days? Four times a year eighty Chinese children walk two days to school by traversing 1000 ft cliffs and fording swollen rivers.
The most dangerous part of the route is a path, which narrows to just a few inches wide, that has been cut into a cliff face some 1,000ft above the valley beneath. Without safety harnesses, the teachers gingerly shepherd their charges along. Further along, there are four freezing rivers to wade across, a 600ft-long zip-line to slide down, and bridges that are just a single plank wide. Teachers often carry the younger children on their backs, but some have fallen in the rivers in the past, without serious injury.
Debris from destroyed satellite may force ISS astronauts to take shelter
China attacks! Debris from a satellite that China destroyed in an anti-satellite test in 2007 may force ISS astronauts to take shelter tonight.
Shenzhou for Dummies
Shenzhou 8 has returned successfully to Earth after completing its docking and rendezvous mission with China’s first space station
Shenzhou 8 has returned successfully to Earth after completing its docking and rendezvous mission with China’s first space station.
Congress has slashed the budget of John Holdren’s White House Science Office
The Senate/House final deal for the White House Science Office has slashed its budget by one third.
Frustrated that White House officials [i.e. John Holdren] have ignored congressional language curtailing scientific collaborations with China, legislators have decided to get their attention through a 32% cut in the tiny budget of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
See this story for more background.
Shifou Mountain Footpath Construction
An evening pause: In China they are building a tourist footpath on the side of Shifou Mountain. For additional information as well as video of the work, go here.
A plank path along cliffs is taking shape in a scenic spot in Yuyang city, South China’s Hunan Province. The path zigzags several hundred meters long but is only one meter wide along cliffs, without guardrail. The path builders walk on it as if in an ordinary street.
The Chinese have completed a second docking at their space station
The Chinese have successfully completed today a second test docking between the unmanned Shenzhou space capsule and their space station Tiangong 1.
White House officials held talks with China over technology, despite a law banning such talks
The law is such an inconvenient thing: White House officials held technology talks with China, despite a law banning such talks.
In [a General Accountability Office (GAO)] letter, Gibson said OSTP officials violated U.S. law by participating in May in bilateral discussions with Chinese officials in spite of a language included in a 2011 spending bill enacted in April that specifically prohibited such talks. GAO concluded that OSTP officials violated the Anti-Deficiency Act, which prohibits U.S. government employees from spending money that Congress has not appropriated. “If Congress specifically prohibits a particular use of appropriated funds, any obligation for that purpose is in excess of the amount available,” Gibson wrote in the Oct. 11 letter. In May, OSTP officials spent approximately $3,500 to participate in discussions and a dinner with Chinese government officials, according to the GAO letter.
[Congressman Frank] Wolf (R-Virginia), a vocal critic of China’s human rights policies who also testified at the hearing, inserted the language in the 2011 spending bill barring OSTP and NASA from participating in any bilateral activities with China. “Following the law is not voluntary for administration officials,” Wolf said. [emphasis mine]
Sadly, it appears that this administration does not agree with Wolf, and instead considers the law to be nothing more than vague advice they can ignore at will.
China has successfully done its first docking in space
China has successfully done its first docking in space. And an unmanned docking at that!
China launches unmanned spacecraft to do a rendezvous and docking test with its first space station
China has successfully launched an unmanned Shenzhou spacecraft to do an automatic rendezvous and docking test with its first space station, Tiangong 1.
Eradicating polio: not this year
The effort to eradicated polio entirely by the end of 2012 will not be met.
Afghanistan and Nigeria, two of the three remaining endemic countries, have had more cases in the first nine months of this year than in 2010 altogether. Several other countries targeted by the plan have also seen more cases to date this year compared to this time in 2010. Additionally, polio had popped up in countries where it had previously been eradicated — notably China, which went polio-free for 11 years until this summer.
Sadly, politics and culture are almost certainly the main reasons polio still survives in these countries.
Living in the Heavenly Palace
What is will be like to live in China’s first orbiting space station.
Five myths about China’s space effort
Five myths about China’s space effort. Key recommendation:
Recognize the significance of space as a field of competition. Beijing is not engaged in a space race with Washington. But China is engaged in a great power competition with the U.S. in which space is one arena. American decision makers should come to terms with this duality. In this regard, the Chinese are unlikely to be manipulated by American proposals on “codes of conduct” or meetings with the head of NASA. As long as Beijing and Washington are in competition, space will be one of the major venues.
And competition is not a bad thing. It is going to be the fuel that gets the human race into space.
American scientist trapped in China
An American scientist trapped in China.
China uses “America the Beautiful” as background music for animation of Tiangong 1 launch
Catch this quick before they take it down: China used “America the Beautiful” as its background music for an animation shown during Tiangong 1’s launch yesterday.
Tiangong 1 reaches orbit
Tiangong 1 has successfully reached orbit.