China Looks to Launch Tiangong-1 Space Station By End of 2010

Chinese officials have said that they plan to launch their Tiangong-1 space station by the end of next year or in 2011, according to a report on CCTV.

Qi Faren, Shenzhou-5 designer, said, “Quality is the key to technology. We must guarantee a successful launch. We will launch it whenever we are ready. It will be the end of 2010, or the beginning of 2011.”

Tiangong-1 will be an 8- ton orbital module. Artists concepts show it to be somewhat similar to the early Soviet Salyut space stations. Crews of the Shenzhou 8, Shenzhou 9 and Shenzhou 10 spacecraft will conduct experiments aboard it during a 2-year period. The Shenzhou are based on Soviet-era Soyuz vehicles, which are still in use today.

The Chinese plan to fly several Tiangong stations, each with enhancements. Eventually, Tiangong will be modified to serve as a core module for a much larger facility, as was done with the Soviet Mir facility and the International Space Station.

Read the full story.

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2009/12/30/china-launch-tiangong1-space-station-2010/

CNET | U.S. and China agree to explore space cooperation

November 17, 2009 2:36 PM PST
JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, Houston--The United States and China have agreed to discuss expanded cooperation in space science and to start a "dialogue" on human space flight and exploration, according to a joint statement released in Beijing on Tuesday. The U.S.-China Joint Statement said both nations looked forward to reciprocal visits by the NASA administrator and appropriate Chinese space leaders in 2010.........

RMN.com | CAN ANYONE IDENTIFY THIS? WORMHOLE, HOLLOW EARTH PERHAPS? Video

I watched this video over and over and I don't know what to make of it. I wasn't going to post but then I thought at least it is worthy of some discussion. Is it from a movie? Is it computer graphics? Is it some sort of space craft just sitting there watching this? The anomaly to the left is blurry but it does look like someone sitting there looking out the window. At first I thought that thing jutting out by the window was a part of the craft, but now I think it's a reflection of someone sitting there. Is this a wormhole? Why doesn't the craft seem to move? You be the judge.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpvcafY1ZDY

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RELATED:

Looks to me like the opening on the north pole, which is an entrance to hollow earth. It is also a no fly zone. Another video captured by a Japanese weather satellite shows an opening at the north pole (watch upper right hand corner for a dark circle).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6SU_RpHF2o&feature=player_embedded

more info can be found at http://www.hollowplanet.blogspot.com/

Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti) | Japan set to launch space freighter to ISS on Sept. 10

MOSCOW, September 7 (RIA Novosti) - Japan will launch its first domestic cargo spaceship to the International Space Station ISS on September 10, a Russian space official said on Monday.

The spacecraft was built by Japan's space agency JAXA, and will lift off on board the country's new H-2B rocket. It will deliver about 4.5 metric tons of scientific equipment to the orbital station.

"The launch of the Japanese H-2B carrier rocket with the HTV-1 unmanned cargo spacecraft is scheduled for September 10, 2009 [at 17.01 GMT] from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan," an official from Russia's Mission Control said, adding that the freighter is expected to dock with the ISS on September 17.

The spacecraft is a solar-powered cylinder about 10 meters long and 4.4 meters wide. It can haul up to 6 tons of cargo, but will be loaded with less cargo on its maiden flight.

JAXA and NASA officials earlier said the Japanese freighters "will be vital to support the space station's six-person crew once NASA's space shuttle fleet retires in the next year or so."

Russian and European unmanned freighters and the U.S. space shuttles have so far performed the task of bringing vital supplies and equipment to the orbital station.

Unlike the fully-automated cargo ships built by Russia and Europe, which can dock at the station with the use of the Kurs laser-guided docking system, designed and built by Russia's Energia corporation, the HTV-1 will be pulled to the ISS by a robotic arm operated by the ISS crew.

JAXA said it has spent about $680 million since 1997 to develop the HTV spacecraft.

The $220-million vehicle is expected to be "buried" in southern Pacific after spending a month docked with the ISS.

Examiner.com | Renegotiating the Outer Space Treaty