Tiangong-2 - China one step closer to space station

[cirr]

China to conduct brain-computer interaction experiments on Tiangong-2

by People's Daily

September 18, 2016

Tiangong-2, China’s first space lab in a real sense, was successfully launched into space on Sept. 15. A brain-computer interaction test system, developed by Tianjin University and installed in the lab, will conduct a series of experiments in space.

Ming Dong, the leader of the research team in charge of the brain-computer test system, said that brain-computer interaction will eventually be the highest form of human-machine communication. China will conduct the first ever space brain-machine interaction experiments, ahead even of developed countries.

The brain-computer interaction test system in Tiangong-2 boasts 64 national patents. The research team has long been devoted to the research of brain-computer interactions, previously developing two idiodynamic artificial neuron robotic systems that can help with the rehabilitation of stroke patients.

The brain-computer interaction technology will also help Tiangong-2 astronauts to more easily accomplish their assigned tasks.

For instance, Ming explained that brain-computer interaction can transfer the astronauts’ thoughts into operations, while at the same time monitoring their neurological function.

http://www.mb.com.ph/china-to-conduct-brain-computer-interaction-experiments-on-tiangong-2/

Details in Chinese: http://news.sciencenet.cn/htmlnews/2016/9/356487.shtm

 

[GS Zhou]

Pictures of the ground support team to the Tiangong-2 mission. Feel extremely happy to see sooo many young faces!! They are the most valuable wealth of our space sector!!

 

[ahojunk]

Pictures of the ground support team to the Tiangong-2 mission. Feel extremely happy to see sooo many young faces!! They are the most valuable wealth of our space sector!!

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What? Not even a single person with white hair!

 

[AndrewJin]

Pictures of the ground support team to the Tiangong-2 mission. Feel extremely happy to see sooo many young faces!! They are the most valuable wealth of our space sector!!

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@中景安徽：When Yang Liwei was sent to the universe, the space ship's control centre was full of white-hair old men. Now, the control centre for the Tiangong2 Space Lab looks like some university's lab.
@高铁见闻： Same with Chinese High Speed Rail. When we communicate with foreigners, all foreigners are a bunch of "senior" experts. We are all 30 year old, those who are 40 year old are the chief engineers.

 

[TaiShang]

Apparatuses on Tiangong-2 put into operation
Xinhua, September 22, 2016

Scientific apparatus carried by Tiangong-2 went operational at around 6:41 p.m. Beijing time, on Thursday after being on standby mode for nearly seven days since the space lab entered its preset orbit on Sept. 15.

"Most of the scientific payload will be put into operation in the next 30 hours," said Guo Lili, director of the payload control center at the National Space Science Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Nearly 100 ground operators, including staff from the control center, payload developers and subscribers to related applications, are coordinating in the operation.

The payload includes POLAR, a collaboration between Swiss, Polish and Chinese institutions to study gamma ray bursts, and a cold atomic space clock, which scientists say only loses one second in about 30 million years.

 

[Brainsucker]

I have a question. How many part that Tiangong 2 will have? It is a single part station (thus no further attachment to the station) or there will be more Tian Gong 2 part that will be launch?

 

[GS Zhou]

I have a question. How many part that Tiangong 2 will have? It is a single part station (thus no further attachment to the station) or there will be more Tian Gong 2 part that will be launch?

We will launch Shenzhou 11 in November. Shenzhou 11, with two taikonauts, will dock with Tiangong-2 after the launch. The two taikonauts will live and work inside the Shenzhou 11/Tiangong 2 module for 30 days.

In early next year, we will launch Tianzhou 1, an unmanned transportation craft. Tianzhou 1 will dock with Tiangong-2 and make fuel-injection on the orbit.

 

[TaiShang]

Tiangong-2 space lab enters preset orbit for docking
Xinhua, September 26, 2016

Chinese scientists on Sunday maneuvered the country's Tiangong-2 space lab to a preset orbit 393 kilometers above Earth's surface, in preparation for a planned docking with the Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft set to launch next month.

Tiangong-2, which blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the back of a Long March-2F T2 rocket on Sept. 15, has already gone through about nine days of on-orbit testing before Sunday's maneuver, according to Li Jian, deputy head of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center.

"All test results suggest the space lab is in good condition," Li said.

Earlier reports said China's future space station, which the country plans to put into service around 2022, will also be orbiting the Earth at approximately the same height - 393 kilometers above ground.

The Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft is expected to carry two astronauts into space to dock with the Tiangong-2 in October. The astronauts will work in the lab for 30 days before returning to Earth.

Li said the docking will be the country's first-ever simulation of future space station docking technologies, which will see the manned spacecraft "catching up with the space station using its own space maneuvering capacities."

In April 2017, China's first space cargo ship Tianzhou-1, which literally means heavenly vessel, will also be sent into orbit to dock with the space lab, providing it with fuel and other supplies.

 

[TaiShang]

Accompanying satellite launched from Tiangong-2

Source: Xinhua | 2016-10-23 17:18:41 |

The graphics shows an accompanying satellite designed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences which was launched from space lab Tiangong-2 at 7:31 a.m. on Oct. 23, 2016. (Xinhua/Qu Zhendong)

BEIJING, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- An accompanying satellite was launched from space lab Tiangong-2 at 7:31 a.m. on Sunday, said Chinese scientists.

The satellite, which weighs 47 kilograms and is the size of a printer, was launched into space aboard Tiangong-2 on Sept. 15, said the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The micro satellite is able to conduct efficient orbit control, process tasks autonomously and transmit data at high speeds, with stronger capabilities compared with the accompanying satellite of the Shenzhou-7 spacecraft, it said.

At the end of October, the satellite will orbit close to Tiangong-2 and Shenzhou-11 and take photos with the high-resolution camera installed on it.

The accompanying satellite will also carry out space experiments with Tiangong-2 to expand the use of space.

The Shenzhou-11 spacecraft carried two astronauts into space on Oct. 17 from northwest China's Gobi Desert. It docked with Tiangong-2 two days later.

The graphics shows an accompanying satellite designed by the Chinese Academy of Scientists which was launched from space lab Tiangong-2 at 7:31 a.m. on Oct. 23, 2016. (Xinhua/Qu Zhendong)

 

[TaiShang]

Accompanying satellite sends back images of Tiangong II, Shenzhou XI
By Guo Kai (Chinadaily.com.cn) 10:33, October 25, 2016




The image sent back by an accompanying satellite shows Tiangong II (top) and Shenzhou XI (bottom) in space on Oct 23, 2016. [Photo/IC]

An accompanying satellite launched from space lab Tiangong II on Sunday at 7:31 am has sent back images of the space lab and spacecraft Shenzhou XI.

The satellite, which weighs 47 kilograms and is the size of a printer, was launched into space aboard Tiangong II on Sept 15, said the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Lyu Congmin, a scientist with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that this image was taken by the satellite at a distance of some 29 meters from Tiangong II and Shenzhou XI.

The accompanying satellite flies beneath Tiangong II and Shenzhou XI in space, with white clouds on Earth visible in the background, Oct 23, 2016. [Photo/IC]

 

[PaklovesTurkiye]

Good luck to China...

 

[ahojunk]

Children send birthday wishes to astronaut Jing Haipeng in space
2016-10-25 08:41 | Xinhua | Editor: Mo Hong'e

The picture shows a birthday card for taikonaut Jing Haipeng for his 50th birthday. It consists
of children's painting works. Oct. 24, 2016 is Jing Haipeng's 50th birthday. (Photo/Xinhua)
​

Children from across the world have extended birthday wishes to taikonaut Jing Haipeng, who is currently orbiting the earth in lab Tiangong-2.

"Happy birthday Uncle Jing Haipeng, 'Tashi delek'," said a Tibetan primary school girl using the Tibetan greeting for good luck and best wishes. She also said that it was her dream to become an astronaut.

Jing, commander of the Shenzhou-11 mission, turned 50 on Monday.

Xinhua has collected over 10,000 birthday wishes for Jing from children from all over the world, including messages, pictures and videos sent from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as countries including the United States and Sweden.

"I feel lucky to be this close to an astronaut," said a pupil in Beijing. "I'm more than willing to send my birthday wishes to Uncle Jing."

A student from Hangzhou school for the deaf sent her birthday message by sign language. Two days ago, she asked the astronauts in the space lab whether they had seen aliens.

"I haven't seen aliens, yet, but I do harbor a hope that I will see aliens, and many other peculiar things aside," Chen Dong, Jing's teammate in the mission, replied in his Space Journal.

Xinhua has sent some of the children's messages, pictures and videos to Jing.

 

[TaiShang]

"Happy birthday Uncle Jing Haipeng, 'Tashi delek'," said a Tibetan primary school girl using the Tibetan greeting for good luck and best wishes. She also said that it was her dream to become an astronaut.

Jing, commander of the Shenzhou-11 mission, turned 50 on Monday.

Xinhua has collected over 10,000 birthday wishes for Jing from children from all over the world, including messages, pictures and videos sent from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan...

China's space mission is really becoming an effective tool for inspiring new generation towards science and technology.

Soviet-US competition invigorated their space ambitions.

China's exclusion from the ISS has provided a huge boost for indigenous development.

 

[ahojunk]

Space lab launches 'Selfie Stick'
2016-10-24 08:40 | China Daily | Editor: Xu Shanshan

The Tiangong II space laboratory released its companion satellite, Banxing-2, at 7:31 am on Sunday.

Weighing 47 kilograms and roughly the size of a desktop printer, the microsatellite has a series of visible light cameras, including a 25 megapixel camera and wide-angle imagers. Its mission is to take photographs of Tiangong II and the Shenzhou XI spacecraft, which docked with the lab on Wednesday.

The satellite, which China Central TV has nicknamed "Selfie Stick", also has an infrared camera that is temperature-sensitive, said Chen Hongyu, chief engineer of the satellite program and a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Micro-satellite Innovation Institute.

"Like a private nurse for Tiangong II and Shenzhou XI, the companion satellite monitors their conditions all the time, which is helpful in detecting failures," he said.

With three solar panels, the satellite can also generate enough power to adjust its orbit to shoot pictures of the lab and spacecraft.

Its predecessor, Banxing-1, accomplished the same mission for Shenzhou VII in 2008. The new model is smaller and has a higher capacity.

Microsatellites weigh 500 to 100 kilograms and are usually cheaper, faster and more advanced than traditional satellites. The commercial potential has attracted much attention from businesses.

"If a company can combine microsatellites with internet services, it could produce and launch personalized satellites at a very low price," said Wang Huiquan, deputy director of Zhejiang University's Microsatellite Research Center.

On Friday, the United States government unveiled a project aimed at boosting the commercial space industry by pushing for NASA to invest $30 million in microsatellites to allow smaller companies to engage in the industry.

 

[TaiShang]

Astronauts send best wishes from Tiangong-2 to Zhuhai air show
(Xinhua) 08:30, November 02, 2016



Photo taken on Nov. 1, 2016 shows a screen broadcasting Chinese astronaut Chen Dong sends his best wishes from the space lab Tiangong-2 to the on-going 11th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province. The exhibition runs from Tuesday to Sunday in Zhuhai. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)

Photo taken on Nov. 1, 2016 shows a screen broadcasting Chinese astronaut Jing Haipeng sends his best wishes from the space lab Tiangong-2 to the on-going11th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province. The exhibition runs fromTuesday to Sunday in Zhuhai. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)