LIVE: Shenzhou 7 Mission Updates

[Satori]

From Xinhua,

Shenzhou VII spaceship airlock module, spacesuit pass initial ground tests.

Space mission equipment passes test.

[Zero-G]

8900 - 20/2/2008  1:30 PM
Shenzhou-7 to get new airlock module
...

Very interesting! Thanks for mentioning and translating that article!
Are there any pictures (photos/drawings/artists conceptions) of that new module or the EVA, that might give any idea how this module looks and if it is much different from the orbital module used on Shenzhou 5 and 6?

[Satori]

According to space specialist Sven Grahn, the CZ-2F Chang Zheng-2F launch vehicle that will be used to launch the Shen Zhou-7 mission is still at CALT in Beijing. The technitians are installing the guidance equipment with the big inertial platform being instaled. This are the last works to be done on the launcher before it's trip to Jiu Quan.

[fdasun]

Shenzhou Vii will also release a small inspection satellite during the flight.
As far as I know, only Apollo (capsule) did same thing in 1970s (during manned flights), Am I correct ?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
China to carry out first spacewalk in late 2008

www.chinaview.cn 2008-02-28 11:58:41

    BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- China plans to carry out its first spacewalk in second half of the year, an official of the nation's manned space program said here on Thursday.

    The Shenzhou VII spacecraft will be launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern province of Gansu late in the year and the astronauts will leave their spacecraft for the first time, the official told Xinhua.

    The spacecraft will also release a small inspection satellite, which monitors its own performance.

    Breakthroughs have been made in significant techniques related to the space walk. Research into the development of spacecraft and rockets has been going smoothly, and astronauts have undertaken extensive training, according to the official.

    China began its manned space program in 1999. It successfully sent Yang Liwei into orbit on the Shenzhou V spacecraft in 2003.

    Two years later, Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng completed a Chinese record of five-day flight on the Shenzhou VI. All returned safely.

[Satori]

Some news about Shen Zhou-7,

from Shanghai Daily Taikonauts to go for a space walk and China to launch Shenzhou VII later this year and City experts play leading role in the first Chinese space walk;

from China Daily China to carry out first spacewalk in late 2008.

[Satori]

A short video about the upcoming Shan Zhou-7 mission in Xinhua page.

[DarthVader]

This is pretty exciting. I hope they will have live coverage of (most of) the mission.

[Satori]

From Xinhua via People's Daily, Spacewalk key to building space lab, station: CPPCC member.

[Satori]

According to Sinodefence.com there are two crews training for the Shen Zhou-7 mission since July 2007. This mission will be manned by a crew of 3 men and each crew is headed by one of the crew members of the Shen Zhou-6 mission: Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng.

[Satori]

From China.org.cn Spacewalk on course for October.

[wannamoonbase]

I wish China and the crew of Shenzhou VII the very best of luck.  This is be difficult and challenging for a first attempt.

I look forward to the day when free and democratic Chinese astronauts greet US and EU astronauts in space.

[Satori]

From Xinhua, China launching center says it's getting prepared for Shenzhou VII.

[Satori]

From Xinhua, China launches new space tracking ship to serve Shenzhou VII.

[Bubbinski]

Does everyone realize that if Shenzhou 7 launches in the Oct 12-18 timeframe mentioned, there would be a record number of people in space?

STS-125 is currently scheduled for October 8th.  ISS Expedition 18/Soyuz TMA-13 is scheduled for launch on October 12th.  ISS Expedition 17 would already be on orbit.  That's 13 people right there, 7 on shuttle, 3 on the Soyuz-TMA, 3 on ISS.  Add Shenzhou 7 to the mix, if that's got a crew of 3.....16 people would be on orbit at the same time, from three countries (maybe four if Nik Halik flies).

[hesidu]

First picture of Chinese spacesuit which may be used in Shenzhou 7's space walk.

http://img.ifeng.com/res/200804/0414_363766.jpg

[cpcjr]

hesidu - 14/4/2008  11:33 AM

First picture of Chinese spacesuit which may be used in Shenzhou 7's space walk.

http://img.ifeng.com/res/200804/0414_363766.jpg

Looks like a variant of the Russian EVA suit. Not a surprize since the Shenzhou is basicaly a modified Soyuz and they use the same launch space suit.

[hesidu]

I don't know if this is the spacesuit produced by China. Report says China had import Russian spacesuit and also developing a indigenous spacesuit. The indigenous spacesuit is completed, but which spacesuit will be used in Shenzhou 7 spacewalk isn't decided. The spacesuit shows in the picture could be the Russian spacesuit.

[summit]

Space Suits For Shenzhou VII
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Suits_For_Shenzhou_999.html
The Chinese spacesuits designed for the EVA are dead ringers for the Russian Orlan suits.

by Morris Jones
Sydney, Australia (SPX) May 05, 2008

In the last months before China's first spacewalk, facts about the mission are slowly trickling out. China has been coy about releasing precise information on the spacesuit to be used or the tethering system to be used for the spacewalker. Other details, such as the number of astronauts who will be exposed to vacuum in the orbital module, are also hard to find in official statements.

But we can at least draw some inferences from television broadcasts in China's state-run media. Several of these have been clipped and posted to YouTube. Using "Shenzhou" or "China Astronaut" as search keywords will reveal them.

China Central Television (CCTV) has featured stories on the upcoming flight that show hardware being used in training. We have seen Chinese astronauts strapped into descent module simulators and rolled around on the ground, along with tests of the escape system for the launch tower. The latter looks particularly fun.

The astronauts slide downwards in expandable fabric tubes, reminiscent of food passing down an esophagus! Your correspondent has tried this system in building evacuation tests, and wonders why it isn't used more often for recreational purposes.

The Shenzhou 7 spacecraft has also been shown in news broadcasts. True to the artwork that's been previously published, the Orbital Module features no solar panels. The screened footage also showed a small amount of equipment at the front of the Orbital Module.

A smallish rectangular box sits next to two spheres. It's possible that this is the previously discussed miniature satellite that will possibly be used to photograph the spacewalk.

The spheres are presumably gas tanks, and could hold propellant for the satellite. Alternatively, they could hold nitrogen and oxygen to re-pressurize the orbital module after the spacewalk. Possibly, more gear will be added to the module before the mission actually flies.

But the crowning revelation of the video clips is the EVA training. Astronauts are shown working inside a large indoor pool, like their Russian and American counterparts. The Chinese spacesuits designed for the EVA are dead ringers for the Russian Orlan suits!

Your correspondent has noted this resemblance in previously published artwork, but this shows the real thing. The suit is Chinese-built and probably has some uniquely Chinese features, but the Russian influence on the overall Shenzhou program just looks even stronger.

Even the undersuits and headsets worn by the Chinese astronauts look like Russian ones. Years ago, it was shown that the lightweight spacesuits worn by Chinese astronauts inside the Shenzhou spacecraft are also clearly inspired by the Russian Sokol in-flight suits.

The Russian Orlan suits feature huge backpacks that open like refrigerator doors, allowing a cosmonaut to enter from the rear. The Chinese suits also seem to feature this. This suggests that there's a completely internal life-support system, with air tanks in the backpack.

So China would presumably not need a thick umbilical to keep the spacewalker supplied with oxygen and power from the Shenzhou spacecraft. In previous articles, I have noted that Chinese statements have been ambiguous on this subject. It wasn't clear if there would be a life-support umbilical for the spacewalker or a simple tether. Perhaps there will be an intermediate tether system that supplies power or communications.

The EVA training pool is contains a simplistic mockup of the Shenzhou orbital module, with its large circular hatch pointed upwards. The rest of the spacecraft doesn't appear in the mockup. Presumably, the astronaut won't need to float over to these sections, and they're probably off-limits.

There is a box positioned at the top of the orbital module that looks like a camera, and it's pointing at the space in front of the hatch. Also visible is a handrail at the side of the hatch, and what appears to be a second handrail along the side of the orbital module.

The information gleaned from watching CCTV news clips contains no major surprises, and confirms many of the earlier predictions made for the spacewalk. But many questions are still unanswered.


Related link: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Suits_For_Shenzhou_999.html


(Note by Satori) - Let's keep all the messages about the same subject in one thread. There is no need to creat a new thread when there is already one about the same subject.

[Zero-G]

summit: Where did you find these interesting pictures? Do you have a link? Maybe there are some more....

[Satori]

From Xinhua, China's 1st spacewalk mission to launch in October .

From Shanghai Daily, Third manned space mission set for October.