Author Topic: Tiangong - Chinese Space Station (Read 245710 times)

Galactic Penguin SST · « **Reply #280 on:** 05/01/2021 04:09 am »

Quote from: Lars-J on 05/01/2021 02:38 am

Quote from: newfrontiers on 04/30/2021 09:23 pm
Xuntian space telescope

Is there any information about how this free-flying telescope will attach to the station for servicing? Does it have a docking adapter, or will it be grabbed by the station arm? (I presume the latter)

I believe it has both and even a small compartment at the back that can be pressurized for instrument replacement/servicing. See the Twitter thread bellow for good introduction to it:

https://twitter.com/dr_guangtou/status/1384547293089644545

Galactic Penguin SST · « **Reply #281 on:** 05/01/2021 04:10 am »

Quote from: mlindner on 05/01/2021 02:56 am

So questioning ESA astronauts going to the Chinese station is against the rules now?

Somehow I feel that this is unlikely to happen on both sides given their relationship lately and that the co-operation on HSF has yet to happen unlike the case of the Russians.

Galactic Penguin SST · « **Reply #282 on:** 05/01/2021 04:48 am »

Every single major operations in the construction of the CSS through to late 2022:

(from Chinese social media - I'm not sure of its original source but it looks legit)

zubenelgenubi · « **Reply #283 on:** 05/01/2021 02:17 pm »

Quote from: Galactic Penguin SST on 05/01/2021 04:09 am

Quote from: Lars-J on 05/01/2021 02:38 am
Quote from: newfrontiers on 04/30/2021 09:23 pm
Xuntian space telescope

Is there any information about how this free-flying telescope will attach to the station for servicing? Does it have a docking adapter, or will it be grabbed by the station arm? (I presume the latter)

I believe it has both and even a small compartment at the back that can be pressurized for instrument replacement/servicing.

The general scheme reminds me of astronaut-tended Marshall Space Flight Center / Apollo Applications era proposals. (Precursors to the Hubble Space Telescope, activities that a space station could support.)

Blackstar · « **Reply #284 on:** 05/02/2021 04:25 pm »

Quote from: Galactic Penguin SST on 05/01/2021 04:09 am

I believe it has both and even a small compartment at the back that can be pressurized for instrument replacement/servicing. See the Twitter thread bellow for good introduction to it:

I'm curious to see if that is what they actually do. If you think about it, that could create some major design headaches, because if the instruments are contained in a pressurizable compartment, then they have to be isolated from the vacuum. If an astronaut pulls out an instrument, it cannot open up a hole that allows the air to escape. It might make more sense to do all of that servicing unpressurized.

Pressurized servicing was considered in some NASA telescope designs in the late 1960s, but that was abandoned.

SciNews · « **Reply #285 on:** 05/03/2021 08:08 am »

International scientific experiments onboard the China Space Station

starbase · « **Reply #286 on:** 05/03/2021 04:50 pm »

Quote from: Galactic Penguin SST on 05/01/2021 04:48 am

Every single major operations in the construction of the CSS through to late 2022:

(from Chinese social media - I'm not sure of its original source but it looks legit)

Great resource! I wonder though if Tianzhou 2 and 3 docked operations overlap how Shenzhou 13 can dock to an axial port, since both are occupied. Does it mean nadir port maybe instead (as this is the other one for Shenzhou docking operations)? Edit: nadir port confirmed by graphics and videos

Based on this infographic and NET dates published on Twitter I constructed this guesstimated current timeline of upcoming CSS operations:

May 29 at ~12:55 UTC - launch of Tianzhou 2 on CZ-7
May 30 at ~19:30 UTC - docking of Tianzhou 2 with aft port of Tianhe
June 17 - launch of Shenzhou 12 on CZ-2F/G
June 18 (NET) - docking of Shenzhou 12 with forward port of Tianhe
August (NET) - undocking of Tianzhou 2 from aft port of Tianhe for rendezvous testing
September (NET) - undocking from forward port & landing of Shenzhou 12
September (NET) - docking of Tianzhou 2 with forward port of Tianhe for propellant transfer testing
September (NET) - launch of Tianzhou 3 on CZ-7
September (NET) - docking of Tianzhou 3 with aft port of Tianhe
October (NET) - launch of Shenzhou 13 on CZ-2F/G
October (NET) - docking of Shenzhou 13 with nadir port of Tianhe
October (NET) - robotic arm relocation testing of Tianzhou 2 (to side port?)
October (NET) - undocking of Tianzhou 2 from forward (side?) port of Tianhe for EOM & reentry
March (NET) - undocking from nadir port & landing of Shenzhou 13
March (NET) - undocking of Tianzhou 3 from aft port & docking at forward port of Tianhe
March/April (NET) - launch of Tianzhou 4 on CZ-7
March/April (NET) - docking of Tianzhou 4 with aft port of Tianhe
May (NET) - launch of Shenzhou 14 on CZ-2F/G
May (NET) - docking of Shenzhou 14 with nadir port of Tianhe
May (NET) - undocking of Tianzhou 3 from forward port of Tianhe for EOM & reentry
May/June (NET) - launch of Wentian on CZ-5B
May/June (NET) - docking of Wentian at forward port of Tianhe

After this it gets a bit murky as Tianzhou 5 operations seem to overlap with Tianzhou 4 but there is no free docking port? But maybe TZ-4 will undock before TZ-5 arrives as it was scheduled (according to Twitter) to fly only in Oct. 2022?

July? (NET) - undocking of Tianzhou 4 from aft port of Tianhe for EOM & reentry
July? (NET) - launch of Tianzhou 5 on CZ-7
July? (NET) - docking of Tianzhou 5 with aft port of Tianhe
July? (NET) - robotic relocation of Wentian from forward to starboard on Tianhe
August/September (NET) - Mengtian launch on CZ-5B
August/September (NET) - docking of Mengtian at forward port of Tianhe
September? (NET) - robotic relocation of Mengtian from forward to port on Tianhe
November (NET) - launch of Shenzhou 15 on CZ-2F/G
November (NET) - docking of Shenzhou 15 with forward port of Tianhe
November (NET) - undocking from nadir port & landing of Shenzhou 14
December? (NET) - undocking of Tianzhou 5 from aft port of Tianhe for EOM & reentry

Corrections & input welcome!

Edit May 18
Edit May 19
Edit May 20
Edit May 21
Edit May 28

shijiav · « **Reply #287 on:** 05/03/2021 07:19 pm »

Quote from: Lars-J on 05/01/2021 02:38 am

Quote from: newfrontiers on 04/30/2021 09:23 pm
Xuntian space telescope

Is there any information about how this free-flying telescope will attach to the station for servicing? Does it have a docking adapter, or will it be grabbed by the station arm? (I presume the latter)

Former

SMS · « **Reply #288 on:** 05/04/2021 07:11 am »

https://twitter.com/yangyuguang1/status/1388678435849981956

Quote

1:100 model of China's space station!

Galactic Penguin SST · « **Reply #289 on:** 05/04/2021 07:28 am »

Quote from: starbase on 05/03/2021 04:50 pm

Quote from: Galactic Penguin SST on 05/01/2021 04:48 am
Every single major operations in the construction of the CSS through to late 2022:

(from Chinese social media - I'm not sure of its original source but it looks legit)

Great resource! I wonder though if Tianzhou 2 and 3 docked operations overlap how Shenzhou 13 can dock to an axial port, since both are occupied. Does it mean nadir port maybe instead (as this is the other one for Shenzhou docking operations)?

Based on this infographic and NET dates published on Twitter I constructed this guesstimated current timeline of upcoming CSS operations:

May 20 - launch of Tianzhou 2 on CZ-7
May 22 (NET) - docking of Tianzhou 2 with aft port of Tianhe
June 10 - launch of Shenzhou 12 on CZ-2F/G
June 11 (NET) - docking of Shenzhou 12 with forward port of Tianhe
August (NET) - undocking of Tianzhou 2 from aft port of Tianhe for rendezvous testing
September (NET) - undocking from forward port & landing of Shenzhou 12
September (NET) - docking of Tianzhou 2 with forward port of Tianhe for propellant transfer testing
September (NET) - launch of Tianzhou 3 on CZ-7
September (NET) - docking of Tianzhou 3 with aft port of Tianhe
October (NET) - launch of Shenzhou 13 on CZ-2F/G
October (NET) - docking of Shenzhou 13 with axial (nadir?) port of Tianhe
October (NET) - robotic arm relocation testing of Tianzhou 2 (to side port?)
October (NET) - undocking of Tianzhou 2 from forward (side?) port of Tianhe for EOM & reentry
March (NET) - undocking from axial port & landing of Shenzhou 13
March (NET) - undocking of Tianzhou 3 from aft port & docking at forward port of Tianhe
March/April (NET) - launch of Tianzhou 4 on CZ-7
March/April (NET) - docking of Tianzhou 4 with aft port of Tianhe
May (NET) - launch of Shenzhou 14 on CZ-2F/G
May (NET) - docking of Shenzhou 14 with axial (nadir?) port of Tianhe
May (NET) - undocking of Tianzhou 3 from forward port of Tianhe for EOM & reentry
May/June (NET) - launch of Wentian on CZ-5B
May/June (NET) - docking of Wentian at forward port of Tianhe

After this it gets a bit murky as Tianzhou 5 operations seem to overlap with Tianzhou 4 but there is no free docking port? But maybe TZ-4 will undock before TZ-5 arrives as it was scheduled (according to Twitter) to fly only in Oct. 2022?

July? (NET) - undocking of Tianzhou 4 from aft port of Tianhe for EOM & reentry
July? (NET) - launch of Tianzhou 5 on CZ-7
July? (NET) - docking of Tianzhou 5 with aft port of Tianhe
July? (NET) - robotic relocation of Wentian from forward to port on Tianhe
August/September (NET) - Mengtian launch on CZ-5B
August/September (NET) - docking of Mengtian at forward port of Tianhe
September? (NET) - robotic relocation of Mentian from forward to starboard on Tianhe
November (NET) - launch of Shenzhou 15 on CZ-2F/G
November (NET) - docking of Shenzhou 15 with forward port of Tianhe
November (NET) - undocking from axial (nadir?) port & landing of Shenzhou 14
December? (NET) - undocking of Tianzhou 5 from aft port of Tianhe for EOM & reentry

Corrections & input welcome!

BTW the source of my diagram has been found - it's in the launch mission booklet for the Core Module launch by CASC.

lucspace · « **Reply #290 on:** 05/10/2021 09:14 am »

Graphic representation from spaceflightfans.cn: http://www.spaceflightfans.cn/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/img-1619620155408431362542ac542206ecdfcab9a792163-768x3019.jpg

lucspace · « **Reply #291 on:** 05/12/2021 08:17 pm »

In the last few days, I came across a Chinese-source presentation detailing international contributions to the China Space Station, but I cannot find it again. Does anyone have an idea which document this could be?

eeergo · « **Reply #292 on:** 05/13/2021 10:38 am »

Quote from: lucspace on 05/12/2021 08:17 pm

In the last few days, I came across a Chinese-source presentation detailing international contributions to the China Space Station, but I cannot find it again. Does anyone have an idea which document this could be?

Might it be this one: https://www.unoosa.org/documents/doc/psa/hsti/CSS_1stAO/CSS_1stAO_Handbook_2018.pdf ?