Apr 25
Tiangong Space Station
seen from United States
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seen from North Macedonia
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seen from United States
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Tiangong Space Station
Tiangong space station, photographed from the Shenzhou spacecraft (2023)
Hello spacecraft community I have foods (@raptorliver gave me idea for the first one)
Of the 22 robots that took part in the marathon, Tiangong was the first to cross the finish line, completing the course in 2:40:42.
Few of these bots were built to run but that’s the point.
The marathon is designed to push limits: gait, endurance, and real-world autonomy.
Historic moment: The first humanoid robot to cross the finish line of a half marathon - TienKung (Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center)
In the last week the network was filled with reports about "Chinese astronauts stuck in space" - so we came to put you in order
The three astronauts of the Shenzhou-21 mission are indeed on the Tiangong space station with no spacecraft available to take them back right now - but the reality is a little less dramatic than the headlines.
It all started when the Shenzhou-20 team's return capsule was damaged by space debris and was defined as unsafe. Instead of waiting for an alternative deployment, an unusual decision was made.
Crew 20 used Crew 21's new spacecraft - and returned safely with it after 204 days in space.
What does this mean about the Shenzhou-21 team?
They stayed at the station without a tool to take them back, right - but they are only at the beginning of a six-month-long mission anyway.
In the event of a real emergency, China would likely use the damaged capsule or send an emergency spacecraft, as is accepted in the protocols.
According to publications, the launch of Shenzhou-22 (which will provide them with a spacecraft for return) may go off at the end of November - but it is not yet officially confirmed.
And in the meantime?
The crew continues scientific work at the station, and the damaged Shenzhou-20 capsule is expected to disconnect and crash controlledly in the Pacific Ocean.
So yes - right now there is no spacecraft that will bring the astronauts home.
But they aren't abandoned, and really aren't in immediate danger.
This incident is mainly a reminder of how much space debris damage can change an entire mission - even on the largest and most advanced stations.
SpaceIL
The International Space Station (ISS) will be retired in 2030 after more than 32 years of continuous service. Naturally, there are questions
The International Space Station (ISS) will be retired in 2030 after more than 32 years of continuous service. Naturally, there are questions regarding what will replace this station, which has served as a bastion for vital research and inter-agency cooperation in space. In the past, China has indicated that their Tiangong ("heavenly palace") space station will be a successor and rival to the ISS, offering astronauts from other nations an alternative platform to conduct research in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). As part of this plan, China recently announced plans to double the size of Tiangong in the coming years. This announcement was shared last Wednesday, October 4th, during the 74th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2023) in Baku, Azerbaijan. According to the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), three new modules will be added to Tiangong, which currently consists of the Tianhe Core Cabin Module (CMM) and two Laboratory Cabin Modules (LCM)—Wenhian ("Quest for the Heavens") and Mengtian ("Dreaming of the Heavens"). This expansion will be accompanied by extending the station's operational lifetime. According to the statement made by CAST, Tiangong will be in service for more than 15 years, 10 more years than previously announced. This means that China intends to keep Tiangong operational until 2037 or later, several years after the ISS is decommissioned and deorbited. As of the penning of this article, the station has been fully operational since late 2022 (a total of 894 days) and has been occupied for the past 764 days. The station has hosted 15 taikonauts (a maximum of three at a time) at orbital altitudes of 340 to 450 km (210 and 280 mi).
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space stations™
Tiangong from Aerois (High Rollers)