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Shenzhou-11 Space Mission News

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What is it like living in space?
Come with China's first female astronaut Liu Yang for a glimpse into what life might be like for the two taikonauts aboard the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft.
The duo will be spending just over a month in space after leaving Earth Monday.
Liu was aboard the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft launhced in 2012.
 
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Accompanying satellite launched from Tiangong-2
Xinhua | Updated: 2016-10-23 17:55

BEIJING - An accompanying satellite was launched from space lab Tiangong II at 7:31 am on Sunday, said Chinese scientists.

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.

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 VII spacecraft, it said.

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

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

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

The accompanying satellite aboard Tiangong-II space lab
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The accompanying satellite with Tiangong-II and Shenzhou-11.
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The accompanying satellite has sent back pictures on Tiangong-2 & Shenzhou-11 !!

Picture on Tiangong-2 & Shenzhou-11, taken by the accompanying satellite. (Distance in between: 29m)
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Picture on the accompanying satellite, taken by the Taikonaut from Tiangong-2 space lab
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Photo shows high-definition image of Tiangong-2 and Shenzhou-11 sent back by an accompanying satellite. [Photo: Chinese Academy of Sciences]


Photo shows high-definition image of Tiangong-2 and Shenzhou-11 sent back by an accompanying satellite. [Photo: Chinese Academy of Sciences]
 
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Article Updated: 25 Oct , 2016by Nancy Atkinson

Here’s a great new view of China’s Tiangong II space station, taken by a new ‘selfie’ satellite. The Banxing-2 satellite is about the size of a desktop printer and was released from the station on Sunday. It has been nicknamed the “Selfie Stick” by Chinese officials and is taking pictures of the station and the docked Shenzhou XI spacecraft. The Chinese astronauts who boarded the station last week aren’t just joining the selfie craze; the 25 megapixel camera with wide-angle and infrared imagers has a specific job.

“The companion satellite monitors the conditions of Tiangong II and Shenzhou XI all the time, which is helpful in detecting failures,” said Chen Hongyu, chief engineer of the satellite program and a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Micro-satellite Innovation Institute.


The Banxing-2 microsatellite. Credit: China Daily.

The microsatellite as three solar panels, so can 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 Chinese Academy of Sciences says the new model is smaller and has a higher capacity.


Now well into their 30-day mission, astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong boarded China’s second version of its “Heavenly Palace” last week. They launched Monday, October 17 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert on a Long March 2F rocket and Shenzhou-11 completed a fully automated approach and docking to Tiangong-2 on Tuesday.


During their mission, the two crew members will perform experiments from 14 different areas including biology, space life science and technological demonstrations. They have set up plant cultivation and growing experiments and have six silkworms on board for a student-based study to see how silkworms produce silk in microgravity. The crew is also doing medical testing on themselves using Tiangong II’s on board ultrasound equipment to scan their cardiovascular and pulmonary systems. They’ll also be checking for bone and muscle degradation and track any changes to their eyesight. NASA and ESA has discovered that the majority of astronauts doing long-duration space flights on the International Space Station have suffered various kinds of vision problems while in space, or upon their return.

This 30-day medium duration mission is China’s longest space mission to date, and the main task of the Tiangong crew is to help prepare for longer future missions on a larger, modular space station that, according to reports, China hopes to launch by 2018.

Further reading: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Spaceflight 101.
 
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Experimental silkworms on Tiangong-2 begin spinning cocoons
By Sun Wenyu (People's Daily Online) October 27, 2016


The six silkworms brought into space for experiments on China's Tiangong-2 space lab have begun spinning cocoons. Selected from 4,000 silkworms, the six chosen candidates entered space on Oct. 17 via the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft.


The six silkworms brought into space for experiments on China's Tiangong-2 space lab have begun spinning cocoons. Selected from 4,000 silkworms, the six chosen candidates entered space on Oct. 17 via the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft.


The six silkworms brought into space for experiments on China's Tiangong-2 space lab have begun spinning cocoons. Selected from 4,000 silkworms, the six chosen candidates entered space on Oct. 17 via the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft.

FOREIGN201610271328000502909101432.jpg

The six silkworms brought into space for experiments on China's Tiangong-2 space lab have begun spinning cocoons. Selected from 4,000 silkworms, the six chosen candidates entered space on Oct. 17 via the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft.

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21st Century Space Silk Road :D
 
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Experimental silkworms on Tiangong-2 begin spinning cocoons
By Sun Wenyu (People's Daily Online) October 27, 2016


The six silkworms brought into space for experiments on China's Tiangong-2 space lab have begun spinning cocoons. Selected from 4,000 silkworms, the six chosen candidates entered space on Oct. 17 via the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft.


The six silkworms brought into space for experiments on China's Tiangong-2 space lab have begun spinning cocoons. Selected from 4,000 silkworms, the six chosen candidates entered space on Oct. 17 via the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft.


The six silkworms brought into space for experiments on China's Tiangong-2 space lab have begun spinning cocoons. Selected from 4,000 silkworms, the six chosen candidates entered space on Oct. 17 via the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft.

FOREIGN201610271328000502909101432.jpg

The six silkworms brought into space for experiments on China's Tiangong-2 space lab have begun spinning cocoons. Selected from 4,000 silkworms, the six chosen candidates entered space on Oct. 17 via the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft.

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21st Century Space Silk Road :D

蜀绣,苏绣。。。。now 天(太)绣。:enjoy:
 
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The two taikonauts, Jin Haipeng and Chen Dong, are expected to return back to ground by Friday (Nov. 18)

中新网11月17日电 两位中国航天员景海鹏、陈冬已经在太空工作近一个月,他们在天宫二号空间实验室任务已近尾声。今日,他们将开始进行撤离天宫二号的准备工作,并将返回神舟十一号飞船,之后将返回地面。

  【新老搭档“飞天”一月全回顾】
  天宫二号空间实验室9月15日发射升空,神舟十一号则在10月17日成功升空,将景海鹏、陈冬两名航天员送入太空。
  10月19日,神舟十一号与天宫二号对接环接触,在顺利完成一系列技术动作后,两个飞行器形成组合体。航天员成功进入天宫二号。
  10月20日,航天员开展太空养蚕实验,完成首次太空跑台训练以及在轨眼手协调、听力等身体机能的测试。同日,天宫神舟组合体由倒飞状态转为正飞。
  10月21日,两名航天员进行在轨脑力负荷、在轨情绪特征研究等实验和测试。
  10月22日,航天员通过笔记本电脑收发邮件、实时下传实验数据。
  10月24日,景海鹏50岁生日,接受了工作人员来自地球的祝福。当日,天宫神舟组合体首张合影图像传回到地面。
  11月9日,中共中央总书记、国家主席、中央军委主席习近平来到中国载人航天工程指挥中心,同景海鹏、陈冬通话。
  11月17日,景海鹏和陈冬将开始进行撤离天宫二号的准备工作,并进入神舟飞船,之后将返回地面。
 
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Shenzhou-11 separates from Tiangong-2 as astronauts prepare for reentry
ANDREW JONES
2016/11/17
Shenzhou-11 separating from the Tiangong-2 space lab at 12:41 Beijing time on October 17, 2016. (Photo: CASC)
TAGS:
The Shenzhou-11 spacecraft separated from Tiangong-2 on Thursday after astronauts completed their work aboard the space lab in preparation for their return to Earth.

The separation occured at 04:21 universal time (12:41 Beijing time) on Thursday, after Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong recovered experimental data and set up conditions for leaving Tiangong.

The Shenzhou-11 return capsule will take the astronauts back into the Earth's atmosphere and to the Siziwang Banner grassland landing zone in Inner Mongola shortly after 05:33 UTC on Friday.

Jing and Chen will return to Earth with memory cards containing large data sets, vegetables grown in space, silkworm cocoons, astronaut urine and saliva samples, as well as sampled microorganisms for analysis.

Before the separation, the astronauts extended their thanks and respect to their ground team and to everyone who had supported China's space program, Xinhua reported.

Jing Haipeng, now 50, and Chen Dong, 37, have spent over 30 days in space, more than doubling China's human spaceflight mission duration record.

China's president Xi Jinping congratulated the astronauts on their work in a live phone call to the Tiangong-2 space lab last week.

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Above: Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong await a call from President Xi Jinping (CCTV).

The pair were sent into orbit on a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on October 17.

The astronauts entered Tiangong-2 on October 19 after an automatic rendezvous and docking between the space lab and their Shenzhou-11 spacecraft.

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Above: The Banxing-2 'selfie stcik' microsatellite images Shenzhou-11 (above) and Tiangong-2 docked in orbit on October 23, 2016 (Chinese Academy of Sciences).

Reluctance and happiness
Speaking to Xinhua on Wednesday, Chen said of his first space mission that he feels a bit reluctant to depart but also happy and thrilled.

"I feel reluctant because soon we will be leaving Tiangong-2, where we have lived and worked for 30 days. It is like our home in space so I still have a sense of reluctance and attachment.

"I feel happy and thrilled because we are getting back to our "big family" soon, back to our Earth, and back to our motherland," Chen said.

Chen Xin, vice director of Astronaut Centre of China, explained that once back in Beijing, the astronauts will be aided in their recovery and re-adapting to Earth's gravity.

"We will make a full evaluation on the astronauts based on their physical and mental state," Chen said.

Tiangong-2 to continue vital work
While Tiangong-2 has been vacated and unlikely to be visited again by astronauts, it will next year be part of another mission crucial for China’s space station plans.

In order to refuel and supply the future Chinese Space Station, China has developed a Tianzhou cargo vessel, similar in purpose to Russia's Progress, America's Dragon and Cynus spacecraft, and the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle.

Tianzhou-1 will be launched in April on a Long March 7 from Wenchang, before docking with Tiangong-2 and testing refuelling techniques required in order for the future CSS to maintain its orbit.

Sam Cristoforetti

✔@AstroSamantha



#ICYMI Successfull launch of China's #Tiangong2. Congrats! For background: http://gbtimes.com/china/backgrounder-chinas-tiangong-2-space-lab … https://twitter.com/cctvnews/status/776431321522446336 …

2:38 AM - 19 Sep 2016

Backgrounder: China's Tiangong-2 space lab
China’s Tiangong-2 is an orbital space lab that will host astronauts and represents a crucial stepping stone to a permanently crewed space station.

gbtimes.com





Tianzhou-1 will also carry its own science payloads, including a cell bioreactor for differentiation of mammal stem cells in microgravity, a two-phase fluid instrument for spacecraft fluid management, and an electrostatic levitation accelerometer.

Tiangong-2, which could remain in orbit for five years or more, will also continue a range of science missions. These include a thale cress experiment to study seed-to-seed growth in microgravity, and the international POLAR gamma-ray burst detector.


China's Manned Spacecraft Detaches from Tiangong-2 Space Lab


Chinese Astronauts in Tiangong-2 Prepare for Return to Earth
 
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