back to article China launches first module of new, crewed, Tiangong-3 space station

China has placed the first module of a crewed space station in orbit. Launched atop a Long March 5B rocket at around 03:30 AM UTC on Thursday, the “Tianhe” module is 16.6 meters long, 4.2 meters in diameter at its largest point, and weighed 22.5 tonnes on Earth. It is the largest spacecraft developed by China. Tianhe includes …

  1. Chris G

    Congrats to China

    Anything like this can only spur further efforts to invest in research in space, regardless of politics.

    1. Potemkine! Silver badge

      Re: Congrats to China

      Choosing to build its own space station instead of joining the international effort to put humans in space is a political choice, neither a scientific nor a technical one.

      1. DJO Silver badge

        Re: Congrats to China

        The ISS doesn't have long left, it's likely to be decommissioned within 10 years, probably less so no real point in China getting involved with it now.

        The possible replacement, Lunar Gateway is running into political problems so investing in that could be problematical for the middle kingdom.

        When the ISS is decommissioned it's possible that for a few years, China will be the only country with a permanent presence in orbit.

        1. sanmigueelbeer

          Re: Congrats to China

          China will be the only country with a permanent presence in orbit

          Don't count your eggs just yet -- It is still unclear if the space station can/will remain in orbit for that long.

        2. Ken G Silver badge
          Alien

          Re: Congrats to China

          Possible but unlikely, the Indian Space Research Organisation should have their ISS in service well before then (yes, it's called that, at the moment and no the "I" doesn't stand for International).

        3. rcxb Silver badge

          Re: Congrats to China

          The ISS doesn't have long left, it's likely to be decommissioned within 10 years

          Perhaps China can get a good price on it... They certainly don't mind making copies. I know they won't take our used electronics any more, but maybe they can make an exception.

          Maybe the next ISS will be made by Foxcomm.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Congrats to China

        China is banned from the ISS by US sanctions. They couldn't join even if they wanted to.

        1. sanmigueelbeer

          Re: Congrats to China

          China is banned from the ISS by US sanctions. They couldn't join even if they wanted to.

          True, however, it does not stop China from "acquiring" blueprints on how to build one.

      3. Bartholomew

        Re: Congrats to China

        Space stations have a limited lifespan. Living in a sealed metal can, is a lot like trying to live inside a Petri dish, eventually no matter what is done the environment becomes so toxic, that it is cheaper to just replace it. Nothing lasts forever.

        1. rcxb Silver badge

          Re: Congrats to China

          the environment becomes so toxic, that it is cheaper to just replace it

          As with cheap flats, you just need to open the windows to air it out for a bit.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Congrats to China

            Search for "bacteria in a vacuum", it will kill some, but not everything (you would just be filtering out the weak, and leaving the scary stuff with lots of free raw materials and room to expand).

            Photolysis (especially exposure to UV-C) will destroy most surface bacteria if exposure is for long enough but it will also damage the surface of anything from organic origins ( paper, plastic, rubber, ... ) and it will only penetrate as deep as the light can shine.

            UV-C is from 280nm to 100nm, so in theory it could break any bonds with bond energies from about 427 to 1200 kJ/mol.

            But the reality is that for typical quartz mercury UV-C lamps there are two main peaks in the UV-C range.

            It has a one peak from 200nm (600kJ/mol) to 160nm (750kJ/mol) with a maximum near 183 nm (655 kJ/mol) and a larger second peak from 260 nm (462kJ/mol) to 230nm (521kJ/mol) peaking near 252 nm (476kJ/mol).

            So any molecular bonds near that bond energy can be broken

            e.g.

            C=C 602 kJ/mol ( ~199 nm )

            C=N 615 kJ/mol ( ~195 nm )

            O=O 494 kJ/mol (~242 nm )

            So vacuum just removes the weak. UV-C will break mostly molecules with double Carbon bonds at the molecular level but only on the surface. And Ozone would damage surface bacteria as well.

            But eventually dead human skin cells (dust) go everywhere the sun don't shine, and stick to surfaces in inaccessible places, that is the growth medium for the bacteria to expand.

            Imagine driving the same car for 15+ years, how about 30+ years, or 45+ years, maybe 60+ years. Everything has a bathtub curve ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathtub_curve ) and in space you never want it to be a wear-out failure. Even if you could replace every part of a space station, except for the body eventually something will fail.

            1. rcxb Silver badge

              Re: Congrats to China

              I'd recommend irradiation with strong alpha or beta emitters (instead of UV light) while the humans are elsewhere. Last I checked, Deinococcus is not harmful to people.

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: Congrats to China

                That is fantastic, but there will always be inaccessible places places where this stuff survives, no matter how well the structure is designed to be cleaned.

      4. Anonymous Coward
        Facepalm

        Re: Congrats to China

        They asked to join the ISS and the US vetoed it due to a 2011 law that banned NASA from working bilaterally with anyone from the Chinese space program.

        Also they have offered to take US astronauts and US science experiments. This has also been vetoed.

  2. RegGuy1 Silver badge
    Coat

    Uighurs?

    Maybe they will use it to send those pesky Uighurs who currently live in the way of the belt part of the Belt and Road Initiative (the Road bit is in the sea!).

    Ok, ok, I'll get my coat.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Uighurs?

      People don't like to be remined that it's 2021 and most of the world is ignoring ongoing genocide. Cheep gadgets are used as blinders to most of their consumers.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Uighurs?

        What about the appalling treatment of the american indians that has gone on for more than 200 years, we just don't talk about that, how about eskimos? what about black people? they imported them , themselves just so they could persecute them. how about going to other countries and killing vast amounts of people just because they don't agree with you? ( this list is too long)

        Pot, kettle meet frying pan!

        1. Montreal Sean

          Re: Uighurs?

          Pedant mode on.

          They aren't American Indians, they are Native Americans.

          And there are no Eskimos anymore, they are Inuit.

          Pedant mode off.

        2. Mark Exclamation

          Re: Uighurs?

          Idiot.

        3. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Uighurs?

          "What about " People as a society learn and improve (or we like to think so)

          So you are saying that since crimes happened in the past, that its OK to keep doing it???? You sir need help that I cant' give you.

  3. yclin

    travel between space stations

    I'm not a space buff, i'm just wondering if it technically possible to travel between different space stations in orbit. This could allow collaboration or safety backup.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: travel between space stations

      It's possible, but it's very easy to grossly underestimate the vast distances between them. Whilst I did enjoy the film "Gravity" it makes it look like it's only a short space walk between them, when in fact...they ain't.

      1. Robert Sneddon

        Re: travel between space stations

        The ISS (51.6 degrees, ca. 410km altitude) and the Tianhe module (41.0 degrees, 370km altitude) are in orbits at different inclinations with significant and always-changing velocities (speed and direction) to each other. It would take a significant fuel burn and time to move from one station to another.

        IIRC the Chinese station uses the same sort of docking ports as the Russian and American manned capsules use so the ISS and the future complete Tiangong station are theoretically capable of accepting each other's vehicles and, possibly in the future, crews.

    2. joma0711

      Re: travel between space stations

      Soyuz t15 crew ferried equipment from Salyut 7 to Mir, I think this is the only time it’s been done so far.

  4. Neil Barnes Silver badge
    Boffin

    ...and weighed 22.5 tonnes on Earth

    Bravo, well observed!

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    From "the fully assembled space station will be around a fifth the size of the International Space Station."

    All I can think of after reading that is the videos of many people in china cities living small apartments with fencing (like a kennel) around their bed. And all those shows with tiny furniture that makes children look big.

    I kind of imagine 4 people living in 3 connected 55 gallon barrels. Yes I did read its bigger than that.

    I wish the astronauts well, they are Earthicans (Futurama). Is "earthlings" children? or are we going dark and we are all Terrans? (startrek evil universe)

    1. rcxb Silver badge

      Is "earthlings" children?

      Only if dumplings are small dumps.

      Earthlets is a more proper name for children.

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
        Coat

        Does that mean that small dumplings are dumplinglets and not Dim Sum or Wonton?

    2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

      "or are we going dark and we are all Terrans? "

      Having been into SF for many, many years, and avidly reading even all the "golden age" stuff from before I was born, Terrans is a commonly used word for humans from Earth. This Johnny come lately Star Trek series using Terrans as a "bad thing" just doesn't add up or even impinge on my many memories of Terrans simply being a generic term.

      1. A. Coatsworth Silver badge
        Alien

        I first saw the term Terran in StarCraft, not Star Trek so it is OK in my book. Besides it has a nice ring to it, that other words like "earthling" just don't have. I can imagine a future where earthling becomes a slur for the sons of Terra!

  6. sanmigueelbeer
    Mushroom

    Incoming!!!

    Huge rocket looks set for uncontrolled reentry following Chinese space station launch

    However this core stage is now also in orbit and is likely to make an uncontrolled reentry over the next days or week as growing interaction with the atmosphere drags it to Earth. If so, it will be one of the largest instances of uncontrolled reentry of a spacecraft and could potentially land on an inhabited area.

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