back to article China discloses new space tech: Coloured cargo labels to replace beige ones taikonauts found fiddly

China has advanced preparations for the next crewed mission to its Tianhe space station, successfully launching a robo-truck carrying enough supplies to sustain a crew for six months. State-run organ Xinhua today reported that the 389th mission to use a Long March booster lifted off on September 19th, carrying with it the …

  1. willi0000000

    i guess

    the American "vote auditors" (you might know them as the data ninjas) will now have something else to look for besides bamboo . . . crabby substances.

    i don't like this reality, i want to return to the sane one.

    [ be still my heart ]

  2. Richard 12 Silver badge
    Boffin

    Play some video games!

    Colour-coded pickups go back almost to the dawn of gaming.

    You need to identify them in an instant.

    There are many UX lessons in gaming, get thee to a PC or console!

    1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

      Re: Play some video games!

      Maybe on the next delivery, they can replace the computer readable QR codes with human readable names for even easier identification. Colour is only really useful for gross identification, eg solid food, liquid food, drink etc. Putting actual names on the packages makes it much easier for people. Maybe keep the QR codes for stock taking purposes :-)

      1. imanidiot Silver badge

        Re: Play some video games!

        From a logistics standpoint, gross identification is basically all you need. If I understand correctly their main concern was being able to quickly grab a container from the transfer craft and move it to it's correct location in the space station. For that, coloured labels work perfectly.

        Pro-tip: If you ever have to move, label your moving boxes and furniture with colored tape or labels according to the room they have to go to in the new house and ofcourse mark the rooms accordingly. Unloading will be much much faster, everybody will know where stuff goes without needing a single overloaded coordinator and you'll have your stuff close to where you need it to go. (Bonus points for taping final locations for furniture ahead of time, so you can put it where it needs to go straight away)

    2. Potemkine! Silver badge

      Re: Play some video games!

      Using colour as a code is a bad thing in UX when around 1 man out of 12 has colour blindness.

      Colour should only be a secondary indication, there should be another primary visual sign to indicate the signification.

  3. Tromos
    Joke

    Made from crab shells

    So was the Astra rocket. That's why it took off sideways.

  4. Neil Barnes Silver badge

    "a unique ingredient extracted from crab shells"

    So... they're using prawn crackers instead of expanded polystyrene bead packing material?

    1. MiguelC Silver badge
      Coat

      Re: "a unique ingredient extracted from crab shells"

      You're saying there is a difference?

      1. Pascal Monett Silver badge

        Well, one is a bit more chewy than the other . . .

    2. Joe W Silver badge

      Re: "a unique ingredient extracted from crab shells"

      Comparing the maize-based packing material with the stuff they sell as kids' snacks I see no difference as well. They are all bland and made of mainly air and profit margin (the packaging material with a slightly lower margin, I feel).

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

        Re: "a unique ingredient extracted from crab shells"

        I always though the contents of snack packets such as crisps (chips to our US friends) was there purely to make the packet more attractive in shape.

  5. Paul Cooper

    There go my chances of being a taikonaut - I'm allergic to crustaceans!

  6. Spherical Cow Silver badge

    Carcinization

    Even luggage evolves into crab form.

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