Nov 1, 2011 | Blog, China, Education Station, Exploration, International Cooperation, Kids Space, Space Race
China has lofted an unpiloted Shenzhou 8 spaceship from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia. The plan calls for Shenzhou 8 to dock with the previously-launched Tiangong 1 platform. After approximately 17 days in space, Shenzhou or “Divine Craft” will...
Oct 31, 2011 | Blog, China, Education Station, Exploration, Kids Space, Space Race
China space officials are ready to fly their first space rendezvous and docking tests with the Tiangong 1target vehicle, a craft that was lofted on September 29. An unpiloted Shenzhou 8 spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 5:58:07 a.m. (local time) on November...
Oct 30, 2011 | Blog, China, Education Station, European Space Agency, Exploration, International Cooperation, Kids Space, Mars
A team of six Mars explorers are ready to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere and land back on terra firma. The crew will “arrive back on Earth” on November 4 and go into quarantine for four days for medical checks. The Mars500 is the first full-duration simulation of a...
Oct 10, 2011 | Blog, China, Education Station, European Space Agency, International Cooperation, Mars
Six crewmembers of a simulated mission to Mars have been isolated in a special facility near Moscow since June of last year. The crew will “arrive back on Earth” on November 4 and go into quarantine for four days for medical checks. Mars500 is the first full-duration...
Oct 7, 2011 | Blog, China, Education Station, Exploration, Kids Space, Space Race
China is set to conduct its first space rendezvous and docking mission. An unpiloted Shenzhou 8 spacecraft is being readied for launch, followed by a docking to the recently launched Tiangong 1 target vehicle. Tiangong 1—a large space module — was hurled into...
Sep 23, 2011 | Blog, China, Education Station, Exploration, Space Race
China is gearing up for this month’s launch of its Tiangong 1 spacecraft – hardware dedicated to that country’s first space rendezvous and docking mission. According to Chinese space authorities, the integrated Tiangong 1is now encapsulated atop a CZ-2F booster. The...
Aug 18, 2011 | Benefits of Space Exploration, Canadian Space Agency, China, Commercial Space, Education, European Space Agency, International Cooperation, International Space Station, Space Shuttle, NASA, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, Roscosmos, Space and Science, Space Race, Space Research, Space Tourism, Spaceports, The Moon, Why Space
The Futron Corp’s 2011 Space Competiveness Index finds the United States perched atop 10 global competitors in the field, yet slipping as the nation’s space policy undergoes a transition, especially in the realm of human space flight. The Bethesda,...
Aug 10, 2011 | Ask the Expert, Blog, China, Education Station, Exploration, International Space Station, Kids Space, Space Race
China continues to press forward in its plans to loft an experimental space laboratory – and according to one space watcher, China’s Tiangong I may fly sooner than expected. According to Gregory Kulacki, a senior analyst and China Project manager at the Union of...
Jun 30, 2011 | Blog, China, Education Station, Exploration, Kids Space, Space Race
The next step in China’s space program is launch of that country’s first space station module. The Tiangong-1module has been transported to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province. Now on site, the hardware is slated to undergo final tests before its...
Jun 9, 2011 | Blog, China, Education Station, Exploration, Kids Space, Space Race, The Moon
Chinese space officials have announced that their second lunar orbiter – Chang’e-2 – has departed the Moon and is headed for deep space. Making use of leftover propellant, the spacecraft will reportedly carry out additional exploratory tasks. According to the Xinhua...