Posts: 43754 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 05-08-2020 09:14 AM
The descent module of a test version of China's next-generation crewed spacecraft returned to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 1:49 a.m. EDT (1:49 p.m. Beijing Time) on Friday (May 8), according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
After it re-entered the atmosphere and reached the designated altitude, the two deceleration parachutes and three main parachutes on the return capsule opened, slowing the flight speed of the spacecraft to the driving speed of an urban vehicle. Before touching down, its six airbags were deployed and inflated to help it land softly, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
China launched the trial version of the new spaceship without a crew by the Long March-5B carrier rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China's island province of Hainan on Tuesday.
The experimental spaceship flew in orbit for two days and 19 hours, during which it carried out a series of space science and technology experiments, including space 3D printing, said CMSA.
It also tested key technologies including the heat shielding and control during its re-entry into the atmosphere, as well as multi-parachute recovery and partial reuse, CMSA said.
The new-generation manned spaceship is an advanced space transport vehicle adapted to multiple tasks. It can be used not only in low-Earth orbit missions to support the construction of China's space station but also for deep-space exploration, such as manned lunar exploration, CMSA said.
Additional details about the still-to-be-named spacecraft:
the spacecraft is nearly 30 feet (9 meters) tall and about 15 feet (4.5 meters) at its widest point;
the new spacecraft comprises a descent module, which is the command center and the living place for astronauts, and a service module, which provides power and energy;
the descent module is designed to be reusable. Star sensors, computers and other high-value equipment have been moved from the service module to the descent module so that they can be recycled after returning to Earth;
it is able to support a six to seven-astronaut crew or be converted to act as a cargo resupply ship;
dom Member
Posts: 873 From: Registered: Aug 2001
posted 05-08-2020 10:12 AM
Is this the final design or a scaled down concept model? Also, why isn't the burnt 'nose cap' ejected when the parachute deploys like similar capsule designs?
OV-105 Member
Posts: 823 From: Ridgecrest, CA Registered: Sep 2000
posted 05-09-2020 11:30 AM
Looks like they copied Crew Dragon for shape and Starliner for landing bags. I think the parachutes were in the big opening on the side.
Delta7 Member
Posts: 1538 From: Bluffton IN USA Registered: Oct 2007
posted 05-09-2020 06:13 PM
quote:Originally posted by OV-105: Looks like they copied Crew Dragon for shape and Starliner for landing bags.
What a shocker.
oly Member
Posts: 1021 From: Perth, Western Australia Registered: Apr 2015
posted 05-09-2020 09:14 PM
quote:Originally posted by OV-105: Looks like they copied Crew Dragon for shape and Starliner for landing bags.
Neither SpaceX nor Boeing were the first to use a blunt body re-entry vehicle design (the concept originated with missile designs to survive re-entry and was further developed for project Mercury).
And Boeing was not the first to come up with the idea of landing bags.
dom Member
Posts: 873 From: Registered: Aug 2001
posted 05-10-2020 12:42 AM
Some good views in this official Chinese news clip. To me it appears an odd mix of familiar capsule designs...
posted 05-08-2020 09:14 AM
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