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  [Discuss] Shenzhou 13 crew to space station

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Author Topic:   [Discuss] Shenzhou 13 crew to space station
Robert Pearlman
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posted 10-15-2021 09:36 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Please use this thread for comments and questions about Shenzhou 13, China's second crewed mission to its space station.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 10-15-2021 09:38 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Live launch coverage
A Long March 2F rocket will launch the Shenzhou 13 spacecraft carrying astronauts Zhai Zhigang (commander), Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu to the Tianhe core module of China's new space station on Oct. 15, 2021 at 12:23 p.m. EDT (0023 Oct. 16 Beijing time).

Broadcast feed from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert courtesy China Central Television (CCTV).

Robert Pearlman
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posted 10-16-2021 12:37 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
CCTV footage (via Space.com)
China's Shenzhou 13 crew Zhai Zhigang , Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu docked to the Tianhe core module of China's new Tiangong space station on October 16, 2021.

dom
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posted 10-16-2021 01:09 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for dom   Click Here to Email dom     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I really don’t understand why this mission is not getting more coverage in the media? Whatever your opinion of the powers that be in Beijing, this new space station is a more important story than (novelty) trips by billionaires/celebrities above the atmosphere.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 10-16-2021 02:04 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It seems as though China does not want the attention. China Manned Space waited until the day before the launch to confirm the crew and has provided only the most basic information about the Shenzhou 13 mission.

For example, CMSA did not announce in advance when the docking with the space station would occur, only that Shenzhou 13 would follow "a fast rendezvous."

It is difficult to cover something when the information is not forthcoming.

lucspace
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From: Hilversum, The Netherlands
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posted 10-16-2021 02:26 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for lucspace   Click Here to Email lucspace     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
There was incredibly extensive and live coverage of the launch and all its aspects on CGTN starting three hours before lift-off until an hour after...

Robert Pearlman
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posted 10-16-2021 02:43 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Live coverage, yes, but I would disagree it was extensive.

Like most of their launch broadcasts, it revolved around three commentators, none of them particularly informed about the mission, bantering about the few details that had been shared in the pre-launch press conference the day before.

dom
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posted 10-16-2021 06:43 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for dom   Click Here to Email dom     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I just find it worrying that the media now seem so used to being spoon fed by NASA/SpaceX/Blue Origin press releases that they seem unable to investigate space stories that are difficult to research. The fact that there is so little coming from the Chinese should make it more of a challenge — not an excuse to ignore it.

Once again, I think this mission is more important than the recent flight of William Shatner but it barely got a mention in the western press.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 10-16-2021 08:44 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
When China doesn't bother to update its own websites dedicated to its own missions (in either Chinese or English) and provides only the most basic of details to its state-controlled media outlets, there is little journalists can do to get more information. It is not for a lack of trying, though.

Maybe the situation will change when Roscosmos cosmonauts or European Space Agency (ESA) astronauts visit the space station in the years to come.

dom
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posted 10-16-2021 09:05 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for dom   Click Here to Email dom     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I respectfully disagree. To me this smacks of a press focussed on what’s important to the social media news cycle rather than taking the time to investigate what’s really important in the grand scheme of things.

The Chinese are well on the way to landing people on the Moon and Mars before the billionaires so beloved by the western press...

Robert Pearlman
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posted 10-16-2021 09:38 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
If and when China lands humans on the moon (and/or Mars), there will no shortage of international coverage leading up to and through that happening.

For now, just as NASA, ESA, JAXA, CSA and Roscosmos have to provide info and media opportunities to create press about the International Space Station, so does China if it expects or wants coverage of its activities in orbit.

SkyMan1958
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posted 10-16-2021 10:00 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for SkyMan1958   Click Here to Email SkyMan1958     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I support what Robert says. Let's not forget a very basic aspect of the entire Chinese space program. It is run by the military. You have some professional paranoids that don't want to show any weakness, incapability etc. to the world.

Just look at the "press conference" hosted on CGTN a day or two ago. Did you notice that the main conference speaker was reading his responses to questions? Let's follow through what this means. The questions had to be submitted in advance, so there would be nothing off script. Take a look at who "asked" the first question. It was a military media source. Various of the other "questioners" were military media sources.

While undoubtedly Shenzhou 13 will entail some real science, it is unquestionably a propaganda endeavor too, and the people who create the propaganda allow out into public view, barring true disaster, only what they want, and what they want is to show China's "greatness" in space.

I would love to see more Chinese info about Shenzhou 13 and what they are doing, but if it turns out to be anything like Shenzhou 12 it will be relatively minimal bits of information and pictures.

With regards to China's space development, while China certainly is a great space faring nation, let's not forget, that is a very short list; three countries have launched humans to space. On the other hand, I'd take the probe/robotic capabilities of ESA or Japan any day over the Chinese capabilities.

I personally respect the Russian space intellectual capabilities more than the Chinese, but obviously Russia doesn't have the space budget to compete with the Chinese. Let's face it the Chinese space station is an upgraded Mir, and their manned spacecraft is an upgraded Soyuz. Don't get me wrong, the Chinese are to be congratulated for what they are doing, but their program is still very much in the following in other's footsteps mode.

oly
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posted 10-17-2021 05:23 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for oly   Click Here to Email oly     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
What China is doing, I believe, is trying to show that they have the scientific and engineering ability to keep up with the American and Russian space programs at face value. Achieving crewed spaceflight, building a space station, landing a rover on the Moon and Mars, are all capabilities that both America and Russia spruiked as indicators of superiority, that they led the way in science and technology, and China is trying to show that it can match these.

For the past few years China has been on an IP collection drive, gathering up as much data as they can and their space infrastructure and hardware has lineage back to foreign sources. It is basic scientific and engineering practice to use existing technology where possible to and iterate rather than re-invent the wheel each time we try to build something new, but people tend not get so excited when somebody else gets the same result using the same technology.

For this reason, I disagree that China launching a space station is more newsworthy than space tourism or any other advancement is spaceflight capability. It is significant for China, who are trying to sell their brand on the world stage, but if China had flown a celebrity to space, that would make headlines and gained more attention.

Commercial operators not only have to compete against each other, they have to market their brand in a commercial arena. Using celebrity to represent is a classic branding tool which in the case of Shatner was a powerful marketing move. The next step will be those who question Shatner pledging allegiance to one side over another and the throng of people that will accuse Shatner of agreeing with all of Blue Origin's management and environmental decisions, when the guy may just have wanted to go to space.

Commercial space tourism is the next "it" thing where rich and famous people will want to be seen and the media knows that a story about someone like William Shatner going to space will sell as long as they use the Captain Kirk narrative. But also consider this, somebody sent Denny Crane to space.

dom
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posted 10-17-2021 06:36 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for dom   Click Here to Email dom     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
OK, points taken lads. I just find it sad that instead of turning astronauts into celebrities, we now have to literally turn celebrities into astronauts to get people's attention! (But I still think the Chinese space program is downplayed too much by the western media.)

Robert Pearlman
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posted 10-17-2021 05:16 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
One way the Shenzhou 13 crew differs from past Chinese crews, and which may result in some more coverage as the six month mission continues, is this the first crew (I believe) to include a member who previously trained with international space explorers.

Ye Guangfu was part of ESA’s underground training course CAVES in 2016. From NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold (via Twitter):

My fellow explorer and friend Ye Guangfu has arrived to the Tiangong Space Station for a 6 month stay. Welcome to space Guangfu!

Pictured: Arnold, Pedro Duque, Ye, Sergei Korsakov, Jessica Meir and Aki Hoshide.

Here is Ye's video log from day three of the CAVES training:

Robert Pearlman
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posted 11-08-2021 09:30 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
A rare released photo (rather than video still) from Sunday's spacewalk showing the Tianhe robotic arm. According to journalist Andrew Jones (via Twitter), this photo was taken by either Zhai Zhigang or Wang Yaping using a smart phone.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 04-15-2022 09:42 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
CCTV live video
China's Shenzhou 13 crew, Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu, are on their way back to Earth after a national record six-month-long mission in orbit aboard the Chinese space station.

All times are CT (US)

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