Universe Today - October 31, 2001
A note from Fraser... Speculating on the Chinese Manned Space Program
I want to let you in on an inside joke. That way, whenever I make references to it in the future, we'll all have a good laugh. Whenever it's a slow news day, keep your eyes peeled for speculation about the state of the Chinese manned space program. In theory, the Chinese are nearly ready to send humans into space - they've already tested the capsule they plan to use twice, and their rocket technology is solid.
The Chinese Space Agency is extremely tight-lipped about releasing any details about their program. Unlike NASA, who schedules shuttle missions years in advance, the Chinese will often announce rocket launches after they happen - a wise move I think; it manages expectations. What's hilarious though is the media speculation.
Now, I've published my share of speculative stories about when the Chinese would launch people into space, but I don't bother any more. I'm tired of being wrong. I'll leave the speculation to other people. So, next time you see a news story that the Chinese are going to send a human mission into space "real soon now", take it with a grain of salt. The best source I've seen for the state of the Chinese manned space program is a site called Go Taikonauts!
Fraser Cain, Publisher - Universe Today
 UofQ |
Scramjet Test Unsuccessful
Australian engineers have had a chance to analyze the data from yesterday's test flight of the HyShot scramjet engine, and the news isn't good. From what they can tell, the rocket carrying the experimental engine flew off course, so they never got a chance to test it. Had the experiment been successful, the engine would have kicked in, accelerated to Mach 7.6, and then crashed into the ground. Further tests have been delayed until the cause of the misfire is uncovered.
Other Coverage:
BBC News -
CNN Space -
MSNBC
Similar Stories: Amateur Rocketry Related Sites: University Departments Related Books: Space Exploration |
 NASA |
Soyuz Undocks, Lands Safely
The Soyuz spacecraft carrying a Russian-ESA crew landed safely in Central Asia early this morning, after visiting the International Space Station. The main objective of the 10-day mission was to deliver a replacement Soyuz lifeboat to the station. While they were visiting, the crew also took the opportunity to perform some scientific experiments in space. French astronaut Claudie Haignere became the first European woman to visit the space station.
Original Source:
ESA News Release
Other Coverage: BBC News - CNN Space - Cosmiverse - MSNBC Similar Stories: International Space Station Related Sites: NASA Related Books: NASA |
 Gemini |
Black Hole Defies Astronomical Theory
New data gathered by the Gemini North Telescope reveals that a nearby giant elliptical galaxy, M87, lacks a torus of material around its central black hole (either that, or it's extremely faint). Based on the power of the Gemini telescope and the size of the black hole at the heart of M87, it should have been easy to detect. Rings of material have been seen at the heart of similar galaxies... so where is it hiding?
Original Source:
Gemini News Release
Other Coverage: Cosmiverse - SPACE.com - SpaceRef Similar Stories: Astronomy Related Sites: Astronomy Related Books: Astronomy |
 N. A. Strukov |
New Insights Into Tunguska Mystery
Nearly a century ago, something exploded over a remote Siberian forest with the force of 10 million tonnes of TNT; it flattened trees for thousands of square kilometres, but no impact crater was ever discovered. After analysis of 60,000 trees and interviews with eye-witnesses, a team of Italian astronomers now think they know what this "something" was: a low-density collection of rubble that exploded when it hit the Earth's atmosphere at 11 km/second. |