Posted on 11/06/2025 11:00:13 AM PST by Red Badger
Looks like china is getting its own Apollo 13 mission...
The Daily Mail has the details:
Three astronauts already in space for six months are now stranded in orbit after their craft may have been damaged by dangerous debris floating around Earth.
China's Manned Spaceflight Agency (CMSA) has revealed that crew from its Shenzhou 20 mission will need to stay on board the Chinese station Tiangong.
The team of astronauts scheduled to relieve the first group had already taken off and were on their way to swap out with them, but the astronauts aboard the space station discovered a potentially serious problem.
Astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie have been on Tiangong, which means Heavenly Palace, since April, completing science experiments, carrying out space walks, and living in zero gravity.
At some point before the trio officially handed over the station to the Shenzhou 21 crew on November 5, the capsule the astronauts were supposed to use to return to Earth was struck by an unknown object in Earth orbit.
The collision left a noticeable mark on the space vehicle's hull, leading the team to fear Shenzhou 20 may have also sustained internal damage that could endanger their flight home.
The crews will have to conduct an extensive inspection to determine whether the craft can be safely operated for a return trip home.
Though it's not known what exactly it was that struck the spacecraft, it could be any of the estimated 19,000 pieces of "space debris" or the 11,000-plus other still-operational satellites in orbit around the earth, which travel at average speeds of 17,000mph.
If Supreme Leader Xi needs some help getting his boys home, I know a guy!
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
That’ll buff right out.....................
Temu spaceships suck.
Musk can only help if they can deliver a Dragon compatible space suit for each of those to be rescued. That is what delayed the rescue after the Boeing botch at the ISS.
Carma hit their dogma!
It was probably something that fell off their own rocket.
Agreed—and all nations should agree to have universal docking equipment in their designs.
Common sense is apparently uncommon.
One more opportunity for The Art Of The Deal.
The Chicoms have been building artificial islands to expand their tyranny. How about they blow up a few of those islands and SpaceX lends a hand (either rescue the crew or send them more food. Heck, we could sneak into the food supplies a few In ‘N Out burgers).
On the flip side, human beings are just cattle to the Chicoms, so if a few don’t make it, oh well.
Yes!..............
Animated time elapse:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LL1MBpTN4w
Different orbits, and likely different docking mechanisms.
One doesn’t just launch a rocket and scoot over to pick them up. I am sure China has a spare that they can send up to bring back a couple of them. That tube in space must be getting pretty small with six folks in there.
Yes.
Maybe Yeelong Maos’q can help.
BRAVE AI:
China’s Tiangong space station features docking ports designed with international compatibility in mind, particularly aligning with the International Docking System Standard (IDSS).
The docking ports on the Tianhe core module are mechanically identical to the IDSS, which is used by spacecraft such as SpaceX’s Crew Dragon and Boeing’s Starliner.
This standardization allows for potential future docking with international crewed vehicles, including those from Europe, and supports flexibility for rescue operations or commercial resupply missions.
The station’s docking system is also compatible with the APAS-95 interface, which is used on the International Space Station (ISS), although direct docking between Tiangong and the ISS remains unlikely due to political and technical barriers.
While the station’s design incorporates elements from previous Russian space station modules, its current docking ports are intended to support a broader range of spacecraft, reflecting China’s aim for international cooperation.
The station is also planned to be expanded with a new multifunctional module featuring six docking ports, which will further enhance its capacity for international and commercial spacecraft.
So there’s a standard docking hatch design now ? I hope so for their sakes.
I’m surprised space junk hasn’t been a big issue with ISS.
“The collision left a noticeable mark on the space vehicle’s hull”
Not to worry, it will buff out.
BRAVE AI:
China’s Tiangong space station features docking ports designed with international compatibility in mind, particularly aligning with the International Docking System Standard (IDSS).
The docking ports on the Tianhe core module are mechanically identical to the IDSS, which is used by spacecraft such as SpaceX’s Crew Dragon and Boeing’s Starliner.
This standardization allows for potential future docking with international crewed vehicles, including those from Europe, and supports flexibility for rescue operations or commercial resupply missions.
The station’s docking system is also compatible with the APAS-95 interface, which is used on the International Space Station (ISS), although direct docking between Tiangong and the ISS remains unlikely due to political and technical barriers.
While the station’s design incorporates elements from previous Russian space station modules, its current docking ports are intended to support a broader range of spacecraft, reflecting China’s aim for international cooperation.
The station is also planned to be expanded with a new multifunctional module featuring six docking ports, which will further enhance its capacity for international and commercial spacecraft.
Good point!
How to choose?
Real simple. Take all three designs and have an independent test and eval on which is best.
Go with that one.
Not like anyone is dependent on anyone else by standardizing the dock.
Hyping damage to the Chinese spacecraft to make it look as bad as Apollo 13 it wasn’t.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.