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!
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Major Sum Ting Wong is in charge.
Sum Tiangong
Elon Musk can send one of his ‘Uber’ Spacecraft to pick them up. No worries. :)
Space debris sounds like an ever-increasing risk.
“Heavenly Palace”
That may not turn out to be a good name...
There’s also rocks up there travelling at 50,000+ mph............
Chinese Takeout..............
Chinese Debris ?
Where is David Bowie when you need him...
Trump needs to do a 3 way call like he did with those coal miners in Chile. Find out who really wants to help out the Chicoms.
Prayers up for the crews.
I wonder if even sand-sized particles are a risk.
Maybe it was the handbag of tools that our first all-woman spacewalk team lost during their repair mission?
-PJ
Agreed. And don't forget that China is the worst space debris polluter.
Sounds more like 6x Chinese astronauts are stranded, if the Nov 5 turnover was not complete when the return capsule wasa struck by debris.
Most, but not all, debris in space in near-earth orbit altitudes is debris from broken up Russian (Soviet Union) reactor cores and solidified liquid coolant from Soviet Union radar spy satellites. Many more pieces are from Chinese and Soviet Union anti-satellite test missiles, test impacts, and test explosions.
Yes, the kinetic energy is enormous..............
😁😂🤣😂😎........................
On a serious note, national pride should be set aside and if astronauts from any nation are stranded, any other nation with a vehicle on the ready should be made available.
Of course “generous” compensation should follow (agreed upon beforehand).
There should be a MOA between all nations with manned space programs: China, Russia, US.
One wonders if it was debris from the satellite China deliberately blew up as part of its anti-satellite testing a while back?
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