![]() The first section of Tiangong to arrive was a core module known as Tianhe (‘harmony of the heavens’). “They’re saying, yes, build your hardware, make it brand new, do something that has never been done before, and send it up to us.”Įven though most projects approved so far are led by Chinese researchers, many have international collaborators, says Zhang Shuang-Nan, an astrophysicist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Institute of High Energy Physics in Beijing, who advises the CMSA. The space station offers brand new facilities, and China is encouraging experiments not attempted in space before, says Tricia Larose, a medical researcher at the University of Oslo, who is leading a project planned for 2026. These hosted more than 100 experiments, circling Earth for a number of years, but are no longer in orbit. Simonetta Di Pippo, director of UNOOSA in Vienna, says these involve 23 institutions in 17 nations.Ĭhina previously launched two small space labs - Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2. In June 2019, the CMSA and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), which promotes collaboration in space, selected nine experiments - in addition to the 1,000 that China has tentatively approved - to go up once the space station is complete. It has housed more than 3,000 experiments since then, but China is barred from it because of US rules that prohibit NASA from using funds for collaboration with China.Īlthough most experiments slated for Tiangong will involve Chinese researchers, China says that its space station will be open to collaboration from all countries, including the United States. The ISS was launched in 1998, as a partnership between space agencies from the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada (see ‘Variations on a theme’). “We need more space stations, because one space station is definitely not enough,” adds Agnieszka Pollo, an astrophysicist at the National Centre for Nuclear Research in Warsaw who is part of a team sending an experiment to study γ-ray bursts. “Increased scientific access to space is of scientific benefit globally, no matter who builds and operates platforms,” says Julie Robinson, chief scientist for human exploration and operations at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC. However, others argue that crewed space stations are costly, and serve more of a political than a scientific purpose. Scientists in China told Nature that the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) has tentatively approved more than 1,000 experiments, several of which have already been launched.īefore April, the International Space Station (ISS) was the only space laboratory in orbit, and many researchers say Tiangong (or ‘heavenly palace’) is a welcome addition for astronomical and Earth observation, and for studying how microgravity and cosmic radiation affect phenomena such as bacterial growth and fluid mixing.Ĭhina has landed its first rover on Mars - here’s what happens next But although the space station probably won’t be complete until late 2022, there is already a long queue of experiments from across the world waiting to go up. Credit: Jin Liwang/Xinhua/eyevineĬhina launched the core of its space station in April, and sent three astronauts up in June. Friday’s fly over happens a little earlier.Chinese astronaut Nie Haisheng works inside the Tianhe module. Make sure you’re outside at the right time…set your alarm! Tuesday night’s space station fly over comes late in the evening. The ISS shows up on a predictable schedule, so it won’t be late (or early). ![]() If you’re wondering what you’ll be looking for, the ISS appears as a moving light in the sky. ![]() On Friday, the peak height will be 82° above the horizon. The ISS will arrive in the southwestern sky and be visible for nearly 7 minutes. The ISS will show up in the NW sky, reaching 82° above the horizon, and could be visible for nearly 7 minutes.Īnother opportunity comes Friday, July 15, at 9:53 pm. You can mark your calendar for Wednesday morning, July 13, at 5:10 am, As long as there aren’t too many clouds, this will be an excellent sighting. ![]() If you miss the Tuesday night sighting, there are other great opportunities coming soon. Many times, the opportunities to spot the ISS are much shorter.Īlso making tonight’s viewing forecast a good one is that we’ll see the ISS show up in the southwestern sky and rise to its highest position of 60° from the horizon. One of the reasons why this space station fly over is notable includes the fact that it will be visible for a little more than 6 minutes. (WANE) – Even though clouds will increase overnight into Wednesday, we won’t see that increase by the time the International Space Station (ISS) flies over northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio on this Tuesday night (July 12) at 10:41 pm. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |