ChinaSpaceStation
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China is inviting international scientists to its future space station
With China's Tiangong-1 space station plummet Earthward to a fiery demise back in April, the country has looked forward to its next space outpost. The East Asian nation hopes to have it in orbit by the end of 2022, and is planning to open it up to the world: UN member states can now apply to visit the China Space Station, as it will be called, to perform experiments.
China's new liquid oxygen and kerosene-fueled rocket engine lights up for testing
Liquid oxygen and kerosene, that's what fuels China's new -- and freshly tested -- rocket engine. When fired up on Sunday, it withstood temperatures as high as 5,432 degrees Fahrenheit (3,000 degrees Celsius) for 200 seconds and powered through almost 20,000 revolutions per minute in a rotational test. "The successful tests confirm the reliability of China's LOX / kerosene engine," test commander Lai Daichu told China Daily. According to China Central Television, the engine is non-toxic, pollution-free and the first of its kind for which China holds proprietary intellectual property rights -- though similar engines have been used by other space agencies. The engine is on track to lend the upcoming Long March 5 rocket a total of 118 tons of thrust, giving it enough oomph to launch a 25-ton payload into low-earth orbit or 14-ton cargo into geostationary orbit. Its expected to haul additional portions of the country's space station and aid lunar exploration, but the first voyage isn't slated until 2014. [Image Credit: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation]
China unveils space station, launching by 2020
China's been making its mark on the world for years, but there's still one massive piece of real estate where the country's citizens haven't hung their ubiquitous red flag: space. The China Manned Space Engineering Office hopes to change that within the next decade, however, unveiling a model of its first space station on Monday. The station's current moniker is Tiangong (Chinese for "heavenly palace") but the space agency is asking the public to suggest alternatives at kongjianzhan@vip.qq.com through July 25th. At 60 tons, the complete facility is significantly smaller than the 419-ton International Space Station, so residents should probably keep the man cave tidy in case Chinese astronauts need some room to stretch out while not connecting to the PlayStation Network. We're working on our own list of names for little Tiangong here, but feel free to share your submissions after the break.
