Chinese Shenzhou craft launches on key space mission

By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent,
BBC News

The Shenzhou 8 spacecraft is lifted into orbit by a Long March 2F rocket

China has taken the next step in its quest to become a major space power with the launch of the unmanned Shenzhou 8 vehicle.

The spacecraft rode a Long March 2F rocket into orbit where it will attempt to rendezvous and dock with the Tiangong-1 lab, launched in September.

It would be the first time China has joined two space vehicles together.

The capability is required if the country is to carry through its plan to build a space station by about 2020.

The Long March carrier rocket lifted away from the Jiuquan spaceport in the Gobi Desert at 05:58, Tuesday (21:58 GMT Monday). TV cameras relayed the ascent to orbit.

 

It will be a couple of days before Shenzhou 8 is in a position to attempt the docking

 

Shenzhou separated from the rocket's upper-stage about nine minutes into the flight. Confirmation that its solar panels had been deployed was received a short while after.

It will be a couple of days before Shenzhou is in a position to attempt the docking, which will occur some 340km above the Earth.

The vehicles will be using radar and optical sensors to compute their proximity to each other and guide their final approach and contact.

The pair will then spend 12 days circling the globe together before moving apart and attempting a re-docking. Finally, Shenzhou 8 will detach and its return capsule will head back to Earth.
 
This will allow experiments carried into orbit to be recovered for analysis. The German space agency has supplied an experimental box containing fish, plants, worms, bacteria and even human cancer cells for a series of biological studies.

• Tiangong-1 was launched in September on a Long March 2F rocket
• The unmanned laboratory unit was put in a 350km-high orbit
• Shenzhou 8 will will try to rendezvous and dock with Tiangong-1
• The project will test key technologies such as life-support systems
• China aims to start building a 60-tonne space station by about 2020

Assuming the venture goes well, two manned missions (Shenzhou 9 and 10) are likely to try to make similar dockings in 2012.

 

Shenzhou 8 carries experiments developed with the German space agency

 

Chinese astronauts - yuhangyuans - are expected to live aboard the conjoined vehicles for up to two weeks. There is speculation in the Chinese media that one of these missions could also include the country's first female yuhangyuan.

The 10.5m-long Tiangong-1 module was launched on 29 September and has been operating well, according to Chinese officials.

Its orbit has been lowered slightly and the vehicle turned 180 degrees in preparation for its upcoming union with Shenzhou 8.

Beijing sees the Tiangong and Shenzhou dockings as the next phase in its step-by-step approach to acquiring the skills of human spaceflight operations.

It is a learning curve China hopes will eventually lead to the construction of a space station, starting at the end of the decade.

At about 60 tonnes in mass, this future station would be considerably smaller than the 400-tonne international platform operated by the US, Russia, Europe, Canada and Japan, but its mere presence in the sky would nonetheless represent a remarkable achievement.

 

Tiangong-1 was launched in September

Concept drawings describe a core module weighing some 20-22 tonnes, flanked by two slightly smaller laboratory vessels.

Officials say it would be supplied by freighters in exactly the same way that robotic cargo ships keep the International Space Station (ISS) today stocked with fuel, food, water, air, and spare parts.

China is investing billions of dollars in its space programme. It has a strong space science effort under way, with two orbiting satellites having already been launched to the Moon and a third mission expected to put a rover on the lunar surface.

Next week should see its first Mars orbiter - Yinghuo-1 - begin its journey to the Red Planet.

The Asian country is also deploying its own satellite-navigation system known as BeiDou-Compass.
Bigger rockets are coming, too. The Long March 5 will be capable of putting more than 20 tonnes in a low-Earth orbit. This lifting muscle, again, will be necessary for the construction of a space station.

Woah. The Pearl Waterfall, China

From: http://i.imgur.com/

Mind the gap! Wingsuit stuntman shoots through narrow slit in mountainside at 75mph

By Gareth Finighan
From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

A wingsuit pilot has taken the sport of sky diving to new heights after hurtling through a narrow slit in a mountainside.

Jeb Corliss launched himself from a helicopter at 6,000ft today, zooming through the air at 75mph towards the imposing Tianmen mountain in Hunan Province, China.

The stuntman's wingsuit, which has thin membranes between the limbs and torso, allowed the 35-year-old to glide through the air while losing altitude gradually instead of plummeting directly towards Earth.

Scroll down for video

Tight squeeze: Spectators watch as Jeb Corliss hurtles though the mountain's natural arch hundreds of feet in the air

He was able to travel for two-thirds of a mile - and through the 4,265ft mountain's natural archway - before releasing his parachute and descending gently to the ground. 

The arch measures less than 100ft across and left the daredevil with little margin for error.

Bird's eye view: A still from a camera mounted on the helmet of Jeb Corliss as he sweeps through the corridor of rock

Stunning: The stuntman keeps his nerve as he glides through the narrow alley

Up in smoke: Corliss, seen here with another flyer, made an earlier attempt to glide through the mountain but had to perform a detour after his smoke canisters malfunctioned

Corliss, who has jumped from the Eiffel Tower and flown through a waterfall in the Swiss Alps, is the first wingsuit stuntman to fly in China. He carried out a test flight from the top of the mountain earlier this week and described conditions as 'perfect'.

But his first attempt to fly through the Tianmen arch this afternoon had to be abandoned after smoke canisters attached to his ankles developed mechanical problems. Corliss was forced to abandon the attempt in mid-flight and had to make a detour to avoid slamming into the side of the cliff face.

On a high: Back on terra firma, Corliss described the flight as one of the greatest of his career

After completing the second, successful jump, which was broadcast on China's television networks, the Californian said: 'That was one of the greatest wingsuit flights of my entire life. 

'Thank you China, that was amazing. I love it, oh my God.'

Got a head for heights? World's highest 'Ferris wheel' opens... on top of a 1,480ft tower in China

By Emily Allen

From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

The world's 'highest' Ferris wheel' is set to open for business today on top of a 1,480ft tower in China - with passengers riding in see-through pods.

Built on the 450-meter-high Canton Tower, known as the Guangzhou TV Tower, the amazing wheel consists of 16 pods holding a total of 96 fearless passengers.

Each capsule is just over three meters wide, and built using a special macromolecule material which allows a 360-degree crystal clear view.

On top of the world: An elliptical track has been constructed around the edge of the tower's roof, and the 16 transparent 'crystal' pods take between 20 and 40 minutes to go round the track

Riding high: This is the world's 'highest' Ferris wheel on top of a 1,480ft tower in China - with passengers riding in see-through pods 

Unlike other Ferris wheels, it has a 15-degree incline and can resist 8-magnitude earthquakes and Beaufort scale 12 typhoons.

 

An elliptical track has been constructed around the edge of the tower's roof, and the 16 transparent 'crystal' pods take between 20 and 40 minutes to go round the track.

It's located in Guangzhou, capital of the southwestern Chinese province of Guangdong.

Sturdy: Unlike other Ferris wheels this has a 15-degree incline and can resist 8-magnitude earthquakes and Beaufort scale 12 typhoons 

Sky's the limit: Each capsule is just over three meters wide, and built using a special macromolecule material which allows a 360-degree crystal clear view

GROUND-BREAKING RIDES

1. Kingda Ka is the world's tallest rollercoaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, U.S. The top tower is 456 feet tall
2. Formula Rossa at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, is the world's fastest roller coaster with a top speed of 150mph which it can reach in 4.9 seconds.
3.Takabisha is the world's steepest rollercoaster with a drop angle of 121 degrees  in Yamanashi, Japan.
4. The Singapore Flyer is a giant Ferris wheel in Singapore at 541ft tall making it the tallest in the world
5. Superman Ride of Steel in Massachusetts, U.S. wins awards every year as the best rollercoaster in the country. It speeds over 77mph, has a 221ft drop into a tunnel and 10 seconds of weightlessness

The attraction will cost visitors 130 Yuan each. 


Although it's described as a Ferris, its passenger cars are not suspended from the rim of a wheel in the traditional fashion and the track is horizontal. 


The tower is also known by its local nickname - Xiao Man's waist - which refers to a famous Geisha who used to entertain people during the reign of the tang Dynasty. 


She was appreciated for her slim waist and the tower has a twisted and tight appearance.
In August, Las Vegas announced plans to build the world's 'tallest' Ferris wheel, which will be more than 100ft higher than the London Eye.

Caesar's Entertainment, which runs the Caesar's Palace hotel and casino, revealed its wheel will be called the 'Las Vegas High Roller' and measure 550ft.

That would pip the Singapore Flyer (541ft) to the title of world's highest wheel.
The London Eye is 443ft tall.  

Great view: Built on the 450-meter-high Canton Tower, the amazing wheel consists of 16 pods holding a total of 96 fearless passengers

Inside a fake Apple store in China (PICS)

By Hal Amen

From http://matadornetwork.com/

All photos: BirdAbroad

This ain’t no Steve Jobs joint.

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Apple has one of the tightest and most unmistakeable brands in the world. And the Apple store is kinda like the brand made corporeal. Walking into an Apple store isn’t like walking into any other store in the mall / shopping plaza. You know you’re there…and that’s the point.
I’d imagine mimicking that brand-heavy experience would be pretty tough. But someone’s given it a go in Kunming, China. And it looks like they’ve done a pretty good job.
Good enough, anyway, to at least partially convince US expat BirdAbroad that she was experiencing the real thing. This was a couple weeks ago when she came across a new “Apple Store” near her apartment in Kunming, southwestern China.
But there were small indications that this probably wasn’t a Steve Jobs joint — construction seemed a little shoddy, employees were wearing generic name tags.
Her conclusion, that this is actually a counterfeit store, has been confirmed by wired.co.uk.
No word on whether the products being sold are Apple-legit, but according to BirdAbroad the staff adamantly believe they’re working for Apple.
Best part: On leaving the store, “a ten minute walk around the corner revealed not one, but TWO more rip-off Apple stores.”




* Read the whole story and see more photos in Are you listening, Steve Jobs?

Why China's Ghost Towns Matter for Our Economy

By Derek Thompson
From: http://www.theatlantic.com/

You could say it started with a little bit of food. Too little, as it turned out. Short supply and high demand for fruits and grains created historic bursts in food prices around the world. In the Middle East, where food accounts for 40% of spending, it fed political unrest. Revolution spread to Libya, whose crude crisis led to a surge in global oil prices. Expensive gas tag-teamed with expensive copper and other commodity inflation in India and Brazil. Meanwhile, debt crises restrained growth in Europe, an earthquake set back Japan, and the U.S. recovery found more walls to hit.

It's no surprise that the global recovery is facing a new round of setbacks, as the IMF reported in a new report issued today. But after high food prices, slow growth, and heavy debt, there's another potential force emerging that could block the global recovery.

This one starts with metal. Too much, as it's turning out. China's property market is showing signs of rusting. Home buys in major cities are slowing down. Construction outside China's largest cities has infamously produced dozens of "ghost" towns that are actually more like stillborn cities, because they were designed for residents that never materialized (images and commentary via Gus Lubin at Business Insider):

More unused lots in Ordos

Forensic Asia Limited

Full Screen

Chenggong has 100,000 vacant apartments

World Bank

Chenggong has two new, empty, universities

Forensic Asia Limited

Dozens of deserted developments in Jiangsu

Forensic Asia Limited

Brand new houses outside Jiangsu

Forensic Asia Limited

Another empty development outside Jiangsu

Forensic Asia Limited

Speculator-owned condos in Qiandaohu

Forensic Asia Limited

The People's Bank of China has raised interest rates four times in the last two years and raised bank deposit requirements 11 times since January 2010, reports Caixin, a Chinese business magazine. This will slow down investment and make it more difficult for the country's emerging middle class to move out to these theoretical cities. Few analysts are anticipating a full-scale meltdown of the Chinese housing market. But even a moderate dip reverberates.

You can't keep an economic crises a national secret. As we've seen, Greece's debt problem is Europe's currency mess is the world's financial crisis. Similarly, China's housing problem is Latin America's commodity mess is the world economy's crisis. China gobbles up half of some of the world's highest selling metals. A dip in demand hurts Australia (coal, iron ore, natural gas), South Africa and Brazil (industrial metals) and Chile (copper), Alex Frangos of the Wall Street Journal writes. A slowdown in demand would send ripples in all directions. Currencies in Australia, Brazil, Chile peso would decline. Ditto industrial production out of South Korea, Taiwan and Japan.

This isn't meant to be histrionic or dire. (In the department of silver linings, a slowdown in China might ease commodity inflation. If Beijing lets its currency appreciate, it would bring trade into equilibrium in southeast Asia. And so on.) It's meant to be realistic. Seven months ago, analysts were predicting 2011 would be the Year of America. It was unthinkable that food inflation could help spark an Egyptian revolution that bled into Libya, shocking oil prices, which helped constrain growth for the first six months of the year. China's empty homes are worth watching.

Blizzard Amusement Park "World Joyland" is Real--Dreams Do Come True!

By Leah Jackson

from: http://www.g4tv.com/

Earlier in February we mentioned that a Blizzard themed amusement park called "World Joyland" may have been in the works and now, thanks to an article in The Huffington Post, we've found out that the rumors are true. The theme park, located in the Wunjin District, China was supposed to open in March, but judging from the few pictures that have been released, it looks like it will take a bit longer, but it seems to be shaping up quite nicely.

The theme park will have five areas: Island of Mystery, Terrain of Warcraft, Universe of StarCraft, World of Legend and Molesworld (that's the kid area). It might as well be called Dream Land, and I've already bought my ticket.

Joyland's website shows off all of the various worlds, but unfortunately it's only available in Chinese. There was also a Chinese news report video released, which shows off the construction of the park. From the video the theme park looks massive, and the few shots of the architecture we've seen do great justice to the concept material. It was rumored earlier that Joyland would include a video game museum and a dedicated e-Sports center.

Here's one picture of Joyland's concept art brought to life. It's a stylized Blood Elf tower from World of Warcraft.

 

Not bad, huh?
For more pictures head over to The Huffington Post article.

Shanghai's Impossibly Overloaded Bikes!

Written by domladden

From: http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/

 
Photo: Alain Delorme
China is the world’s 3^rd largest country, and with over 1.3 billion people, the most populous. For decades China remained closed off to the outside world, either struggling through the troubles of civil war or due to the secretive nature of its Communist government.
 
Photo: Alain Delorme
Since the 1970’s, though, the country has opened up and has taken its place at the international table of superpowers. Due to its huge population and natural resources, China is a manufacturing powerhouse that will soon become the biggest and most powerful economy in the world. The economic boom has seen cities become mega cities, sprawling across vast areas and decorated with some of the tallest buildings in the world.
 
Photo: Alain Delorme
However, in between these polished golden skyscrapers and beneath the looming financial might are the people who keep the cities ticking, the average citizens who provide the work – and oil the gears of the newest kid on the superpower block. Because of the population density and its associated issues, the citizens of China’s most populous city, Shanghai, have developed their own means of ensuring progress. Here is a glimpse at some of the most innovative means used.
 
Photo: Alain Delorme
In China, bikes are everywhere. Pushbikes, motorbikes, mopeds, scooters – you name it, they've got it. In cities too large and congested to get everything where it needs to go in transit vans or HGVs, bikes are the main means of transport.
 
Photo: Alain Delorme
From tires to rubbish, nothing is too heavy or too big to fit on a bike; you just need the right amount of rope.
 
Photo: Alain Delorme
China is building skyscrapers at a rate only seen before in Sim City. According to Cranestodaymagazine.com, China is the largest market for cranes in the world, but the Chinese still rely on one of the the oldest forms of modern transport to get materials from A to B.
 
Photo: Alain Delorme
There are no machines used in the stacking of bikes, proof of the people's improvisation and innovation – in the Chinese sense of making do with what you've got.
 
Photo: Alain Delorme
China swept to the top of the medal table at the Beijing Olympics in 2008; it's just a pity there wasn't an Olympic medal available in Jenga.
 
Photo: Alain Delorme
Flowers provide the perfect example of the delicate art of overloading bikes, proving that loading a bike in this way isn't completely dependent on the tightness of a rope.
 
Photo: Alain Delorme
Alain Delorme, who took these wonderful pictures, is a French photographer living and working in Paris. He studied Science and Technology in Photography at the University of Paris and has exhibited throughout Europe. His next exhibition, Totem, from which these pictures are taken, shows in Paris and Amsterdam in early 2011.
 
Photo: Alain Delorme
Please see Alain Delorme's website for further details.