Tiangong – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

The ‘space economy’ isn’t just rockets and space suits – satellite data, radio and TV are all part of a broadly-defined space economy. NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP

August 16, 2023

New data reveal US space economy’s output is shrinking – an economist explains in 3 charts

With commercial space tourism on the rise and NASA planning to return to the Moon, you might think the US space economy is booming – but the data paint a more complex picture.

Three taikonauts rode aboard the Shenzhou 15 mission on their way to China’s new Tiangong space station. Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images

December 9, 2022

China’s new space station opens for business in an increasingly competitive era of space activity

Eytan Tepper, Indiana University and Scott Shackelford, Indiana University

China has completed construction of the Tiangong space station, and science projects are now underway. The station is an important piece of China’s ambitious plans for space activity in coming years.

China and the U.S. both have big plans for the Moon, but there are a number of reasons why no country could actually claim ownership of any land there. 3dScultor/iStock via Getty Images

July 8, 2022

NASA’s head warned that China may try to claim the Moon – two space scholars explain why that’s unlikely to happen

Svetla Ben-Itzhak, Air University and R. Lincoln Hines, Air University

A comment by Bill Nelson, the NASA administrator, sparked a strong public response from the Chinese government. But due to legal and practical reasons, no country could take over the Moon anytime soon.

Chinese astronauts Tang Hongbo, Nie Haisheng, and Liu Boming during ceremony before heading to Tiangong. ROMAN PILIPEY/EPA

July 5, 2021

Tiangong: astronauts are working on China’s new space station – here’s what to expect

Gareth Dorrian, University of Birmingham and Ian Whittaker, Nottingham Trent University

China’s space programme is going from strength to strength.

The ISS sees us on Earth, but look up at night and you may see it, too. NASA

April 5, 2018

Look up – it’s a satellite!

Christopher Palma, Penn State

A couple thousand satellites are orbiting Earth right now. Under the right conditions, your naked eye can spot these human-made objects in the night sky.

An artist’s impression of Tiangong-1 in orbit. Aerospace Corporation

March 28, 2018

With China’s space station about to crash land, who’s responsible if you get hit by space junk?

Melissa de Zwart, University of Adelaide

China’s space station Tiangong-1 is about to crash back to Earth any day now. It’s out of control too so no one really knows where it will land. So what if it hits you or your house?

China’s Tiangong-1 space station is due to hit Earth, and Australia is in the crash landing zone. Cindy Zhi/The Conversation

March 27, 2018

China’s falling space station highlights the problem of space junk crashing to Earth

Brad E Tucker, Australian National University

China’s Tiangong-1 space station is hurtling around Earth out of control and about to come crashing down. It’s just one of thousands of pieces of space junk left orbiting our planet.

Workers wave flags as the rocket carrying the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft being moved to the launch pad. EPA

September 26, 2016

Crashing space station shows why China must start to collaborate in orbit

Monica Grady, The Open University

We don’t know where Tiangong-1 will land but the risk of someone being hit is about 1 in 3,200.

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