Chinese scientific return capsule hits appartment building

CNN is reporting that an unmanned Chinese earth return capsule
crashed into an appartment building in Penglai, a village
in the provence of Sichuan. The resident had left five minutes
earlier by good luck.

This is just not a good fall season for unmanned capsules....

This, of course, is why the FAA do license spacecraft reentries...


-george william herbert

On 17 Oct 2004 08:15:10 GMT, (George William
Herbert) wrote:

CNN is reporting that an unmanned Chinese earth return capsule
crashed into an appartment building in Penglai, a village
in the provence of Sichuan. The resident had left five minutes
earlier by good luck.

This is just not a good fall season for unmanned capsules....

This, of course, is why the FAA do license spacecraft reentries...


-george william herbert


I'll bet they were trying for a splashdown in the apartment complex
pool, but missed.

8-}

Rusty

(George William Herbert) wrote

CNN is reporting that an unmanned Chinese earth return capsule
crashed into an appartment building in Penglai, a village
in the provence of Sichuan. The resident had left five minutes
earlier by good luck.

A picture of the capsule in the former appartment is at
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20...nt_2102407.htm

I greatly admire the attitude of the former resident of the
former appartment:

``'The satellite landed in our home. Maybe this means we'll
have good luck this year,' the tenant of the wrecked apartment,
Huo Jiyu, was quoted as saying."

"Allen Thomson" wrote in message
om...
(George William Herbert) wrote

CNN is reporting that an unmanned Chinese earth return capsule
crashed into an appartment building in Penglai, a village
in the provence of Sichuan. The resident had left five minutes
earlier by good luck.

A picture of the capsule in the former appartment is at
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20...nt_2102407.htm

I greatly admire the attitude of the former resident of the
former appartment:

``'The satellite landed in our home. Maybe this means we'll
have good luck this year,' the tenant of the wrecked apartment,
Huo Jiyu, was quoted as saying."

Oh yeah; lots of luck!

Does anyone know what "scientific" experiments were being conducted?
Photrecon isn't really "scientific" after all (unless they're claiming the
film of the foreign military sites is for "The economic progress of the
People's Dictatorship of China").


--
Alan Erskine
We can get people to the Moon in five years,
not the fifteen GWB proposes.
Give NASA a real challenge

(Allen Thomson) wrote in message . com...
I greatly admire the attitude of the former resident of the
former appartment:

``'The satellite landed in our home. Maybe this means we'll
have good luck this year,' the tenant of the wrecked apartment,
Huo Jiyu, was quoted as saying."
Well, being nice about it probably means the govt. pays to repair your
roof, and maybe gives you some compensation. Complaining could well
get you locked up for 'interfering with state security' or something
to that effect.

Far better to look on the bright side.

Anyone know if this is realy research, or is it a photo recon ? And if
it is recon, why haven't they gone digital yet ?

In article ,
Andi Kleen wrote:
Why should they bother with return capsules for photorecon satellites in
2004?

Because their film-return system is tested and works, and they have no
urgent reason to change it?

I have no special reason to think that this *was* a film capsule, mind
you, but the idea is *not* ridiculous. Developing new high-tech systems
costs serious money, and it can make plenty of economic sense to go on
using an old one instead.

Remember, current space-station crew exchanges are done with
slightly-improved versions of the rocket that launched Gagarin.
--
"Think outside the box -- the box isn't our friend." | Henry Spencer
-- George Herbert |