Gizmodo: space walk

Chinese Shenzhou 7 Space Walk a Success, and Here's Proof!

Jack Loftus — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EDT

OK, so the Chinese space walk did happen, contrary to previous time-traveling propaganda spin, and here's the proof. This video shows the Taikonauts exiting the Shenzhou 7 spacecraft and conducting a few simple experiments. Thanks to the riveting play-by-play commentary in the background, we know that one of these experiments involved retrieving "lubricant material that is placed on the outer body of the spacecraft." Kinky. The video is 10 minutes, but it's a good 10 minutes, and there's a Star Wars style text progression at the very end that was probably made with iMovie. Lastly, politics be damned, this was inspiring.

Update: They also landed safely, apparently. That's always important!

China Launch Success Hits Web Hours Before Actual Blast-Off

Jesus Diaz — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:20:00 EDT

China has successfully launched their Shenzhou 7 mission this morning. It will be their first-ever spacewalk and a major steps toward their trip to the moon, so its completion is vital not only for their space program but also for Chinese propaganda. So vital that a full article describing the success of the launch was actually written and posted hours before the actual launch, including descriptions and astronauts' dialogue that never happened:

After this order, signal lights all were switched on, various data show up on rows of screens, hundreds of technicians staring at the screens, without missing any slightest changes ...

'One minute to go!'

'Changjiang No.1 found the target!'

...

The firm voice of the controller broke the silence of the whole ship. Now, the target is captured 12 seconds ahead of the predicted time

...

'The air pressure in the cabin is normal!'

Ten minutes later, the ship disappears below the horizon. Warm clapping and excited cheering breaks the night sky, echoing across the silent Pacific Ocean.

And people wonder why the tin-foil hatters think we never went to the Moon. [AP and AP]

A Glimpse At the Tech Behind the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremonies

Elaine Chow — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EDT

So for those of you who caught the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony last night—Holy crap, right? The synchronization, the music, the timed fireworks; it was a spectacle so awesome that for entire stretches of it, I couldn't really think of anything to say but “woah.” The show owes a lot of its splendor to the absolutely amazing amount of technology that went into it and Chinese news sources now have a breakdown of what was employed to create something that'd make a billion nationals proud. Some crazy stats:

• The LED screen at the center of the ground, which unrolled to represent a huge scroll detailing China's 5,000-year civilization, measured 482 feet by 72 feet wide and contained a whopping 44,000 LED beads with a distance of 600 millimeters between each two.
• Technical monitoring systems were employed to keep track of over 18,000 performers through identification codes, a first for any Olympics.
• The fireworks used a digital ignition control system that coordinated blasts in over 30 locations across Beijing. According to Cai Guoqiang, the explosions maestro behind that part of the show, not a single of the 40,000 cannon shots faltered.
• The material used for the paper on the painting scroll was produced by the country's aerospace sector. Similarly, most of the core technologies used in the ceremony had been developed by domestic companies.

As was stated by broadcasters over and over again, China's a country of tremendous challenges—environmental, economic and human rights-wise—and as a journalist heading into that mess some time in the near future, I'm all too aware of the problems that await me. But after last night's performance, I walked away with a small overflow of pride for my heritage and a lot of hope for a brighter future. I guess that's what the Olympics are all about. [Xinhua]

Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk Watch Brings Out Your Inner Space Cowboy

AddyDugdale — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Just 100 of Seiko's Spring Drive Spacewalk watches, space-proof wristwatches being developed with a little help from the Russian Federal Space Agency, are expected to be made. Designed for Richard Garriott, the video-game honcho-turned-future space tourist, the titanium-encased timepiece weighs just 92.5 grams and is airtight, and waterproof to 100 meters. Seiko has developed a new luminescent material so that Richard will be able to see if it's teatime yet on the International Space Station, and it has large control buttons so that he doesn't have to take his space gloves off to adjust the time. Full specs are below.

Spring Drive 5R86 movement for accuracy under the extreme temperature swings of space (-20° to +70° Celsius, or about -4° to 160° Fahrenheit).
Titanium case with the sides etched out by a new CNC (computer numerical control) machine that Seiko built in order to help get the weight down to only 92.5 grams.
Completely air-tight case capable of surviving direct exposure to space.
Oversized buttons for use while wearing space gloves.
Domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.
Waterproof to 100m, or 330ft (in case of a water landing, I guess).
12-hour chronograph.
GMT hand for 24-hour UTC time (which is used in both space and aviation).
New luminescent material that Seiko says is three times as bright as a typical luminescent watch.
A special dial and hand design for maximum readability.

The Spring Drive Spacewalk is expected to be "marketed" in December 2008, and until then we have no idea of the price. Cheaper than a return ticket to Mars, I expect. [Seiko via Watch Report]