* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: Shijian 8 satellite

Blobrana · L

Predicted Decay Time 01 NOV 2006 @ 22:36 UTC ± 2 Hours
Predicted Decay Location 17° N, 180.2° E

Blobrana · L

Updated decay date 01 NOV 2006 @ 23:22 GMT ±16 Hours
Predicted re-entry location 24.9° S, 353.3° E

Blobrana · L

The Shijian 8 orbiter satellite that as launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the northwest China desert on September. 9th, 2006, is predicted to re-enter the earths atmosphere on the 1st November @ 23:31:00 GMT ± 48 Hours.

Predicted Decay Location 52.3° S, 18.6° E

TLE Data

SJ-8
1 29385U 06035A   06302.63837863  .01606559  84723-5  25149-3 0  2039
2 29385 062.9739 204.4302 0058754 145.8482 214.6602 16.27990425  8050
1 29385U 06035A   06302.51443287  .01518287  84668-5  24428-3 0  2025
2 29385 062.9739 204.9351 0060021 146.1622 207.9879 16.27543294  8025
1 29385U 06035A   06302.45407366  .01606945  84580-5  26196-3 0  2011
2 29385 062.9761 205.1783 0060341 146.2633 214.2464 16.27373938  8027
1 29385U 06035A   06302.33116980  .01513012  84546-5  25357-3 0  2008
2 29385 062.9757 205.6791 0061294 146.1643 214.3715 16.26972818  8003
1 29385U 06035A   06302.20822794  .01369562  84514-5  23414-3 0  1994
2 29385 062.9758 206.1792 0062941 146.6479 213.8674 16.26525609  7989

Blobrana · L

According to the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), scientists are to start experimental cultivation of 2,200 seed samples from the country's seed-breeding satellite in a hope to grow high-yield, high-quality plants.

Seeds from the Shijian-8 satellite which landed two days ago, were handed over to Agriculture Minister Du Qinglin.
Tests showed the seeds had remained intact and could be used for plantation. The seeds covered nine categories, including grains, wheat, corn, cotton, vegetables, fruits, fungus and oil plants.
The seeds would be dispatched to 94 agricultural centres across the country for study of the influence of cosmic radiation and zero gravity.

Source Xinhua

Blobrana · L

Shijian-8, the Chinese seed-breeding satellite successfully landed in Sichuan Province, southwest China, at 10:43 a.m. Beijing time on Sunday after a 15-day flight in space.
The recoverable satellite was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the northwest China desert on Sept. 9.
The orbital module will continue to orbit the earth and carry out more experiments until its battery gives up the ghost.
The satellite carried 215 kilograms of seeds of vegetables, fruits, grains and cotton, the largest payload of this kind since 1987.

Source Xinhua

Blobrana · L

China today launched a satellite from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, which is carrying 215 kilograms of seeds of plants and fungus, Xinhua reports. The seed-breeding satellite called "Shijian-8" is apparently designed to test how space-enhanced produce can increase the efficiency of the country's food production.

The Shijian-8 was launched aboard a Long March 2C rocket. China National Space Administration informed that the mission was to enable scientists to figure out a process to cultivate "high-yield and high-quality plants."

Read more

Blobrana · L

Expand (71kb, 600 x 375)

TLE Data

SJ-8
1 29385U 06035A   06252.86613811  .00265887  77560-5  17314-3  0     42
2 29385 062.9865 038.4351 0201808 144.0308 012.3370 15.86135691    98

Blobrana · L

China has launched the Shi Jian 8 satellite aboard a CZ-2C launch vehicle on Sep 9 from the Jiuquan space centre.

Blobrana · L

China will launch the Shijian 8 (SJ-8) satellite from the Jiuquan launch centre, in September 2006.

According to officials with the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence,
The satellites mission will be to expose plant seeds to cosmic-rays during a 15-day space flight.
The satellite will carry seeds of over 2,000 different plant species that include grain seeds, fungi and biological material that have been genetically sequenced.
China has conducted various seed irradiation experiments on nine different satellite missions, since 1987, resulting in a number of new species being created.

The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre (Base 20) is a People's Republic of China space vehicle launch facility (spaceport) in the Gobi desert in Gansu Province located (41.10deg N, 100.30deg E) about 1,600 km from Beijing.