Ore Tianjin, produced by Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group Co. Ltd, has a carrying capacity equivalent to 6,666 freight train carriages. [Photo by Zhang Jingang/for China Daily] WUHAN - A Chinese shipyard has delivered an ultra-large ore carrier for transporting iron ore between Brazil and China. The 400,000-tonne carrier produced by Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group Co. Ltd. has a carrying capacity equivalent to 6,666 freight train carriages. The ocean-going vessel, named Ore Tianjin, is 362 meters long and 65 meters wide. It can sail 25,500 nautical miles without refueling. Chen Qing, general manager of the company, said the carrier can be powered by liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which could save transport cost by 30 percent and greatly reduce pollution. The ship also boasts an advanced ship-loading mechanism that can load 400,000 tonnes of ore in 16.7 hours. The vessel passed a sea test before being delivered in Qingdao city in East China's Shandong province on Thursday. The freighter is the best choice for the transportation of ore between Brazil and China. It is fuel-efficient and friendly to the marine environment, said Zhao Guicai, president of ICBC Leasing, which bought the ore carrier. custom wristbands
BEIJING -- Tiangong I, China's first space lab, will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere on April 2, China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) said on Sunday. Photo taken on June 13, 2013 shows the screen at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center showing the Shenzhou X manned spacecraft conducting an automated docking with the orbiting Tiangong I space module and the view outside the propelling module of the Shenzhou X manned spacecraft (L, down). [Photo/Xinhua] Tiangong I orbited at an average altitude of 167.6 kilometers on Sunday. The space lab will mostly be burnt up in the atmosphere and it's highly unlikely to cause any damage on the ground, according to an article published by CMSEO recently. With a weight of about eight tons, Tiangong I is much smaller the 80-ton Skylab and 140-ton Mir, and is unlikely to affect aviation activities or cause damage on the ground, the article said. The re-entry process is usually divided into three phases. During the first phase, the atmospheric drag will rip solar arrays, antennas, and other external parts off a spacecraft at an altitude of about 100 kilometers. As it continues to fall, the main structure of the spacecraft will be burnt or explode from increasing heat and friction. It normally disintegrates at an altitude of about 80 kilometers. The fragments will keep burning and most of them will be dissipated in the air. Only a small amount of debris will reach the ground, and will float down at a very slow speed due to their small mass. Tiangong I was launched on Sept 29, 2011 and ended service in March 2016 after completing its mission. It has docked with Shenzhou VIII, Shenzhou IX, and Shenzhou X spacecraft and undertaken a series of tasks, making important contributions to China's manned space cause.
