Shenzhou
 

While the paint is drying on the Russian rockets, I though I'd unveil the next build: Shenzhou!

For those of you unfamiliar with it, China has launched three manned missions beginning in 2003. All have flown using the Shenzhou capsule which is essentially an enlarged and improved Soyuz. The booster is a Long March liquid fueled rocket designated CZ-2F which is an improved and man-rated CZ-2E satellite launcher.

I mentioned in another post that I wanted to build a Shenzhou in more or less the same scale as my Russian R-7 boosters, about 1/64th scale. Some number crunching on the published diameter of the Long March CZ-2F Shenzhou booster indicated that it would be right at 2" at that scale.

But wait, you say; those crazy communist/oligarchs haven't let Pete Alway or his minions anywhere near a Long March rocket. How will you know the other measurements? What will you use for documentation? (although I note Pete does have a profile of a CZ-2E on his Rockets of the World poster, it is not in any of his books). Well, through a miraculous set of circumstances, I'm going to show you how to cheat.

Picture 1 shows a Shenzhou (probably Shenzhou 5, the first manned mission) rolling out to the pad. But note that the center of focus is more or less on the center of the rocket. The picture was almost certainly shot from an upper level in the Vehicle Assembly Building. And even better, the picture is on a major axis of the rocket. The bad parts of the picture are the hazy lighting and the covered escape tower.

Picture 2 shows a later Shenhzou (probably Shenzhou 7, the most recent three-manned mission) It's also from an elevated angle, from an upper level of the gantry perhaps, but not right down an axis. On the plus side the lighting is better and the escape tower is exposed.

So what did I do? In simplest terms, I blew up picture 1 until the core was 2" across and then I measured everything. The picture became my full size plan. This is only possible when, as in Picture 1, the focal center of the picture is the center of the rocket. I used Photoshop Essentials to enlarge it. I then cropped and printed sections until I had the whole rocket. It did take five pieces of cut-and tape paper to put it all together. I then cropped Picture 2 down to the aeroshroud over the capsule and the escape tower and then blew that picture up as well.

The rocket itself is pretty easy: 23.25" of Semroc Series 20 tubing and four 7.5" pieces of Series 13/BT-56 tubing, an engine mount and a parachute pretty much takes care of the basic booster. What's missing are the nose cones. We need the aeroshroud and the strap-on booster nose cones. Either we get Carl's Semroc Nose Cone Designer working or I've got another custom project for Sandman. The escape tower is some Semroc BT-4 with a 1/4 inch launch lug on top of that. Corregations will be handled using my corregated Scrapbooking paper. Conduits will be cardstock; fittings will be scrap balsa. We might need some decals, either enlarged from the Sky kit or reduced from the Dragon static kit, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

I'll get started as soon as I get the nose cone thing worked out,

Nice project!

So they ripped off the Soviet Soyuz and they ripped off the U.S. VAB. Imitation is the best form of flattery. :cool:

There is a cardstock model of this available Here .

You could just take the Graphics off of it for the decals.

It builds into a nice flying model by itself.

To Mark B,
Thanks for the inspiration. This looks like a great future build.

To Bob H,
Thanks for the link. The PDF instructions in English are better than most!

To Tbzep,
I went back and looked at the first two pictures. You're not kidding about the rip-off of the VAB design!
I like how all the flags were placed on the side lines for the roll-out.

I might build it as a combination of standard tubes, body wraps and balsa nose cones.
Oh no - the wheels are turning again!

We have a kit from Sky Rockets of the Shenzhou & CZ-2E

Sky Rockets

Great project! I do have a question for you, though. In your first post, you mentioned the corrugated scrapbook paper. I'm assuming that you are talking about something like the single direction stuff called "corduroy" paper? I have been looking all over for that stuff (Pat Catan's, Hobby Lobby, On-Line, etc) with no luck. Do you have a name, manufacturer, catalogue number for that particular item? I may be looking for the wrong thing. thanks in advance.

Alan

I have 1/8th corrugation that is used as packing material; single sided stock. I believe that there is a 1/16th version also. Mine comes from Staples in a roll. There is also a good selection on Amazon searched as Corrugated Paper. There are a variety of dimesions of the flute, the height of the wave, ranging from A to F. A being 1/4 inch, F being 1/32

I Have the cone for my Soyuz already worked out.

The Shenzou is really close to that so shrinking the design, stretching a dimension here or there is a snap.

Do you have any better measurement?

If not I'll use your cheat method.

Actually I started using that cheat method years ago in model railroading.

Funny, in the next few years, China will have a GREATER presence in space than the United States of America ...

who says buying Clinton and Obama didn't pay off for the Chinese! :rolleyes:

Jonathan

P.s., lets not forget Bush also!

Guys,

It's always fun when you guys are at least marginally interested in my projects!

To answer the questions:

1) I don't know where the corrugated paper I have comes from, but I will find out when SWMBO gets home. I know Semroc sells generic wraps, also.

2) I have already used the Semroc Nose Cone Designer for both the aeroshroud and the booster cones, gimme a day or two and if Carl green lights it, we can share. For what it's worth, the Shenzhou shroud appears to be almost proportionally identical to the Soyuz shroud except for the longer bi-conic nose.

3) Sandman, I'd like to get (buy) some more of those laser-cut Soyuz flop-down whatever-they're-called (stabilizers?), but with the center piece a rectangle 1" x whatever-the-ones-you sent me are, as the Chinese version is clearly longer but more or less the same width. Also, the side pieces need to be a little longer (maybe another 1/16) on the "foot" section where they mount to the aeroshroud. I'm going to throw an envelope in the mail for you tomorrow.