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Space Ship

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R0015419 (Medium)(The ferry, the boat and the space tracking ship)

Oops, the title should be "Space Tracking Ship", Yuanwang 6 (literally Far View 6) which is China's state-of-the-art vessel visiting Hong Kong.

R0015417 (Medium)The purpose of building ocean-going space tracking ships in China is to perform maritime tracking and control duties for satellites and manned spacecrafts. Being the latest and most advanced space tracking ship of China, Yuanwang-6 is equipped with and makes use of the new and high technologies of maritime meteorology, electro-nics, mechanics, optics, communication and computing for its missions. Yuanwang-6 successfully performed maritime tracking and remote control of "Shenzhou 7" spacecraft during a mission jointly carried out by other ships of the "Yuanwang" fleet in September 2008.

R0015423 (Medium)(The pilothouse with some ball shaped scanners on top)

Yangwang 6 have a displacement tonnage of 25,000 tons when fully loaded, with a crew of about 470 and a length of about 190 meters (620 ft) and a top speed of 20 knots (37 km/h).  The vessel is bristling with satellite dishes and scanners.  The ball shaped equipment sitting atop the pilothouse are a doppler weather radar and some antenna for various purposes.

R0015426 (Medium)

Yangwang 6 is unmistakeable for its three satellite dishes.  They are quite a sight.  The one on the left is called Unified S-Band Antenna, and the other two are communication antennae.  According to the authoritative US intelligence website GlobalSecurity.org, its predecessors relayed 212 remote orders to China's previous manned spacecraft.  Those older models had in their time also monitored an intercontinental ballistic missile test and satellite launches.

R0015427 (Medium)

There is a dome shaped structure between the dishes.  It is a theodolite, which is an optical instrument consisting of a small mounted telescope rotatable in horizontal and vertical planes for measuring angles in surveying, meteorology and navigation.

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The space tracking ship can withstand strong wind of a strength to force 12.  With a capability of a non-stop voyage up to 18,000 sea miles (33,336km), the vessel can effectively go on a voyage for a consecutive 38 days at top speed

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R0015432 (Medium)Yuanwang 6's visit is meant to mark the 60 anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.  This is of course much welcomed by photographers for a chance to take photos of a rather different theme.

The visit will last for a few days, accompanied by some exhibition and public talks for free.

(The football shaped small satellite communication antenna with a GPS upper-air sounding system next to it.  I would say that the antenna is a golf ball and the tall building the golf cue)

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