China's space station came with a good news, the first transposition test of the space station's mechanical arm was a complete success, the whole process is like a space transformer, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent space station formation work.
China's space station is modular, the reason for this approach, first of all limited by the launch capacity of the launch vehicle, the launch of the overall task at one time is an impossible task, so that the module phased launch can not only break through the limitation of the rocket carrying capacity, but also reduce the difficulty of manufacturing, as well as the future danger index.
But the ability to assemble in space is very demanding, and it is accompanied by many key technologies that need to be broken through.
The basic structure of the Chinese space station
After the Chinese space station is completely completed, the basic components are the combination of the "Tianhe Core Module" and the "Qingtian" and "Dream Tian" experimental modules, and the remaining three pairs can stay in the Tianzhou series cargo spacecraft and the Shenzhou series manned spacecraft. At present, China's space station has not been completely completed, only three astronauts are stationed, and in the future, with the two experimental modules in the sky, this means that the space is large enough, and perhaps there will be more astronauts stationed.
At present, the Tianhe core module has welcomed the Tianzhou-2, Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft, Shenzhou-12 and Shenzhou-13 cargo spacecraft, and completed the docking of the radial pair interface and the axial interface, and the next difficult work is focused on the docking of the two experimental modules of "Qingtian" and "Dream".
The transposition test of the space station's robotic arm is for the transposition docking of the experimental module thereafter. At present, China's space station is a combination of "Tianhe core module - Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft - Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft - Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft", the manned spacecraft docks at the radial interface of the node module, the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft is in the front of the node module, and the Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft is in the rear pair interface.
As the core of the Chinese space station, the Tianhe core module has a total of three interfaces and two berths, the interface is prepared for manned spacecraft and cargo spacecraft, and the berth is prepared for the experimental module to stay for a long time.
How to complete the formation of the experimental module
Building blocks in space, the relatively lowest technical requirements are axial docking, followed by radial docking, these two docking methods have been completed on China's space station at present, Shenzhou XII is axially docked during the mission, before returning to the earth for the verification of thrilling docking technology, and Shenzhou XIII manned spacecraft directly performs radial docking.
Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu, three astronauts currently on missions on the Chinese space station, will remain in space for six months before returning to Earth in April 2022. The next thing to be launched is the Tianzhou-4 cargo spacecraft and the Shenzhou 14 manned spacecraft, and during the shen fourteen-passenger group stationing, the Qingtian and Dreamland experimental modules will be launched successively.
After the launch of the Qien experimental module, it will first dock at the axial pair interface of the node module, and then use the robotic arm to transposition, that is, the Qantani experimental module will be turned to the radial pair interface (horizontal). After the position is conceded, the Montien experimental module also takes this step, first docking in the axial pairing interface of the node cabin, and then transposing to the radial pair interface of the node cabin with the help of the robot arm (horizontal direction).
This time the space station on the mechanical arm for the first time to complete the transposition test, the test object is not yet out of the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft, it was previously to the Shenzhou XII manned spacecraft to transport supplies, Shenzhou XII returned to the earth, it flew around the rear of the Tianhe core module to the forward pairing interface, which is to give Tianzhou-3 the best docking position, while preparing for this transposition test.
The completed robotic arm transposition test first separated tianzhou-2 from the core cabin, after which the mechanical arm grabbed tianzhou-2 horizontally and transposed to the radial pair of node modules (horizontal direction), and then returned to the position according to the original path.
Sharp weapon on the Chinese space station - mechanical arm, Musk's satellite to try again?
Previously, the robotic arm on China's space station has assisted astronauts to complete four outgoing missions, of course, this is also one of their main roles in the future. The role of the robotic arm should be understood by many people:
01, they can monitor the approaching aircraft, can play a defensive role, but also can assist docking;
02, can grasp the hovering aircraft, such as the application in this test, it grabbed Tianzhou-2 for transposition test, and in the future, it will also grab the Tianhe Mengtian experimental cabin for transposition;
03, with the ability to crawl on the surface, from this point of view, it is an independent highly intelligent mechanical equipment, which can be moved to any position on the space station;
04, has 7 degrees of freedom, no less than human arms, and is very flexible, the load capacity is also very strong;
05. Assist the astronauts to go out of the cabin, and send the astronauts to a place far away from the space station very safely;
The success of the Chinese space station has attracted the attention of many countries, with blessings and jealousy. In particular, the United States has always been confused, why is China's blockade and development in the field of space the faster it develops?
Not long ago, according to reports from relevant departments, the Chinese space station was twice dangerously approached by US satellites in 2021, and for the safety of astronauts in orbit, emergency avoidance actions could only be taken. This close satellite is Musk's starlink satellite, there are thousands in space, and the future may exceed 40,000 according to the opportunity, which is very cheap compared with China's space station.
For two dangerous approaches in a year is really very excessive, some netizens can't sit still, before the Spoof video shot in the United States, can't you use a robotic arm to cut its solar panels?
In fact, this is a very ideal state, to really want to complete a similar operation must meet two conditions, one of which is that its own maneuverability is very strong, can grasp the other party's orbit information, and then rely on the maneuverability to achieve a relative speed of zero, you can operate.
But at present, it is impossible to complete similar actions, of course, there is no need, space stations are not advisable, after all, it will greatly slow down the development of human beings in the field of space. Therefore, it is really overbearing to say that the dangerous approach of the US satellite is very undesirable.
Say at the end
If one day humanity does interstellar voyages, it is that as a whole, everyone will have a new identity, that is, "earthlings", and it is still a little naïve to look back at these disputes at that time. Finally, the success of the Robotic Arm Transposition Test of the Chinese Space Station is really exciting good news, which also shows that the establishment of the Chinese space station is steadily progressing, and it is expected that the future of China's spaceflight will be ascended step by step!
Text/science black hole, image source network intrusion deletion.