The Gobi is vast and the night is low.
At midnight, deep in the Gobi, the East Wind Space City is as bright as day.
Between the buildings, workers in blue uniforms were busy in an intense and orderly manner. At the launch site outside the city, the Long March 2F YaoXI carrier rocket stood quietly.
On the milky white fairing, under the bright five-star red flag pattern, the blue logo of "China Aerospace" is particularly eye-catching.
Dongfeng Aerospace City, the dream city of China's aerospace industry, is about to witness history once again. The Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft will be launched here on the Long March 2F Yao 13 carrier rocket. Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, Ye Guangfu and other three astronauts are about to spend 6 months of space life on the China Space Station.
Some people say that the farthest distance in the world is the distance between dreams and reality. Chinese's dream of flying sky spanned thousands of years until 2003, when astronaut Yang Liwei flew aboard the Shenzhou 5 manned spacecraft.
The closest distance in the world is also the distance between dreams and reality. Starting with Yang Liwei's flying sky, China's manned space industry has made great strides forward. Today, China has built its own space home in space.
From the 21 hours of the "God Five" sky survey to the long 6 months that "God Thirteen" is about to spend, what have we crossed?
Among them, it is a dream, it is a struggle, and it is also the tireless exploration of Chinese astronauts.
Keywords greetings
For the first time in distant space, Chinese greetings came
On the land of Shenzhou, what kind of sound is the most moving?
In 1970, it was a song from distant space, "Oriental Red". In 2003, a "flight normal" sound came from the airwaves.
At 9:00 a.m. on October 15, 2003, the Shenzhou 5 manned spacecraft was launched. For the first time, the vast space welcomed Chinese astronauts. A few minutes later, astronaut Yang Liwei reported: "The flight is normal. ”
It was the first time in space that Chinese sound had been heard.
On the land of Shenzhou, what kind of picture is the most moving?
When the Shenzhou V manned spacecraft ran to the 7th lap, Yang Liwei held up a bright five-star red flag and a blue United Nations flag to the camera. Yang Liwei said hello in both Chinese and English: "Greetings to the people of all countries in the world, greetings to colleagues working in space, greetings to the people of the motherland, greetings to compatriots in Hong Kong and Macao, Compatriots in Taiwan, and overseas Chinese, and thanking the people of the whole country for their concern." ”
This is the first time in space 343 kilometers above the ground, greetings from China have been heard.
On the occasion of the 54th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Chinese spent 21 hours in space for the first time.
During these 21 hours, Yang Liwei took the Shenzhou 5 manned spacecraft and flew around the earth 14 times. During this period, Yang Liwei created one "first time" after another in space - the first time to eat in space, the first time to rest in space, the first time to talk to heaven and earth, the first time to photograph the earth from a spaceship...
These 21 hours, for China's aerospace, came particularly difficult.
On February 2, 1979, during his visit to the United States, Comrade Deng Xiaoping visited the Lyndon Johnson Space Center near Houston.
Deng Xiaoping humorously said to John Glenn, one of America's first astronauts: "You have become a god." Glenn smiled and replied, "People have called me anything, but they have never called me a fairy." ”
At that time, for China, manned spaceflight was still a distant dream.
When the United States boarded the simulation module of the spacecraft, Fang Yi, who was with Deng Xiaoping, sighed: I hope to be able to board our domestic spacecraft module one day! Seven years later, his wish came true. Chinese have their own spacecraft simulation module.
With the release of the "921 Project", China's manned space industry began to "set sail".
In 1999, China's first space test spacecraft, Shenzhou-1, was successfully launched, and the spacecraft ran for 21 hours; in 2001, the Shenzhou-2 unmanned spacecraft was successfully launched, and the spacecraft ran for 7 days; in 2002, the Shenzhou-3 unmanned spacecraft loaded with "sims" was successfully launched, opening its window to the world for the first time; at the end of 2002, the last "rehearsal" of the launch of China's manned spacecraft, the successful launch of the Shenzhou-4 unmanned spacecraft, greatly boosted the confidence of the Chinese.
In 2003, that exciting moment finally arrived.
At 6:23 a.m. on October 16, the Shenzhou 5 return module carried astronaut Yang Liwei to land safely. Yang Liwei walked out of the return capsule and said: "The spaceship is running normally, I feel good about myself, and I am proud of the motherland!" ”
At this moment, 21 hours and 23 minutes after Yang Liwei entered space, more than 3 years after the launch of China's first space test spacecraft, and 11 years after the establishment of China's manned space project.
Before the successful launch of the Shenzhou 5 manned spacecraft, most ordinary people in China knew very little about spaceflight. The term "manned spaceflight" often only appears in popular science books.
After the successful return of the Shenzhou V manned spacecraft, no matter whether it is the elderly or the children with weeping hair, almost everyone knows Yang Liwei, no one knows shenzhou V, and no one knows China's manned spaceflight.
After the successful flight of Shenzhou V, European Space Agency Director Jean Jacques Doldan said: "China has become the third country to send humans into space alone, which shows that its space technology has been very reliable." The success of China's manned spaceflight will usher in a new era of international space cooperation. As he said, Chinese's life in space began.
Two years after the launch of Shenzhou 5, the Shenzhou 6 manned spacecraft was successfully launched. In the 5 days and 5 nights of traveling in space, Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, two astronauts, created an unforgettable classic moment for the Chinese people - space birthday, space shaving beard, space somersault...
They also created many firsts - the first time to take off the spacesuit into the orbital module, the first time to conduct space experiments in space medicine, the first time to carry out the pressure suit putting on and off experimental research... In these "firsts", China's aerospace has opened a new chapter.
Keywords Footprint
A small step for an astronaut, a big step for China to fly
How far we dream, how far we can go. The first out-of-space activity is a new milestone for the Chinese nation in space.
At 21:10 on September 25, 2008, with the order of Commander 0, the operator of the launch console decisively pressed the "ignition" button.
Suddenly, flames erupted and dragons rose into the air. The Shenzhou VII manned spacecraft, which carried three astronauts for the first time, broke through the vast night sky of the desert and gradually turned into a small bright spot until it disappeared into the clouds.
After 43 hours of orbital flight, the much-anticipated moment finally came – the spacecraft's hatch opened!
At 16:41 on September 27, 2008, astronaut Zhai Zhigang took the first step in Chinese's first spacewalk.
Since then, the vast space has "printed" China's footprints.
"Shenzhou No. 7 reported that I had left the cabin and felt good." Zhai Zhigang held the outer handle of the cabin with one hand and held the five-star red flag high with the other. At this moment, in the depths of the universe, every star is staring affectionately; above the vast earth, billions of pairs of eyes are looking up with tears.
In space, Zhai Zhigang walked slowly, like a toddler. With the assistance of astronauts Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng, the spacewalk lasted 19 minutes and 35 seconds.
Compared with the vast universe, the distance that Zhai Zhigang moved at the door of the spaceship cabin was really insignificant. However, the small step he took when he opened the hatch was a big step in the Chinese nation's exploration of the sky.
When Zhai Zhigang successfully completed the spacewalk, the English word "Taikonaut" (astronaut) based on Chinese appeared frequently in reports about "Shen Qi" around the world. This English word, which refers specifically to Chinese astronauts, has been accepted by the West and included in mainstream English dictionaries, reflecting China's growing scientific and technological strength.
Under the lens of the global media, when walking in space, the "flying" extravehicular spacesuit worn by Zhai Zhigang has attracted much attention. This extravehicular spacesuit, which condenses the wisdom and sweat of Chinese astronauts, integrates the most critical and difficult new technologies needed to achieve spacewalks.
The extravehicular spacesuit is not a piece of clothing in the simple sense, but a small space vehicle, not only the functions of the spacecraft must be possessed, but also the requirements in weight, volume and power consumption are even higher than the spacecraft, which can be called a collection of cutting-edge aerospace technology.
According to the common practice of the international space community, the development cycle of a new spacecraft mature product is at least 7 to 10 years on average. The Chinese astronauts, who are "particularly able to endure hardships and tackle key problems", only took 4 years. Behind china's amazing speed is their dream-chasing posture of going day and night and striving to devote themselves to scientific research and innovation.
Through the "Feitian" extravehicular spacesuit, it can be seen that Zhai Zhigang's footprints "printed" in space symbolize china's manned spaceflight technology to a new height. The Shenzhou 7 manned mission prepares China for the launch of a space laboratory and the establishment of a permanent space station.
"He who walks a hundred miles is half ninety." The nine-day dream of a thousand years has come true, and China's footprint will also move towards a broader future.
Keywords Home
"Tiangong" ushered in its own "master"
On the evening of September 29, 2011, accompanied by the dazzling tail flame of the Long March rocket, Tiangong-1 was "hung" high in the starry sky. In space, there is the first "home" of Chinese.
After more than 260 days of flight by Tiangong-1 in orbit, Chinese astronauts entered the "Space Homeland" for the first time. At the beginning of the Shenzhou 9 mission, the astronauts entered the "Tiangong" and lived in the "Tiangong" one moment after another, which constituted the common memory of the Chinese people.
In the familiar sound of "ignition" again and again, we witness these great leaps.
"It's like a space relay race, where the contestant in front holds an embroidery needle, and the runner in the back who is running at high speed has to pass a silk thread through the eye of the needle." On June 24, 2012, Chinese astronauts completed the first real "space driving" and implemented extremely difficult and risky manual hand-controlled rendezvous and docking.
With an absolute flight speed of 7800 m/s, astronaut Liu Wang piloted Shenzhou 9 and completed a special "target" that accelerated the heartbeat of hundreds of millions of people.
In a soft halo, Shenzhou 9 opened its blue wings and flew towards Tiangong No. 1. 10 meters, 5 meters, 3 meters... In the human control TV, the "Heavenly Palace" came to the face, getting closer and closer to the center point of the cross target.
The angle between the spacecraft and the Tiangong is strictly controlled within 1 degree, and the lateral deviation is not more than 0.2 to 0.3 meters, otherwise two aircraft weighing more than 8 tons may collide and scratch. If the docking mechanism is broken, it means that China's "space home" will be forced to scrap... Liu Wang was calm and self-assured, while controlling the handle, while observing the instrument. More than 1500 simulated training sessions on the ground allowed him to lift weights.
At the moment of a thousand gunshots, the Shenzhou 9 docking ring accurately captured the Tiangong-1. The two "crosses" swayed slightly, and they overlapped tightly. "Docking complete!" The "Heavenly Palace" finally ushered in its own "master".
Since then, the Shenzhou 10 manned mission, the astronauts began to work and live on China's "space homeland" Tiangong-1.
"Teaching in Space" is still fresh in the memory.
At 10:11 on June 20, 2013, a sweet voice came from space: "I am Wang Yaping, and this lecture is for me to talk about..."
In space more than 300 kilometers from the ground, "space teacher" Wang Yaping demonstrated the motion characteristics of objects in the weightless environment, physical phenomena such as liquid surface tension through five experiments, such as mass test, pendulum motion, gyro motion, water film and water balloon, and answered questions from students about spacecraft water, space debris protection, weightless confrontation and space scenery.
Shenzhou X has a flight time of 15 days and is the starting point of medium-term space flight. Then, from 15 to 33 days, the Shenzhou 11 manned mission achieved "flying higher, more experiments, and longer time." The pace of astronauts on expeditions has become faster, new challenges await them, and the dream of the Chinese space station is within reach.
Keywords Heaven and earth people
A home in heaven and a home on earth
In the early autumn night, when photography enthusiasts captured the sky and the core capsule combination skimming over the sky, in space about 400 kilometers above the ground, Shenzhou 12 astronaut Tang Hongbo was also photographing the earth.
It is about 670 kilometers from Beijing to jiaodong peninsula, and it takes about 7.5 hours by car. And Tang Hongbo skimmed over the two lands, and he couldn't use it for a minute.
Sit on the ground and travel eighty thousand miles a day, survey the sky and look at a thousand rivers. This rather romantic verse is a true portrayal of the astronauts in the celestial and core capsules at this time.
From space, the Earth is quiet and beautiful. At night, the lights on the land are lit up like a brilliant sky full of stars, and in the morning, the sun rises from the eyes and shines brightly.
On July 4, 2021, the first outgoing activity of the Chinese space station phase was successfully implemented. Before discussing technological innovation, the most intuitive feeling for everyone is the dreamlike beauty that space brings to human beings. So much so that after astronaut Liu Boming first came out of the capsule, he couldn't help but sigh: "Wow, this is so beautiful outside!" ”
As soon as the photos taken by the astronauts and Vlogs (vlogs) were sent, they immediately aroused heated discussion among netizens. Many netizens have expressed their envy for astronauts.
In fact, this is only a small part of their lives. 3 months of space life is long enough, exciting enough, and hard enough.
What do they do in 3 months? In three months, Shenzhou 12 completed a series of tasks such as on-orbit assembly and construction, maintenance and repair, extravehicular operations, space applications, scientific experiments, and space station monitoring and management, further verified the functional performance of the manned space-to-earth round-trip transportation system, comprehensively verified the astronaut long-term residence support technology, and verified the ability of astronauts and robotic arms to complete the outgoing activities and extravehicular operations together on orbit.
After 3 months of space life, what can we see for our audience on Earth? Sky survey tai chi, chopsticks with tea, space spinning bike, space station folding kitchen... A series of new and interesting details of space life bring the distant and mysterious deep space closer to the side of ordinary people.
If it is said that the Shenzhou No. 5 Yang Liwei flying sky was the "dream journey" of the Chinese, then the three astronauts of Shenzhou NO. 12 lived in space for 3 months, which extended a more novel and attractive beautiful dream for the Chinese.
On September 3rd, the "Spirit of the Times Yao Xiangjiang" activity of looking up at the starry sky and talking about the Heavenly Palace was launched in Beijing and Hong Kong. During the call between heaven and earth, the astronauts passed on their Chinese dream to the young people of Hong Kong. "The Chinese dream, the space dream, you have me." Liu Boming said.
Today, the story of Shenzhou XII is over, and the story of Shenzhou XIII is about to begin. The three astronauts will board the Shenzhou XIII manned spacecraft and meet the Tianhe core module combination at the most appropriate time. In the coming 6 months of space life, more new technologies will be verified.
"The day is coming." More than 2,000 years ago, the Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi told the beautiful meaning of "heaven and earth and people" in a tone that crossed the times.
A home in heaven and a home on earth. Chinese astronauts will travel from one homeland to another.
The homeland on earth was created by the billions of hands of the earth of Shenzhou; the homeland in heaven is waiting for countless Chinese to develop together.
Shenzhou is one heart, and the journey is like a rainbow.
Source: People's Liberation Army Daily