This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the manned space project, and according to the plan, the Chinese space station is about to be completed. What is the progress so far? What are the characteristics of the next task? When will ordinary people be able to enter the Chinese space station? The reporter interviewed Yang Liwei, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and deputy chief designer of China's manned space project.
This year, according to the plan, the mainland manned space station project has entered the space station construction stage, and will complete six major tasks such as the Qingtian Experimental Module, the Dream Sky Experimental Module, the Shenzhou Manned Spacecraft and the Tianzhou Cargo Spacecraft, fully build the space station, realize the first flight of 6 spacecraft combinations, the first astronauts stay for 6 months, and the first time 2 crews and 6 astronauts are in orbit at the same time.
The God XIII astronauts will return in mid-April
Yang Liwei said that the Shenzhou 13 astronauts entered space since October last year and are currently in good condition. "The three astronauts of Shenzhou XIII have been flying for more than 4 months and will return in mid-April. Our entire manned space engineering space station construction is divided into two stages, and it is still in the first stage, called the verification stage. As the Shenzhou XIII mission is nearing completion, the work of the verification phase will also be completed. ”
According to reports, after the return of Shenzhou 13, ground researchers will conduct a verification and assessment of the core module of the space station. After the assessment is completed, the Shenzhou 14, Shenzhou 15 manned spacecraft and two cargo spacecraft, as well as the Qingtian and Dreamland experimental modules, will continue to complete the next work, and finally form the T-shape of the space station.
Yang Liwei said that at present, the core module of the space station is running smoothly and meeting expectations. "There have been 6 launch missions this year. Before the end of the year, at the normal rate of engineering progress, the space station will be completed. After Shenzhou XIII returned, when Shenzhou XIV began, it was in the construction stage of the space station, and through the work of these two stages, the space station would be built. At present, the work of the core module of the space station in space is relatively stable as a whole, and the expected purpose has been achieved. The entire engineering validation phase is currently progressing relatively well. ”
Why are God Fourteen and God Fifteen multiplied at the same time?
What are the differences between shenzhou 14 and Shenzhou 15 missions? How do the six astronauts of Shenzhou 14 and 15 consider being in orbit at the same time? Yang Liwei explained that astronauts are different every mission. While some of the work and life in space, including the space station, are the same, there will be some special missions.
"Every time you go out, the mission is very different. Because the mission requirements of each stage of the space station's assembly are different, each time there will be a different scientific experiment, so as to reflect the role of the space station as a national space experiment platform. Yang Liwei said.
Reporter: God FOURTEEN and God XV astronaut crews will be in orbit together, how is this considered?
Yang Liwei: By then, the space station should have been built, and to see its carrying capacity, we would have 6 people working on it at the same time, and the design of the space station at that time also involved the consideration of this aspect of the needs. This is a verification of the space station, but also a verification of the work and life of more astronauts on it.
On February 15, Shenzhou 13 astronauts celebrated the Lantern Festival in space
Shenzhou 12 astronaut crew stayed in orbit for three months, Shenzhou 13 astronaut crew stayed in orbit for six months, Yang Liwei said that in the future, after the completion of the Chinese space station, the next astronauts in space will be considered according to demand for on-orbit stay time, which may be longer.
"After the normalization of flight time, it is basically on duty once every six months. At present, in accordance with international practice, the International Space Station is basically on duty according to this time. Depending on the needs of the work and the experiment, the time may also be longer. ”
Staying in the sky longer is a greater test for astronauts, and for this reason, researchers have made adequate preparations. Yang Liwei introduced that taking God FOURTEEN as an example, the food brought by the astronauts will also be different from the crew of the God Thirteen astronauts, and there will be personalized arrangements.
"From the perspective of eating, the astronauts on each session are different, and they will be adjusted according to the characteristics of each person. In addition, depending on the flight time, such as the three-month flight of God XII and the half-year flight of God XIII, the items we carry to astronauts will also have some adjustments. For example, if we want to bring them some fruit, we will see which flavors the astronauts themselves are interested in, and then choose some fruits with a longer storage period to ensure that astronauts can eat fresh fruits on it as much as possible. ”
Within a decade, ordinary people may enter the Chinese space station
The selection of astronauts has been a source of attention, and most of the mainland's astronauts have come from the Air Force. It is understood that in the future, there will also be technical experts and others entering the space station. According to the "2021 China Aerospace" white paper, the mainland will cultivate and develop space tourism during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, so is it possible for ordinary people to visit the space station during the "14th Five-Year Plan"?
Yang Liwei: This is possible, because commercial aerospace is also a major trend in the development of the entire space industry. From the perspective of engineering, we also hope that there will be more enterprises of different natures involved, which is a good boost for the development of the entire industry. From this point of view, in the future, ordinary people will have no problem entering the space station. As long as there is such a need, our resources allow, this should not be a very long-term problem.
Reporter: "15th Five-Year Plan" or maybe it can be achieved within ten years?
Yang Liwei: This is no problem. It is not a technical problem, it mainly depends on the demand.
Space pilot training lasts three and a half years
Yang Liwei said that according to the needs of the long-term development of space station construction, it is hoped that the continental astronaut team can form a good age ladder. This is conducive to the implementation of the mission and the construction of the team itself, so new astronauts will be recruited from time to time.
"We are also considering the selection of the next batch of astronauts, according to the needs of the mission, a group of astronauts will be selected at a certain interval." In addition to increasing the fresh blood of the team, the main want to form a good knowledge structure and age batch, forming a virtuous circle to meet the needs of the task. ”
So, how long will astronauts train? Yang Liwei's answer is to carry out according to the needs of task planning. "We need astronauts of different natures, such as pilots, engineers, payload experts, etc. The needs are different, and the incubation time is also different. For example, drivers may take about three and a half years to train according to the outline, while the load specialist may take a little shorter, two and a half years. According to the needs of different nature of the work, different training outlines are formulated. ”
The Chinese space station is expected to further cooperate with other countries in the future
The International Space Station is currently in overdue service, and the Chinese space station is about to be completed. In the future, the Chinese space station will surely undertake more important missions in space. Yang Liwei said that open cooperation has always been the attitude of China's aerospace industry, and more countries are welcome to carry out research on space with us.
"Our space station was originally designed with international cooperation in mind, and now many countries are applying to us, hoping to train astronauts and fly with them." From an engineering point of view, we have also reserved some resources for international cooperation, from small experiments to large cabin-level cooperation. We also have a fair interface to serve future international cooperation. Our country's manned space flight is open to different countries and different institutions. For example, we are now cooperating with companies from other countries, the first batch of the space station has selected 9 experiments, and there will be experiments with other countries in the future, and even some modules will have foreign astronauts flying with us. ”
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the mainland's manned spaceflight, and in the past 30 years, China has continuously accelerated its progress from a space power to a space power. The completion of the Chinese space station will lay a good foundation for the future exploration of space in the mainland.
"It's an ability to go into space. From a longer-term perspective, the future into more profound deep space, we need to break through more and more technologies. Yang Liwei said.
Source: Voice of China WeChat public account
Guangzhou Daily New Flower City Editor: Su Wanqian