The three astronauts of the Shenzhou XIII spacecraft have been working and living in the space station for more than 5 months, and according to the plan, they will work and live in orbit for about 180 days, and now they have entered the countdown to "going home". Since the beginning of this week, they have entered the preparation stage of return, let us look forward to their early victorious return!
Tidy up the "room"
The astronauts put the relevant equipment in place
After the astronauts entered the core module of the space station, they moved down a lot of daily necessities and experimental equipment from the cargo spacecraft and arranged the "small home" in the sky. Before going home, they need to restore the cabin environment as much as possible, such as fitness equipment, experimental supplies, maintenance spare parts, etc. need to be repacked and put back in the designated position. In order to prevent the potential danger of floating and sliding, some items also need to be fixed to the inner wall of the space station. In addition, they have to inventory and classify the remaining materials so that the future Shenzhou 14 spacecraft crew can "seamlessly switch" to live in orbit.
Pack your "bags"
Astronauts prepare to go home, of course, to pack their "luggage", which includes not only touching items, but also "carrying data". "Business trip" for half a year, 3 astronauts in the Tiangong space station carried out a number of space physics, life science, material science, astronomical exploration and other fields of experiments, scientific research value is very large, experimental data, records, etc. must be "transported" from the core module of the space station to the Shenzhou 13 spacecraft return module, as soon as possible back to the ground.
In addition, the garbage accumulated in the space station in the past six months also needs to be "taken away". Before the astronauts return, they need to thoroughly "clean" the space station and do a good job of collecting and sorting. For example, residual food waste, sanitary product waste, waste generated by on-orbit experiments, etc. need to be packed and sorted, put into the orbital module, and then fall into the atmosphere with the orbital module and burn up.
Exercise
Astronauts perform physical strengthening exercises
Astronauts work and live in the microgravity environment of the space station for a long time, and the body will undergo great changes, such as reduced body fluids, muscle atrophy, bone loss, and even immune system disorders. In order to alleviate the harm that these conditions may cause, astronauts have to exercise in the space station every day, and they also need to carry out intensive exercises before returning home, and make adaptive adjustments in advance for returning to the ground.
In addition, the Weightless Physiological Effects Protection Team at the Astronaut Ground Center provides a "workout prescription" based on the real-time physical condition of the three astronauts. After they land safely, the professional team on the ground needs to carry out protection and isolation as soon as possible according to the data and real-time detection accumulated before, to help astronauts restore physical fitness and mental health and adapt to life on Earth. At the same time, in order to welcome the three astronauts to return home safely, the search and rescue detachment of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, together with other search and rescue forces, carried out targeted training exercises at the Dongfeng landing field.
It is reported that the physical condition and psychological state of the three astronauts in the Shenzhou 13 group are better than expected, meeting the conditions for returning to the earth.
Familiarize yourself with the process
Looking forward to seeing the safe landing of the return capsule soon
Despite the maturity and reliability of technology, the spacecraft's return capsule journey back to Earth is still fraught with dangers and challenges. In general, astronauts must be familiar with the necessary operations and emergency plans throughout the return process, such as when to separate the manned spacecraft from the space station assembly, when to start the thruster, and so on.
In addition, they also have to carefully check the spacecraft return module to ensure that the various systems are working properly, especially the spacecraft propulsion device and power control system.
"Turn off the lights and lock the door"
Schematic diagram of the hatches of the Tiangong space station
Just like the house that does not live for a long time must be cut off from water and electricity, before the astronaut leaves the space station, it is also necessary to set up the temporary state, and set up electricity, water, gas, communications and other aspects in place. According to domestic and foreign experience, they are likely to adjust a total of forty or fifty items to ensure that the space station can transmit effective parameters to the ground during the subsequent unmanned mission.
Before leaving, the astronauts also have to close the doors of the space station, and then return to the Shenzhou XIII spacecraft from the core module, sit safely, fasten the seat belt, and check the airtightness of the spacesuit and the integrity of the equipment. When everything is ready, wait for the "departure"!
Source: China Aerospace News