On March 30, local time, American astronaut VanderHei and two other Russian astronauts returned to Earth from the International Space Station aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Previously, people were also worried that American astronauts could not return to the earth in the Russian spacecraft, fearing that they would "stay" in space, fortunately, this did not happen, and the three astronauts have landed safely.
At present, the personnel changes on the International Space Station are normal plans, and although the international situation is changing, the International Space Station does not seem to be affected and continues to cooperate.
Moreover, For the return of American astronaut Van der Black in the Russian spacecraft, Russia still maintained a welcoming attitude, and after landing on the ground, it was also draped in a blanket with the logo of the Russian Space Agency. The Mission Control Center of the Russian Space Agency also welcomed on the screen with subtitles from American astronaut Van der Black.
On March 18, when the three Russian astronauts arrived at the International Space Station on the Soyuz spacecraft, all members, including American astronauts and European astronauts, went to greet the three Russian astronauts who entered the International Space Station.
Before American astronaut Van der Hey and two Russian astronauts did not return to Earth, there were 10 astronauts on the International Space Station, including 4 American astronauts, 1 European astronaut and 5 Russian astronauts.
Among them, the "key" that symbolizes the command of the International Space Station is kept by russian astronaut Skaplerov, and before Shkaprerov returns to Earth, the "key" symbolizing the command of the International Space Station is handed over to the American astronaut Marshburn.
In this regard, Russian cosmonaut Skaprev said:
"Humans have problems on Earth and in space, but I think the International Space Station is a symbol of friendship, cooperation, and the future of space exploration." Thank you very much to my fellow astronauts, you are like my space brothers and space sisters. ”
According to the original plan, American astronaut Marshburn will return to Earth at the end of April this year, and before returning to Earth, he will hand over the command of the International Space Station to Russian astronaut Atmiyev.
Whether it is the return of the spacecraft or the change of the commander of the International Space Station, it is currently a normal personnel change.
Commander of the International Space Station
The ISS Commander first began in 2000, and although this position does not change much in the course of daily work and life, this role is still very important, mainly responsible for relay liaison between the is responsible for being a member of the ISS and the flight supervisor on the ground.
In addition, it is necessary to ensure the safety of all members of the International Space Station, as well as the understanding and communication between the various members, and the resolution of possible conflicts.
If an emergency occurs, the commander must be present and must face it effectively, and if there is a problem, he will make a plan to rely on the cooperation between the various astronauts to ensure the safety of all astronauts.
In short, in addition to his own duties, the commander of the International Space Station has one more task: to ensure the normal operation of the space station, to ensure the safety of the lives of all members of the International Space Station, so that every astronaut can be healthy and smoothly return to the surface of the earth.
Compared to the average astronaut, the commander of the International Space Station has more power. The question then arises, if there is a conflict on the International Space Station, will the COMMANDER of the International Space Station use his power to harm the astronauts of other countries?
First of all, all astronauts on the International Space Station are a community of destiny, and once an accident occurs on the International Space Station, all astronauts face threats to their lives.
Moreover, although the commander of the International Space Station has certain powers over the operation of the International Space Station, his powers are constrained by the flight supervisor, and the vast majority of decisions are still made by the flight supervisor. Therefore, no matter which country the command is handed over to the astronauts, it will not threaten the astronauts of other countries.
In the history of the International Space Station, the role of commander has been held by American astronauts, Japanese astronauts and French astronauts, Italian astronauts, etc., in addition to Russian astronauts, and there have been no unpleasant events at present.
Cooperation and friction on the International Space Station
The astronauts of the International Space Station do not seem to be affected by the changes in the international situation, and still maintain good cooperation to ensure that the International Space Station can operate normally.
But on the other hand, cooperation on the International Space Station is not without cracks. Russia has repeatedly proposed to withdraw from the International Space Station project and wants to build its own space station.
First of all, the United States has not had its own manned spacecraft for a long time since the decommissioning of the space shuttle, but has entered the International Space Station by purchasing Russian spacecraft tickets.
In the beginning, the round-trip ticket price per seat of the Russian spacecraft was only $25 million, but over time, the price of ferry tickets also rose, at one point to $90.3 million. Over the years, the United States has spent a cumulative $4 billion on russian spacecraft tickets.
Subtle changes also occur in the International Space Station, astronauts must often exercise, in order to delay muscle atrophy and bone loss, etc., of which the U.S. cabin fitness facilities are relatively rich, Russian astronauts often go to the U.S. cabin for exercise. But in 2009, Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padarka revealed that he had been denied access to U.S. fitness facilities.
In addition, the US cabin also refused to allow Russian astronauts to borrow toilets, believing that Russian astronauts' food was unhealthy, excrement was smelly and hard, and it was easy to block the toilet.
There is no urine recovery and purification device in the toilets of the Russian module, and in the International Space Station, urine is also an important source of water, and the Russian cabin will borrow the American urine purification facility to process urine, but sometimes American astronauts will refuse this request.
In general, there is not only cooperation on the International Space Station, but occasionally there will be small frictions, but these small frictions have not affected the safe operation of the International Space Station.
However, today, Russia has repeatedly warned of the International Space Station, such as:
"If cooperation with us is frozen, who can save the ISS so that it doesn't uncontrolled derailment and fall into the U.S. or European territory." This 500-ton equipment did not fly over Russia. Therefore, all the risks are yours. Are you ready? ”
Russia also released a simulation video of the Russian module closing the hatch and cutting off contact with the International Space Station some time ago, and various indications show that cracks have appeared in the cooperation of the International Space Station, coupled with the fact that the International Space Station has been overdue for service, all aspects of the facilities are seriously aging, and the maintenance and operation costs are very high, so that whether the International Space Station can operate until 2031 is still a problem.