The Shenzhou XIII return capsule landed successfully, the 3 astronauts were in good condition, and the mission was a complete success

At 9:56 on April 16, 2022, in the predetermined area of the Dongfeng landing field, the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft return module successfully landed.

(Source: Infographic)

Earlier, at 0:44 on April 16, the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft was successfully separated from the space station Tianhe core module, and the Shenzhou 13 astronaut crew worked and lived in the space station complex for 183 days, refreshing the record for the space stay time of Chinese astronauts on a single mission. On the morning of the 16th, 5 helicopters of the search and rescue recovery air detachment took off from the garrison airport and transferred to the assembly point of the air detachment. Subsequently, the main parachute of the return capsule of the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft was opened, and then the return module of the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft successfully landed in the predetermined area of the Dongfeng landing field. According to reports, the return capsule was in an upright state, and small animals came to the scene to witness history. After the shenzhou 13 return capsule door was opened, the medical supervision and medical insurance personnel determined that the three astronauts were in normal physical condition. At this point, the Thirteen Manned Flight Mission of God was a complete success.

It is reported that from the separation of the Shenzhou XIII spacecraft from the core module of the space station to the final return to the ground, the space trio's trip home took more than 9 hours. Before returning to the ship, the astronauts should change into the cabin pressure suit worn when they went out; after the return module enters the atmosphere, the bottom temperature will be as high as thousands of degrees Celsius, and the vibration noise overload phenomenon will occur in the cabin, and it will also experience a 4-6 minute "black barrier area" and temporarily lose contact with the ground.

According to reports, Shenzhou 13, referred to as "Shen XIII", is the thirteenth spacecraft launched by China's manned space project. This flight is the sixth flight of the key technology verification phase of the Chinese space station and the last mission of the phase.

Compared with the Shenzhou XII mission, the Shenzhou 13 mission mainly has the following differences:

First, the manned spacecraft adopts the method of autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking, and docks in a radial direction for the first time;

Second, the Chinese space station has realized the combination of 4 aircraft in the core cabin, 2 cargo spacecraft and 1 manned spacecraft;

The third is the first time that astronauts stay in orbit for 6 months, which is also the normalized residence cycle of astronauts during the operation of the space station;

Fourth, Chinese female astronauts entered the Chinese space station for the first time, and astronaut Wang Yaping also became the first female astronaut in China to implement the capsule activities, and the Shenzhou 13th crew will also include China's first male and female astronauts;

Fifth, on the basis of the Shenzhou 12 mission, further carry out more space science experiments and technological experiments to produce high-level scientific results;

Sixth, the spacecraft and rockets carrying out the mission are directly transferred from the backup state of emergency standby to the launch state at the launch site.

So, during this "space trio" business trip, what are the main key nodes, let's review it together:

On October 14, 2021, according to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, after the study and decision of the General Command of the Space Station Phase Flight Mission, the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft was launched at 00:23 Beijing time on October 16, and the flight crew was composed of astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu, with Zhai Zhigang as the commander. On the same day, the Shenzhou 13 manned mission logo was officially released.

At 21:40 on October 15, 2021, the astronauts of the Shenzhou 13 manned mission were held in Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. At 21:42, Li Shangfu, commander-in-chief of China's manned spaceflight project and commander-in-chief of the space station phase mission, issued an order, and Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guangfu, three astronauts, led the expedition to start a six-month mission.

At 0:23 on October 16, 2021, the Long March 2 F Yao 13 carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft was ignited and launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. About 582 seconds later, the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft successfully separated from the rocket, entered the predetermined orbit, and successfully sent Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guangfu into space, and the flight crew was in good condition, and the launch was a complete success. The Tianhe core module and the combination of Tianzhou-2 and Tianzhou-3 entered the docking orbit to meet the mission requirements of rendezvous and docking with Shenzhou-13 and the conditions for astronauts to enter. At 6:56 on October 16, the autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking mode was successfully docked at the radial port of the Tianhe core module, and the previously docked Tianzhou-2 and Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft formed a four-cabin (ship) combination, and the entire rendezvous and docking process lasted about 6.5 hours.

At 9:50 on October 17, 2021, the Shenzhou 13 astronaut crew successfully opened the cargo hatch and successfully entered the Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft.

On November 5, 2021, according to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, since the smooth station assembly, the Shenzhou 13 astronaut crew has successively carried out daily work such as cargo spacecraft material transfer, space station assembly management, new ascending cabin unsealing and testing, on-orbit medical examination, weightlessness protection exercise, space test (actual) test, etc., and carried out on-orbit emergency evacuation, mechanical arm operation, medical rescue drills and other on-orbit training projects.

On November 7, 2021, the Shenzhou 13 flight crew conducted its first emergency evacuation drill in orbit. At 18:51 on November 7, astronaut Zhai Zhigang successfully opened the exit hatch of the Tianhe core module node module, and as of 20:28 on the same day, astronauts Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping, dressed in China's new generation of "Feitian" extravehicular spacesuits, had successfully exited the capsule from the Tianhe core module node module.

On November 7, 2021, astronauts Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping, dressed in China's new generation of "Feitian" extravehicular spacesuits, successfully exited the capsule from the Tianhe core module node module, and China's first outgoing astronaut Zhai Zhigang performed the outgoing activity mission again after a gap of 13 years; Wang Yaping became the first female astronaut in China to perform the outgoing mission, taking the first step in China's female extravehicular spacewalk. After the two outgoing astronauts completed the installation of foot limiters and extravehicular workbenches on the robotic arm, with the support of the robotic arm, they cooperated with each other to carry out the installation of the robotic arm suspension device and the adapter, the typical action test outside the cabin, and the verification of the mutual rescue outside the cabin. During the period, Ye Guangfu, an astronaut in the cabin, cooperated with and supported two astronauts out of the cabin to carry out extravehicular operations.

At 1:16 on November 8, 2021, after about 6.5 hours of outgoing activities, the Crew of Shenzhou 13 astronauts worked closely together to successfully complete all the scheduled tasks of the outgoing activities, and astronaut Zhai Zhigang and astronaut Wang Yaping returned safely to the core module, and the outgoing activities were a complete success. This is the third spacecraft out of the space station stage, the first out of the cabin activity of the Shenzhou 13 astronaut crew, and the first time in the history of China's aerospace industry that female astronauts have participated. After about 6.5 hours of outgoing activities, the Shenzhou 13 astronaut crew worked closely together to successfully complete all the tasks set during the outgoing activities.

On November 14, 2021, Wang Yaping, Ye Guangfu and Zhai Zhigang of the Thirteenth Heavenly Beings group read the general prologue of Ba Jin's "Riptide Trilogy" in space with deep feeling: "I know that the torrent of life will not stop, and see where it carries me!" Subsequently, Zhai Zhigang did a backflip.

On December 26, 2021, the Shenzhou 13 astronaut crew was conducting its second outgoing activity. At 18:44 on December 26, Shenzhou 13 astronaut Ye Guangfu successfully opened the door of the Tianhe core module, astronaut Ye Guangfu at 18:50, astronaut Zhai Zhigang at 19:37, dressed in China's new generation of "Feitian" extravehicular space suit, has successfully exited the capsule from the Tianhe core capsule node module, and coordinated to carry out operations such as C lifting of the space station's extravehicular panoramic camera and independent carry-on transfer verification.

At 00:55 on December 27, 2021, after about 6 hours, the Shenzhou 13 astronaut crew successfully completed all the scheduled tasks of the second departure, and astronaut Zhai Zhigang and astronaut Ye Guangfu returned to the core module safely, and the departure activity was a complete success.

At 7:55 on January 8, 2022, after about 2 hours, the Shenzhou 13 astronaut crew, in close coordination with the ground scientific and technological personnel, adopted a hand-controlled remote operation method in the core module of the space station, and successfully completed the rendezvous and docking test of the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft and the space station assembly.

On March 24, 2022, according to the CCTV reporter of the general station, the three astronauts will begin to enter the preparation stage of return.

On April 14, 2022, according to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft has completed all the scheduled tasks and will choose the opportunity to evacuate the space station core module assembly and return to the Dongfeng landing field in the near future. At that time, the Shenzhou 13 crew had made all the preparations before the spacecraft was evacuated, and the Dongfeng landing site and engineering-related systems were carrying out various preparations for the return of astronauts.

On April 16, 2022 Beijing time, the Shen XIII manned flight mission was a complete success!

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