Autumn is as strong as wine, and spring flowers return home in season.
On April 16, the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft return module successfully landed at the Dongfeng landing field. This is the safe and smooth exit of astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu (left to right) (imposition photo). Xinhua News Agency
At 9:56 on April 16, 2022, the Shenzhou 13 spacecraft, which had been traveling in space for half a year, landed safely at the Dongfeng landing field, and the three astronauts who were "on a business trip" in space, Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guangfu, left the capsule safely and smoothly and returned to the embrace of the earth.
In the days of leaving the earth, Shenzhou 13 created one new space record after another: the first space radial rendezvous and docking of the Shenzhou spacecraft, the new record of continuous flight time in orbit Chinese, the first time Chinese women went out of the capsule, the first time the Chinese spent the Spring Festival in space, and the first rapid return of the Shenzhou spacecraft...
Chinese small steps taken in space again and again, converged into a big step in China's aerospace.
When Shenzhou triumphed, it marked the final mission of the key technology verification stage of the Chinese space station and the 6th mission of the complete success, and also opened the curtain on the construction stage of the Chinese space station.
China's aerospace industry has stood at a new starting point.
The way home
Six months of space life is fleeting, and the day to go home has arrived.
These days, Shenzhou 13 has entered the stage of preparing for return, and astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guangfu have also begun to pack their "luggage" and prepare for the return journey.
A set of footage from the space station sky and the camera in the core cabin showed that they sorted out the equipment and equipment in the cabin one by one, sorted out all kinds of items, carried out comprehensive cleaning and maintenance of the cabin environment, and packed up the small pendants in their respective bedrooms... The preparations for going home were methodical.
On the evening of April 15, the three astronauts gave a solemn military salute to the space station's Tianhe core module and reluctantly returned to the return module of the Shenzhou 13 spacecraft.
At 0:44 on the 16th, Shenzhou officially bid farewell to Tianhe and embarked on the road home.
On April 16, the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft return module successfully landed in the predetermined area of the Dongfeng landing field. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lian Zhen
Before parting, they set the Tianhe core cabin in unmanned flight mode, which was to ensure stable orbital operation.
After flying around the earth for 5 times, at 9:06, the Beijing Flight Control Center issued an instruction through the ground measurement and control station, and the orbital module and the return module of the Shenzhou 13 spacecraft were successfully separated. At 9:30, the spacecraft returned to the brake engine ignition, and the return capsule and the propulsion chamber separated.
Under the real-time monitoring and full tracking of Chinese astronauts, the Shenzhou spacecraft transformed into a meteor and re-entered the atmosphere.
At this moment, the Dongfeng landing field in the Gobi Desert is already ready, waiting for the return of relatives for nine days. In order to achieve the goal of "cabin landing", in the past few days, three professional search and rescue forces, including helicopter detachments, fixed-wing aircraft detachments, and ground detachments, have conducted many drills in the desert.
At this moment, according to the latest meteorological forecast data, there is no high wind, sandstorm, lightning and other weather in the landing field area, and the meteorological conditions meet the return requirements.
At this moment, the Shenzhou spacecraft was crossing the most dangerous part of the way back - the black barrier area. The return capsule rubbed violently with the atmosphere, and a high-temperature flame burned outside the capsule, like a ball of fire.
"Return to the cabin out of the black barrier." The radar operator quickly captures the target.
Subsequently, the large screen of the Beijing Flight Control Center showed that the main red and white parachute quickly opened, dragging the Shenzhou spacecraft slowly over the Dongfeng landing field.
On April 16, the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft return module successfully landed at the Dongfeng landing field. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lian Zhen
At 9:56, the Shenzhou XIII spacecraft landed in the predetermined area, and the landing point was almost perfect.
After 183 days, the three astronauts who were "on a business trip" in space returned home safely.
Opening the hatch and smiling, the cabin driver Su Liming said to them warmly: "Shenzhou Thirteen crew, welcome home." ”
Welcome home is also a word that hundreds of millions of people want to say to them.
The road to breakthrough
Six months ago, in the early morning of October 16, 2021, on the banks of the Weak Water River not far from the Dongfeng landing site, the jiuquan satellite launch center manned space launch site was brightly lit.
At 0:23, the milky white Long March rocket ignited and took off, and the burning tail flames lit up the night above the launch site. This is the 13th flying journey of the Shenzhou spacecraft, and it is also a breakthrough road that has repeatedly broken China's space records.
At this time, the Chinese space station Tianhe core module and the Combination of Tianzhou-2 and Tianzhou-3 are waiting for the arrival of their families in space.
6 autonomous orbit changes, spacecraft pitch adjustment... In space, Shenzhou XIII gradually approached the space station assembly until the docking mechanism of the assembly clearly appeared above the spacecraft.
With black space as the stage and the blue earth as the background, the slowly translating Shenzhou spacecraft is moving closer to the assembly little by little.
"The butt lock is locked."
At 6:56, the Shenzhou spacecraft adopted the autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking mode, docking at the radial port of the Tianhe core module, and formed a four-cabin (ship) combination with the previously docked Tianzhou-2 and Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft.
This is the first radial rendezvous and docking carried out by a continental manned spacecraft in space, that is, rendezvous and docking with the space station through the antenna and the lower interface of the core module.
On April 16, the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft return module successfully landed at the Dongfeng landing field. This is the safe and smooth exit of astronaut Zhai Zhigang. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Peng Yuan
At 1:16 on November 8, 2021, after about 6.5 hours of outgoing activities, the Shenzhou 13 astronaut crew worked closely together to successfully complete all the scheduled tasks of the outgoing activities, and astronauts Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping returned safely to the core module, and the outgoing activities were a complete success.
Wang Yaping thus became the first female astronaut in China to perform the outgoing mission, taking the first step in China's female extravehicular spacewalk.
Zhai Zhigang, who took the first step Chinese space during the Shenzhou VII mission, was more relaxed when he came out of the capsule again. This time, under his leadership, the astronauts also staged a "group talk" in space 400 kilometers away from the earth.
After the first out of the cabin, Zhai Zhigang said: "I have left the cabin and feel good!" ”
On April 16, the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft return module successfully landed at the Dongfeng landing field. This is the safe and smooth exit of astronaut Wang Yaping. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Peng Yuan
Immediately after, Wang Yaping, who was about to leave the cabin, said: "I will leave the cabin for a while and feel good!" ”
Ye Guangfu, who cooperated with and supported the two outgoing astronauts in the cabin to carry out extravehicular operations, finally said: "The next time I go out of the cabin, I feel good!" ”
The voices of the astronauts reached the ground, causing laughter from the ground staff.
On January 1, 2022, the Shenzhou 13 astronaut crew ushered in the first rays of the New Year in the distant space. To this end, they specially recorded a video to wish everyone a happy new year!
Farewell to 2021 and happy 2022. This is the first time that Chinese has celebrated New Year's Eve in space, and it is also the first time that Chinese have celebrated New Year's Day in the space station they have built.
In the early morning of January 6, the space station's robotic arm successfully captured the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft. Starting at 6:12, after the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft was unlocked and separated from the Tianhe core module, the plane transposition was carried out with the core capsule node capsule as the center of the ball under the drag of the mechanical arm; then, the reverse operation was reversed until the cargo spacecraft and the core capsule were re-docked and locked.
At 6:59 a.m., after about 47 minutes of close coordination across the system, the space station's robotic arm-transposing cargo spacecraft test was a complete success. In this test, the feasibility and effectiveness of using the robotic arm to operate the transposition of the space station module were preliminarily tested, and the transposition technology of the space station module and the large-load control technology of the robotic arm were verified, which accumulated experience for the subsequent assembly and construction of the space station.
This is the first time that the mainland has used the space station robotic arm to operate a large orbiting vehicle for transposition tests.
Two days later, at 7:55 a.m. on January 8, 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 Combination of the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft and the space station.
After the test began, the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft separated from the forward port of the core module node module, and the astronauts controlled the evacuation of the cargo spacecraft to the predetermined berth site through hand-controlled remote operation. After a short pause, it is transferred to the translational approach section, and the cargo spacecraft and the space station combination accurately complete the forward rendezvous and docking.
This is the first time that a continental astronaut has completed the rendezvous and docking of the cargo spacecraft and the space station assembly through manual remote operation.
Sticking Spring Festival, hanging lanterns, festive New Year paintings, red Chinese knots... On January 31, the Chinese New Year's Eve of the Lunar New Year, the Chinese space station was full of new year's decorations, and the Shenzhou 13 astronauts specially sent blessings to the motherland and the people.
Zhai Zhigang, who was holding the couplet, said: "I wish everyone a happy New Year, good health and all the best." Dressed in festive costumes, Wang Yaping wished the children across the country "living and thriving" and wished our great motherland "prosperity, prosperity and strength." Holding the word "Fu", Ye Guangfu wished the people of the whole country "a happy New Year and a happy family".
This is the first time that Chinese have welcomed the New Year and the New Year in the "Chinese Palace".
On April 16, the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft return module successfully landed in the predetermined area of the Dongfeng landing field. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ren Junchuan
At 0:44 on April 16, the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft was successfully separated from the space station Tianhe core module. At 9:56, the shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft return capsule landed at the Dongfeng landing field, setting a new record for the fastest speed for Chinese astronauts to return to earth from space.
At the same time, this is also the longest manned flight on the mainland so far, and Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping have become the longest-term Chinese male and female astronauts in orbit, respectively, and this record will be maintained until at least 2023.
The road to sowing
Like a fish swimming around, cross-legged "hanging in the air to meditate", floating in mid-air water balls...
In 2013, a special "space classroom", several wonderful experiments, like a paintbrush for high school sophomore Wang Nan opened up a completely different world, so that her life began to be associated with spaceflight.
After 8 years, on December 9, 2021, Chinese astronauts once again gave space lectures on the Chinese space station, 400 kilometers above the ground. As 8 years ago, Wang Nan carefully watched the entire live broadcast of the lecture. However, when the "class bell" rings again, she has grown into a designer at the Second Academy of China Aerospace Science and Industry.
The seeds of dreams planted in those days are now bearing fruit.
Wang Nan said: "The space teaching made me realize that the physical knowledge in the original textbook can really be related to spaceflight. As long as I keep learning, I will have the opportunity to get close to the sea of stars. ”
Now, Wang Nan got his wish. Born in 1996, she is undoubtedly the "mengxin" in China's aerospace industry, and it is also the future.
It is worth mentioning that the number of people who listened to the first space lecture with her alone exceeded 60 million people.
The Chinese space station is the "space home" of the Chinese and an important space science education base. In the six months after entering the Chinese space station, the Shenzhou 13 astronaut crew continued to sow scientific dreams for the majority of young people through the "Tiangong Classroom" and ignited the dreams of youth.
Beijing, Hong Kong and Macao are linked, and the interaction between heaven and earth is intimate.
On the first day of 2022, Shenzhou 13 and more than 500 young students from Beijing, Hong Kong and Macao held a dialogue on "youth, dreams and struggle".
On April 16, the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft return module successfully landed at the Dongfeng landing field. This is the safe and smooth exit of astronaut Ye Guangfu. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Peng Yuan
At about 15:15, when Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu appeared on the big screen, the highly anticipated "New Year's Day Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Tiangong Dialogue" officially began.
"What should I do if I encounter difficulties and setbacks?" "How does it feel to teach in space?" "How do you stay 'feel good' in the space environment?" "How do you deal with an unexpected situation?" ...... Young students from universities such as Tsinghua University, the University of Hong Kong and the University of Macau raised their hands to ask questions.
After answering the questions one by one, the astronaut crew also sent a New Year message from the "Tiangong" to the teenagers across the country: As long as you dare to dream, dare to chase dreams, and use wisdom and sweat to build your dream spaceship, you will certainly be able to usher in the launch moment of your dreams and fly to the vast starry sky that belongs to you.
Rockets, spaceships, space stations, and magical space life... On this day, the Chinese space station also held a special painting exhibition with the theme of "Dialogue between Youth and the Starry Sky", and more than 20 space-themed paintings created by teenagers in the central and western regions were unveiled in the "Tiangong".
The authors of these works are a group of children who have never been in close contact with spaceflight, and they present their infinite reverie and wonderful vision of the vast space on the drawing paper.
The flying dream never loses weight, and the tension of the scientific dream is unlimited. They are the future of the motherland and the future of China's aerospace.
We believe that more and more teenagers will look up at the stars. As long as they plant a seed of love for science, pursuit of dreams, and exploration of the unknown in their hearts, then the seeds of this dream will surely take root and sprout, and bloom more and more brilliant flowers.
The way forward
At 15:59 on March 27, 2022, the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft, after completing all the scheduled tasks in the space station assembly stage, withdrew from the space station core module assembly.
Tianzhou-2 is the first cargo spacecraft launched during the space station's key technical verification phase. Since its launch on May 29, 2021, Tianzhou-2 has flown more than 300 days in orbit.
When it arrived, 6.8 tons of supplies were delivered for the space station. At other times, most of the space life waste was taken away.
Three days later, the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft was controlled to re-enter the atmosphere, and a small amount of wreckage fell into the predetermined safe sea area of the South Pacific.
After bidding farewell to Tianzhou-2, the return journey of Shenzhou 13 also entered the countdown, and the astronaut crew began to make preparations for the return of the spacecraft.
On April 16, the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft return module successfully landed in the predetermined area of the Dongfeng landing field. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Peng Yuan
On April 16, the Shenzhou 13 spacecraft return module separated from the Tianhe core module, and landed safely at the Dongfeng landing field more than 9 hours later, and the last mission of the key technology verification phase of the Chinese space station was a complete success.
Life has a gathering and a dispersion, fortunately there is a scattering and a gathering.
Just 5 days before the return of the Shenzhou 13 spacecraft, the China Manned Space Engineering Office issued a message that the Long March 7 Yaowu carrier rocket, which carried out the launch mission of the Tianzhou 4 cargo spacecraft, has completed all the development work before leaving the factory and arrived safely at the Wenchang Space Launch Site, and will carry out the final assembly and testing of the launch site area as planned together with the Tianzhou 4 cargo spacecraft that arrived earlier.
"The return of Tianzhou-2 is also for the purpose of 'letting Xian' Tianzhou-4 and rationally using the cargo spacecraft interface." Li Zhihui, deputy commander-in-chief of the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft of the Fifth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, said.
The Tianhe core module is equipped with 5 pairs, of which the backward pair interface and the forward pair interface can be used to dock the cargo spacecraft. After returning, Tianzhou-2 freed up a pair of interfaces, and waited for Tianzhou-4 together with Tianzhou-3, which had been flying in orbit for nearly 200 days.
In fact, the space station's core module assembly is waiting far more than just The Tianzhou IV.
The Chinese space station project is about to enter the construction phase. This also means that the mainland will launch two space station experimental modules of Wentian and Mengtian within this year, two manned spacecraft of Shenzhou 14 and Shenzhou 15, and two cargo spacecraft of Tianzhou 4 and Tianzhou 5, and will also realize that 6 Chinese astronauts are in orbit at the same time for the first time.
"At that time, a Chinese space station consisting of 3 modules, 2 manned spacecraft and 1 cargo spacecraft, with a total mass of nearly 100 tons, carrying 6 astronauts, and also loaded with a large number of advanced experimental devices such as space life and biological sciences and materials science, will be presented to the world." At this year's two sessions of the National People's Congress, Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China's manned space project, said this at the first "member channel" of the Fifth Session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
This will be a very exciting moment, a future road belonging to China's aerospace is slowly unfolding.
Text reporters: Li Guoli, Yang Xiaomin
Poster Design: Qian Cheng
Source: Xinhua News Agency