The "Feel Good" three astronauts returned to Earth on April 16 in the group Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu, which also means the success of the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft mission and also marks the perfect conclusion of the key technical verification phase of China's space station construction.
The three astronauts returned to Beijing for a six-month recovery and adaptation period, after all, after flying in the microgravity environment of space for 6 months, all aspects of the body's functions will be affected to a certain extent, and returning to the earth requires a gravitational re-adaptation process until all aspects of the body data return to the pre-flight level.
The subsequent launch missions of the continental space station will also be carried out intensively, and intensive launch missions will be carried out in the remaining 8 months of 2022 to complete the construction of the space station.
Tianzhou and Shenzhou lined up to wait for departure
The construction period of the Chinese space station is two years, starting from the launch of the Tianhe core module into orbit in April 2021, which also means that the construction of the Chinese space station has officially begun. During the key technology verification phase, four launch missions were carried out, including the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft, the Shenzhou XII manned spacecraft, the Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft and the Shenzhou-13 manned spacecraft.
At present, the space station assembly is only "one ship and one cabin", the Tianhe core module and the Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft, and on April 20, the Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft completed the orbital transposition experiment, from the backward pairing interface of the Tianhe core module to the forward pairing interface, in order to make way for the Tianzhou-4 cargo spacecraft launched in mid-May.
According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, the Chinese space station will have 6 launch missions in the next 8 months, and the approximate launch time will be discharged. The first is the Tianzhou-4 cargo spacecraft, which departed in May, followed by the Shenzhou XIV manned spacecraft launched in June.
Immediately after the launch of the "Qingtian Experimental Module" in July, the launch of the "Dream Day Experimental Module" in October, and the last remaining Tianzhou-5 cargo spacecraft and the Shenzhou 15 manned spacecraft will be launched in the remaining time, according to the 6-month space flight of Shenzhou 14, Shenzhou 15 will be launched around December.
According to the plan, the Shenzhou XIV manned spacecraft crew and the Shenzhou XV manned spacecraft crew will meet the division in space
The remaining 6 launch missions of the Chinese space station in 2022, mainly two manned launch missions, according to the information of the China Manned Space Engineering Office, the two astronaut crews have been determined, but have not yet been announced, and are currently in intensive training to make final preparations for space flight.
According to the conventional plan, each astronaut crew will carry out a 6-month space flight, especially the Shenzhou XIV astronaut crew mission will be relatively heavy, because they will carry out two experimental module launch missions during their orbit. During this period, the space station assembly will also undergo a variety of configuration changes.
First of all, before the "Qingtian" experimental module was launched into orbit, the Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft needed to perform a downward mission, take away the garbage waste from the space station, and then burn it into the atmosphere. The "Q&A" experimental module will first be docked to the forward pair, and after several months of flight, it will be transposed horizontally with the assistance of a robotic arm, staying on the horizontal radial berth of the node module. The same "Dream" experimental module launched in October will follow a similar process.
When Shenzhou 14 and Shenzhou 15 space will meet the division, the Tianzhou 4 cargo spacecraft needs to move from the rear-facing interface to the forward-facing interface to make way for the Tianzhou-5 cargo spacecraft, and at the same time immediately go down from the front-facing interface to make way for the Shenzhou 15 manned spacecraft.
In that short period of 5-10 days, the space station assembly will be a "three-cabin and three-ship" configuration, including the Tianhe core module, the "Qingtian" experimental module, the "Dream" experimental module, the Shenzhou XIV manned spacecraft, the Tianzhou V cargo spacecraft, and the Shenzhou XV manned spacecraft.
Is the sleeping area of the Chinese space station enough for 6 people?
We know that there are three intimate sleeping areas on the Tianhe core module, and there are also small skylights, which can allow astronauts to better rest and relax, and ensure physical and mental health, after all, it will be comfortable to have a small space of their own after busy work.
When Shenzhou 14 and Shenzhou 15 take the space conference division and hand over the mission in orbit, then the Chinese space station will briefly have 6 astronauts stationed at the same time and stay together for 5-10 days.
Like the International Space Station, the handover of missions on orbit, the maximum number of personnel can reach 13, even if the International Space Station is large, it is not equipped with so many special sleeping areas, so in a short period of time astronauts need to find a relatively quiet place, with a sleeping bag to hang themselves on the side wall, like buying a "hanging ticket". In the picture below is a Japanese astronaut hanging himself on the side wall of the space station.
So will the Shenzhou XV astronaut crew also use this way?
Of course, it will not be so shabby, the Chinese space station waited for the arrival of the Shenzhou 15 astronaut crew, has completed the construction of the "T-shaped" structure, in fact, in addition to the three sleeping areas and a bathroom in the Tianhe core module, there are also the same level of configuration on the "Qingtian" experimental module, three sleeping areas and a toilet, so it can meet the common flight requirements of 6 astronauts for a short time.
Say at the end
In 2023, the Chinese space station will officially enter the operation period, according to the 6-month conventional flight cycle, two astronauts will enter the space station every year for scientific experiments and maintenance, and there will be foreign astronauts entering the Chinese space station in the future. In fact, there are already many countries applying for experimental cooperation projects on the Chinese space station, of course, in the end, who can enter the Chinese space station will still be strictly reviewed and screened.
Text/science black hole, image source network intrusion deletion.