The "Doctor Crew" tells the story of 154 days of life in space

Source: People's Liberation Army Daily, China Military Trumpet

Author: Zhan Kang

A panoramic photo of the space station assembly taken by the Shenzhou-16 crew. Profile picture

In mid-March, Gui Haichao, an astronaut of the Shenzhou-16 crew and the first payload expert of China's space station, appeared at the China Science and Technology Museum and was invited to participate in the "Ideological and Political Course in the Science and Technology Museum". Gui Haichao, dressed in a dark blue astronaut costume, shared the story of Chinese astronauts chasing their dreams of space with sincere emotions and vivid language, and had a warm exchange with the young student representatives on the scene around topics of public curiosity such as astronaut selection and training, space life, etc.

Gui Haichao's Shenzhou-16 crew included three types of astronauts for the first time: "astronauts, aerospace flight engineers, and payload experts", and was called the "doctoral crew" by netizens. In the space station mission relay race, the Shenzhou-16 crew completed the first baton of the space station application and development stage.

After returning, Jing Haipeng summed up in an interview: "In this mission, the crew has lived happily and worked efficiently, and there have been no mistakes in all operations and instructions sent, and zero mistakes and zero errors have been achieved. He commented on the two young teammates: "Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao did perform very well, and I gave them 120 points out of 100." ”

In the five months in space, what kind of story did the Shenzhou-16 crew experience in space? Let's review it together.

Chase the blue dream

On that day, the milky white spacecraft orbiting the Earth became the focus of the world's attention. At 13:45 on July 20, 2023, Jing Haipeng, dressed in an extravehicular suit with a blue logo, jumped up from the airlock cabin of the Wentian module. In the vast expanse of space, the blue earth above seems to be within reach. This is the first time that the Shenzhou-16 crew has gone out of the cabin.

"01 is out of the cabin and feels good. In the deep space, Jing Haipeng waved to the people of the whole country. In the accusation hall of Beijing Aerospace City, there was a burst of warm applause.

In the past 15 years, he has flown four times, and Jing Haipeng has set a record for the highest solo mission. Since the implementation of the Shenzhou 7 mission, he has returned to zero and restarted again and again in the process of chasing his dreams, re-accepted the "devil training" again and again, and faced new challenges and tests again and again. Now, he's finally in his space walk. Jing Haipeng once said: "The first time in space is called realizing dreams, the second time is called transcending dreams, the third is called sublimation dreams, and the fourth time is called innovation dreams." "On the road of chasing his dreams, he has never stopped running.

Subsequently, Zhu Yangzhu also went out of the cabin smoothly wearing an extravehicular suit with a yellow logo. As the first space flight engineer on the mainland to carry out the mission, he can finally go out of the capsule and experience the quiet and beautiful universe. When he was a teenager, Zhu Yangzhu often lay on the plains of northern Jiangsu and fantasized about being able to look at his hometown from the blue sky. This dream related to aerospace has ushered in the moment of realization after years of unremitting efforts. He didn't have the nervousness and apprehension he imagined, nor did he have too much excitement and excitement, but was very calm. It's like a college entrance examination candidate who walks to the exam room with confidence and writes his answer sheet after taking mock exams again and again. He focused on the task at hand, methodically following the steps. With the tacit cooperation of Jing Haipeng and Gui Haichao, the precise command of "Dawn" and the support of major systems on the ground, Zhu Yangzhu's out-of-cabin activity is "better than a leisurely stroll".

"Shake it, press it down, and see if it is lifted in place?" Wherever the extravehicular astronauts go and operate, Gui Haichao's advice will follow in time. Gui Haichao stayed in front of the console every step of the way, paying attention to the movement trajectory and various parameters of the robotic arm, and working closely with his teammates outside the cabin to complete various operations. Gui Haichao, who is called "a small town problem-solver" by netizens, has an inspirational growth history. During the college entrance examination, he entered Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics with the top score in science in the county, studied for bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees all the way, and served as a doctoral supervisor at the age of 31. Gui Haichao once dreamed that one day he could bring his favorite scientific research work to the space laboratory. When he learned that the mainland was going to select the first batch of load experts, Gui Haichao immediately signed up. The kid who drove the cow home under the starlight finally realized his dream of flying to space at the age of 36.

In the alternation of the sunlit area and the shadow area, Jing Haipeng docked more than 30 points with the support of the robotic arm, and Zhu Yangzhu climbed more than 100 handrails on the bulkhead. In the long road, Zhu Yangzhu did not feel lonely. "01Do you see me? I see your shadow, and there is your shadow on that sun wing. He and Jing Haipeng chatted through headphones all the way to give each other psychological support. Gui Haichao, an astronaut in the cabin, also paid attention to the relevant parameters of their extravehicular suits at any time, and took the initiative to remind them of the temperature of their suits, so that they could adjust to the appropriate temperature in advance.

After about 8 hours of out-of-cabin activities, the 3 Shenzhou-16 crew members worked closely together, with the support of the space station's robotic arm, to complete the installation and lifting of the on-orbit bracket of the panoramic camera B of the "Tianhe" core module, and the unlocking and lifting of the panoramic cameras A and B of the "Mengtian" experimental module, and the out-of-cabin activities were successfully completed.

Gui Haichao still remembered that he was waiting for his teammates at the hatch. When Jing Haipeng and Zhu Yangzhu successfully completed the task and returned to the cabin, the three of them hugged each other tightly.

The commander burst into tears twice

It is said that men don't flick when they have tears, but the commander Jing Haipeng has two moments of tears-

In the early days of the Shenzhou-16 crew entering the space station, an important task was to sort out supplies. The space station module is full of cargo bags that the crew has to resort, pack and store. When placing the bag, it is necessary to fill the gap with sponge, foam and other waste to prevent the bag from drifting.

One day, the Shenzhou 16 crew finished their work ahead of schedule and began to sort out the waste in the Tianzhou 5 spacecraft. In the evening, Jing Haipeng went to prepare dinner, and Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao continued to tidy up. Half an hour passed, the meal was hot, and Jing Haipeng urged them to eat. Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao said that they would come soon. When the food was cold, they didn't show up. And just like that, the meal was hot over and over again, and 4 hours had passed. Jing Haipeng floated directly to the node cabin and shouted loudly towards the cargo ship: "I order you to stop, you can't finish it, you can't do it, eat!" Seeing that the commander who had never blushed with them was angry for the first time, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao hurriedly ended the work at hand.

Seeing the appearance of the two young teammates, Jing Haipeng couldn't help but have a sour nose. I saw Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao wearing headlamps, sweating profusely, and their eyes were bloodshot. Their new gloves were worn out, and their fingers were exposed. Jing Haipeng patted the shoulders of the two with tears in his eyes, "It's hard." Then, he said: "We can make a little contribution to the application and development of the national space station, which is 'value' in two words, 'very worthy' in three words, and 'very worthy' in four words." Gui Haichao said suspiciously: "01, are you hungry and faint? That 'value' is not 2 words, 'very worthy' is not 3 words, and 'very worthy' is not 4 words." The three of them laughed. Almost every day on the space station is like this, hard and happy.

At 7 a.m. on October 24, 2023, the alarm clock rang on time as usual. After Jing Haipeng got up, he quickly cleaned up his sleeping area. Suddenly, the sound of "Happy Birthday to You" sounded in the cabin. "01, I wish you a happy birthday!" Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao stood in front of the dining table and said to him with a smile. On the dining table is a birthday gift bag that the ground support staff has prepared for a long time. Jing Haipeng then remembered that today was his birthday.

This scene seems to be very familiar. Jing Haipeng's thoughts have drifted back to 7 years ago, when he was carrying out the Shenzhou 11 mission in space with astronaut Chen Dong. At 7 o'clock in the evening, Jing Haipeng waited in front of the monitor to watch the news broadcast according to the notice of the ground support team, but he did not expect that the representatives of the ground staff and the comrades-in-arms of the astronaut brigade who accompanied them every day appeared on the screen. In front of them was a birthday cake that read, "Happy birthday to Haipeng!"

Chen Dong, who was beside him, also took out a space version of the "birthday cake", opened it and scooped a spoonful into his mouth. The cake is sweet, and Jing Haipeng's heart is even sweeter. When he was a child, Jing Haipeng's family conditions were not good, and his mother could only cook him a bowl of egg noodles on his birthday. Jing Haipeng didn't expect that he would be able to spend such a grand birthday in space. That night, he excitedly saluted 12 military salutes in a row.

Seven years later, Jing Haipeng can celebrate his birthday with his comrades in space, how rare it is. Thinking of this, Jing Haipeng couldn't help but burst into tears.

Coincidentally, this day is also Zhu Yangzhu's lunar birthday. The three of them shared the birthday gift package and shared their experiences. Jing Haipeng said: "Thank you to the two brothers, but to be honest, it doesn't matter if the birthday is over, we must complete the task well." Gui Haichao proposed: "When celebrating our birthdays, we should think about where we come from and where we are going." Zhu Yangzhu said: "As the saying goes, when the birthday of the son is difficult for the mother, we must not forget our original intention and resolutely complete the tasks assigned to us by the motherland." A birthday party turned into a mission mobilization meeting in their emotional voices.

Gui Haichao recalled that in this cross-generational group with a 20-year age difference, the commander Jing Haipeng often said to them: "Don't worry, I'm here." Jing Haipeng once put forward the team concept of "1+1+1=1", requiring the crew to work as one, clench their fingers into a fist, and fight as a team. It was with the company of the three people who accompanied each other and walked side by side that they carried out one out-of-cabin activity and the fourth space teaching activity of the Chinese space station, and successfully completed multiple cargo out-of-cabin missions of the space station. "As the first payload expert of China's space station, I feel very lucky, happy and proud to be able to conduct scientific research experiments in space. Gui Haichao said.

The story behind "Teach in Space".

Surrounded by the eager eyes of many teenagers, the "ideological and political course in the science and technology museum" gradually reached a climax. Gui Haichao shared a little secret with everyone - in fact, on September 21, 2023, during the fourth lecture of the "Tiangong Classroom", the "table tennis" experiment, which was loved by the audience, almost died.

According to the original design plan of the China Science and Technology Museum, astronauts need to paste a hydrophobic film on the surface of the table tennis ball, and use the surface tension of the water to bounce the water balloon like a table tennis ball. However, while preparing for class on the space station, the astronauts found that the water balloon did not bounce off as expected. Almost, the experiment was about to be canceled. However, they were surprised to find that the surface of the sports cleaning wipes was hydrophobic. According to this phenomenon, the teaching team immediately adjusted the teaching aids and wrapped a dry towel around the table tennis racket.

As a result, there is the "space table tennis experiment" that everyone sees. Zhu Yangzhu first squeezed out a water ball from the water bag, and when the water ball touched the table tennis racket in Gui Haichao's hand, it immediately "sticked" to the surface of the racket. Later, Zhu Yangzhu hit the water polo with a "special" racket wrapped in a sports cleaning towel on the surface, and the water balloon was slowly bounced off. The two "space teachers" played "table tennis" back and forth, which amazed the teachers and students in the ground classroom.

"In addition to the surface tension that makes the water balloon less likely to break, the surface of the towel is also covered with hydrophobic microvilli that and the microstructures they form have good hydrophobic properties. Zhu Yangzhu explained while playing.

In addition to the "wonderful table tennis", the "spherical flame" has also attracted the attention of countless primary and secondary school students across the country.

In the "spherical flame" experiment, Gui Haichao used a match to light a yellow candle, and unlike the cone-shaped flame of the classroom candle on the ground, the candle flame lit in the space station is approximately spherical in shape, the color is blue, and the flame state does not change no matter how the direction changes. Behind this well-demonstrated experiment, the teaching team has put a lot of effort into it. In order to present the best teaching effect to primary and secondary school students across the country, the Shenzhou-16 crew gave full play to their own characteristics and participated in the design of the experiment. From coming up with ideas, making teaching aids, to polishing handouts, and preparing exercises on track, the whole process is extremely imaginative and challenging.

This is the first time that a Chinese space station has demonstrated a combustion experiment in an open space inside the cabin. In view of the safety of the experiment, the astronaut system and the space station system have carried out relevant tests and comprehensive analysis on the ground, and various measures have been taken to ensure the safety of the experiment and the risk is controllable.

The experiment shown in the lecture is the 9th ignition experiment, and it is also the experiment with the best demonstration effect. Due to the safety requirements of personnel and some equipment, the ventilation of the Mengtian cabin cannot be stopped during the teaching, but the wind speed in the cabin is too high, which will directly affect the spherical shape of the candle flame. In order to reduce the wind speed and reduce the wind disturbance, the astronauts tried repeatedly and found a solution to block and divert the air outlet near the experimental area after many ignition experiments. They made a convenient plugging and diversion device based on local materials, and finally reduced the local wind speed in the combustion experimental area to less than 4 cm/s, and obtained the best microgravity spherical flame demonstration effect.

Glory and romance belonging to the Chinese

On October 30, 2023, the Shenzhou-16 crew will end their five-month space life and embark on a journey home. At 20:37, the Shenzhou-16 spacecraft and the space station assembly were successfully separated. After separation, the Shenzhou-16 crew will take panoramic images of the space station assembly with the Earth as the background during the spacecraft's orbit around the space station.

Jing Haipeng and Zhu Yangzhu observed the meter data, and Gui Haichao held a high-definition camera and observed through the porthole. "When the space station floated over the edge of the porthole, the background of the Earth at that time was just a sea with some white clouds on it. Our space station is the brightest, most beautiful, and most spectacular on this one. I couldn't think of any words to describe how I felt. Gui Haichao recalled. Jing Haipeng asked, "How is it, 03?" Gui Haichao replied: "Very beautiful, our space station is very handsome." ”

At that moment, Gui Haichao was so excited that he wanted to shout. But in order to ensure the shooting effect, he tried to adjust his breathing, calm his mood, hold the camera with his hand steadily, and stare intently. When the space station flew into view, he quickly pressed the shutter and recorded a precious video that will go down in history.

For the first time, the true face of the space station was revealed to the public, and every detail was clearly visible, and it was stunningly beautiful against the backdrop of the blue earth. This is the first time that the mainland has obtained a panoramic image of the space station assembly with the earth as the background in orbit, and it is also the first set of full-configuration working photos of China's space station. Netizens called it shocking, calling it "the glory and romance that belongs to the Chinese." ”

Before returning home, the Shenzhou-16 astronauts also ate the green vegetables they grew on the space station. The "space vegetable garden" carefully cultivated by them is not only an adjustment for astronauts' life in orbit, but also an important experiment to study the growth, development, physiology and biochemistry of plants in the microgravity environment of space.

During the orbit period, the Shenzhou-16 crew carried out a total of 70 space experiments and 8 human factors engineering technology researches, and obtained a large amount of experimental data. They also brought back some experimental samples and waited for the researchers to "unpack".

In the early morning of October 31, 2023, the Badain Jaran Desert ushered in a magnificent sunrise, as if eagerly welcoming the triumph of the Shenzhou-16 astronauts. At 8:11, the return capsule of the Shenzhou-16 manned spacecraft successfully landed at the Dongfeng landing site. At 9:10, all three astronauts left the capsule safely and smoothly, and they were in good health, and the first manned mission in the application and development stage of the space station was a complete success.

Today, several months have passed since Shenzhou-16 flew into the sky. Recalling the moment when the rocket lifted off again, Gui Haichao couldn't help but say: "I feel that every cell in my body is overweight, and I feel that there is a heavy force in my back, steadily supporting my body to break free of gravity and rise from the ground." I deeply felt that at that moment, it was the motherland that lifted me to the sky!"

Every time a Chinese astronaut asks about space, it is the beginning of the next exploration. At this moment, in space, about 400 kilometers away from the earth, the "youngest crew" is continuing to write the excitement of China's space station. In the future, more Chinese astronauts will continue to compete in space, constantly marking new heights in China's aerospace development.

(Produced by the People's Liberation Army Daily, China Military Horn)