Background
"There are unforeseen circumstances in the sky, and people have good and bad luck. This sentence was vividly reflected in the orbital module of Shenzhou 15.
As an important part of the mainland's manned space program, the success of Shenzhou-15 is undoubtedly a major milestone in China's space history.
The spacecraft set sail at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on November 29, 2022, marking the successful completion of the construction phase of China's space station. Behind this seemingly perfect mission, however, lies an unsolved mystery: Why, nearly a year after the spacecraft returned to Earth, its orbital module fell in a fireball over Los Angeles?
The fate of the orbital module has sparked widespread public concern and speculation. On June 4, 2023, the Shenzhou-15 return capsule landed safely, and the astronauts were safe, but the orbital module remained in space until the early morning of April 2 this year, when a burning fireball streaked across the night sky of Los Angeles, making the mystery the focus of heated discussions again.
This begs the question, is this a simple technical question, or is it a deeper challenge behind the spacecraft, and the analysis that follows will reveal all of this.
Body content:
The mission of Shenzhou-15 is not just a simple space trip, but a space operation involving high technology and sophisticated calculations. From the launch in November 2022 to the successful return in June 2023, the whole process was full of challenges and innovations.
Shenzhou-15 consists of three parts: the propulsion module, the orbital module and the return module, each of which undertakes different important functions. The re-entry module is the life support module for astronauts, while the orbital module serves as a temporary "space laboratory".
In space, the astronauts carried out four out-of-cabin activities, installed and commissioned various scientific equipment, and the orbital module provided the necessary support for these activities.
However, when the order to return to Earth was given, the orbital module separated from the re-entry capsule, beginning its fate different from that of the re-entry capsule. The orbital module was originally planned to continue to operate in orbit for a number of independent scientific experiments and technical tests.
In fact, before China built its own space station, similar orbital modules were often used as temporary scientific research platforms, and these "heavenly laboratories" used to collect a lot of valuable scientific data.
However, the scene on April 2, 2023, was clearly not planned. The fireball over Los Angeles is the orbital module of Shenzhou 15.
In general, the orbital module of a spacecraft is designed with mechanisms to control its final destination, either safely burned up in the atmosphere or guided to a so-called "graveyard orbit", an orbit used to store decommissioned satellites and other spacecraft. However, the orbital module of Shenzhou-15 appears to have failed to carry out these procedures as scheduled.
According to the US Space Surveillance Agency, the fall was due to the gradual reduction of the orbital module's position in orbit and its eventual failure to maintain its orbital status. This can be caused by a number of factors, including technical problems with the orbital module itself, the environmental impact of external space, and even preliminary errors in orbital calculations.
In addition, the ultimate fate of the orbital module has raised public concerns about space waste management. While most of the space debris burns up when it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere, there is still a significant risk of damage to the ground. The case of the orbital module of Shenzhou 15 is a reminder of this potential danger.
Various circumstances show that although the orbital module of Shenzhou-15 has completed its historical mission, its final fall is not only a technical lesson, but also a warning for future space mission planning and spacecraft design. Although the story of the orbital module ended in an unexpected way, its scientific contributions and the reflections it provoked will be its most precious legacy to us.
Although the orbital module of Shenzhou 15 seems to be an accidental accident on the surface, it actually contains profound enlightenment and reflection behind it.
This incident not only re-examines the design and management of spacecraft, but also challenges our approach to space waste. "The universe is vast, and the responsibility is great", every space exploration is not only the pursuit of infinite outer space, but also a test of the limited earth's resources and environment.
Sublimation at the end:
From a technical point of view, it is an indispensable part of space engineering to ensure that the components of a spacecraft can be decommissioned safely and orderly after the end of the mission.
Spacecraft are designed with the ultimate decommissioning strategy in mind, and how to safely remove or transfer the spacecraft from orbit to a safe "graveyard orbit" must be rigorously considered. Future space missions need to learn from the Shenzhou-15 orbital module incident and strengthen the research and practice of spacecraft terminal management to avoid the recurrence of similar incidents.
From an environmental point of view, with the increase in space exploration activities, space debris and abandoned spacecraft have become a major hidden danger in the space environment.
The global space community must work together to develop stricter international regulations and standards to manage this waste, which can pose a threat to the safety of Earth and space. In addition, the development of more efficient space debris monitoring and removal technologies is also an important direction to protect the earth and space environment.
All in all, the orbital module of Shenzhou-15 ended its mission in an unexpected way, but it taught us lessons that far outweigh the value of scientific experiments in space.
This incident reminds us that space exploration is a journey full of challenges and unknowns, and that every small step requires our utmost attention and rigour.
Let us learn from the experience of Shenzhou 15, continuously optimize technology, improve regulations, and jointly protect this boundless starry sky and our only home on Earth.