According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, at 20:59 Beijing time on April 25, 2024, the Long March-2F Yao-18 carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou-18 manned spacecraft was ignited and launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, and about 10 minutes later, the Shenzhou-18 manned spacecraft successfully separated from the rocket and entered the predetermined orbit. At present, the astronaut crew is in good condition, and the launch has been a complete success.
After the spacecraft is put into orbit, it will carry out autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking with the space station assembly in accordance with the predetermined procedure, and the Shenzhou-18 astronaut crew will rotate with the Shenzhou-17 astronaut crew in orbit.
This mission is the third manned mission of the continental manned space program to enter the space station application and development stage, the 32nd launch mission since the project was established, and the 518th flight of the Long March series of carrier rockets.
At present, the space station assembly has entered the docking orbit and is in good working condition, meeting the conditions for rendezvous and docking with the Shenzhou-18 manned spacecraft and the stationing of astronauts.
God XVII crew
Returned to Earth on April 30
The Shenzhou-17 crew simultaneously watched the ignition and launch of the Shenzhou-18 manned spacecraft.
At present, the Shen-17 astronaut crew has been stationed in the space station for nearly six months, and is actively preparing to welcome the upcoming Shen-18 astronaut crew.
The Shen-17 astronaut crew plans to return to the Dongfeng landing site on April 30 after completing their in-orbit rotation with the Shen-18 astronaut crew.
Astronauts raise fish and grow vegetables in space
Zebrafish have to deal with "water and soil adaptation"
After the Shenzhou-18 manned spacecraft is put into orbit, it will adopt the autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking mode, and dock with the radial port of the Tianhe core module about 6.5 hours later.
Arabidopsis thaliana seeds, zebrafish, goldfish algae and other experimental samples arrived, as well as scientific experimental equipment such as "Molecular Network Research on Microgravity Environment Regulating Plant Stem Cell Function and Structure", "Molecular Evolution Study of Protein and Nucleic Acid Co-origin and Codon Origin", "Design, Interface Mechanism and Extravehicular Verification of Solid-Liquid Composite Lubricating Materials for Space". During their time in orbit, astronauts will use them to carry out a number of space science experiments.
Zebrafish
Less than 10 hours before the launch, Cang Huaixing, a researcher at the Center for Space Application Engineering and Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and his colleagues sent a batch of live zebrafish to the spacecraft. He introduced that in a closed space fish tank composed of zebrafish and goldfish algae, it is expected that the continent will cultivate vertebrates in space for the first time.
In space fish farming, astronauts not only feed and supply oxygen to the fish, provide nutrient solution and lighting for the algae, but also adjust parameters such as dissolved oxygen, temperature, conductivity, fish egg collection, waste disposal and other operations, so as to achieve the autonomous balance and stable operation of the material and energy inside the system.
The tank must also be airtight, otherwise the water will "float away". Interestingly, zebrafish have to adapt to the microgravity environment by adjusting their attitude in the water.
Why zebrafish and goldfish algae in space?
Cang Huaixing revealed that the beautiful zebrafish body length is only 3 to 4 centimeters, with the advantages of vigorous vitality and strong reproductive ability, and its similarity with the human genome is as high as 80%, which can be used to study and reveal a certain biological phenomenon with universal laws in living organisms. "Zebrafish exhale carbon dioxide to photosynthesize the algae, which produce oxygen for the fish, and the fish excrement also provides fertilizer and nutrients for the algae to grow. They constitute a self-sufficient, stably functioning spatially self-circulating aquatic ecosystem. ”
Goldfish algae
The researchers also installed a camera on the experimental system, and the ground staff can also understand the progress of the experiment through the real-time transmitted images.
Including this experiment, the Shen-18 crew will carry out more than 90 experiments during their orbit activities, involving space materials science, space life science, microgravity basic physics, aerospace medicine, aerospace technology and other fields.
Source: Beijing Daily (ID: Beijing_Daily), Xinhua News Agency, New Gansu Client
Editor: Swift
Executive Producer: Bao Zhen
Director: Xie Tian