Preface
When the Shenzhou astronauts went out of the capsule with the light, the people in the audience all paid attention to their spacesuits. This outfit is an essential piece of equipment for astronauts to go into space, and it is very powerful, not only providing them with a life support system, but also providing protection for their scientific experiments in space. For astronauts who go to space specifically for scientific research, this is their most important tool.
Previously, most of the spacesuits worn by astronauts were imported Russian products, which not only limited the development of mainland aerospace, but also laid hidden dangers for astronauts' navigation missions. Wearing this spacesuit, mainland astronauts can rest assured and boldly go to space to conduct scientific research, which will undoubtedly help the advancement of the mainland's aerospace industry.
After all, the development of a spacesuit is a comprehensive test of materials, intelligent equipment, aeronautics and many other fields, which can not only improve the technical level of the mainland, but also boost the development of related domestic industrial chains. This kind of space mission is not only a space mission for astronauts, but also a win-win move for the mainland's aerospace science and technology and industry.
Why can't the extravehicular spacesuits worn by astronauts on the continental space station be brought back to Earth?
This spacesuit is a product of the mainland's vigorous development of the aerospace industry, and it is inseparable from the safety of astronauts and the smooth completion of scientific research tasks. In order to make it play a greater role in space, it uses special materials such as high temperature and radiation protection, which also makes its production cost extremely high, according to statistics, the price of a set of extravehicular spacesuits is about 30 million yuan.
And its high price does not mean that it can be reused, it is still a product with a service life, after a certain period of use, the spacesuit will be worn, aging, etc., which needs to be replaced by a new spacesuit.
The mission time of astronauts outside the cabin will not be too long, generally not more than 4 hours, so the impact of being able to change the spacesuit is not great for them to get out of the capsule, but for the astronauts who have returned to the room, there will definitely be multiple sets of spacesuits to spare.
The weight of the spacesuit is about 100 kilograms under normal circumstances, and the weight and volume of the return capsule into space are limited, if the weight and volume are too large, it will affect the re-entry and landing of the return capsule, which will cause a lot of hidden dangers to the safety of the astronauts' return.
So the extravehicular suits can't be brought back to Earth because they're too heavy.
For the mainland, the fact that extravehicular suits cannot be brought back to Earth does not mean that they are worthless, after all, spacesuits are an essential tool for astronauts.
Only by allowing astronauts to safely carry out their tasks and arduous work in space can the mainland's space industry develop healthily. Moreover, at present, the mainland's space technology is constantly improving, and it is believed that in the near future, the mainland will also be able to develop a spacesuit that can be brought back to the earth.
Whether it is to perform tasks in the capsule or wear extravehicular suits to explore and research in space, the environment in which astronauts live is very harsh, so their clothing has very high environmental requirements, for spacesuits, it needs to have the ability to block radiation, resist micrometeors and space garbage.
The spacesuit also needs to have an oxygen supply function, so as to ensure that the astronauts have sufficient oxygen supply during the mission and can maintain normal breathing.
In addition, the spacesuit also needs to have the function of discharging carbon dioxide, which can keep the astronaut awake and efficient during the mission, and also needs to have a constant temperature system and a heat insulation system, so that the astronaut can have a comfortable temperature and working state in extreme working environments such as blocking sunlight.
When astronauts need to do heavy labor, the support system of the spacesuit can also reduce the astronaut's weight, giving them additional support and protection, so that they can complete the mission more safely and efficiently.
When astronauts perform tasks outside the cabin, the environment and situations they face are different, so there will be different types of spacesuits, such as spacesuits used for in-cabin work, spacesuits used for extravehicular work, etc., these spacesuits have certain differences in function and performance.
In order to maximize the safety and efficiency of astronauts, spacesuits need to have more and more functions and performances, which naturally leads to more expensive production costs.
The more expensive the spacesuit, the higher its functionality and performance, and for astronauts, it also means that they can perform their missions safer and more efficiently. Although the price of spacesuits remains high, in order to ensure the safety of astronauts and promote the rapid development of the mainland's aerospace industry, the investment in these expensive spacesuits is very worthwhile.
Why do American extravehicular suits last for 40 years?
In fact, the United States has a 30-year service life for its own extravehicular suits, and every time it is used 25 times, it must be brought back to the ground for maintenance.
Only 4 of the 18 U.S. extravehicular spacesuits remain functional
The reason why the United States was able to transport the spacesuit back to the ground for maintenance was mainly by relying on the space shuttle. Although it seems to be frugal, there are quite a few accidents with the space shuttle. As early as 2011, all the space shuttles in the United States were retired, and the United States dismantled its own extravehicular suit production line, and there are fewer and fewer extravehicular spacesuits that can be used.
The United States lost four sets of extravehicular spacesuits in two space shuttle accidents
There have also been many accidents with the use of old spacesuits, such as a leaking helmet that almost drowned an astronaut who was exiting the capsule.
Although the United States is still developing a new generation of extravehicular suits, it does not seem to be going well, and the time for the realization of the next moon landing plan proposed by the United States is getting closer and closer, so let's wait and see!
The author thinks
After more than 70 years of development, the mainland's aerospace industry has achieved many successes, successfully developed a series of manned spacecraft with mainland characteristics, successfully transported a number of astronauts to the mainland space station, and realized many astronauts out of the capsule spacewalk.
These successful measures have not only proved to the world the strength of the mainland's aerospace industry, but also laid a solid foundation for the future development of the mainland's aerospace industry.
It is believed that with the continuous progress of the mainland's aerospace technology, we will be able to overcome this challenge, develop more advanced spacesuits, and bring more space equipment back to the earth, so as to lay a solid foundation for the future development of the mainland's aerospace industry.