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On the morning of the 16th, the Shenzhou-19 astronaut crew, with the assistance of ground personnel, opened the hatch of Tianzhou-8 and began the "dismantling and expressing" link in space.
However, attentive netizens may notice that while the astronauts have not been in space for long, their faces seem to have begun to become more "rounded".
So what's going on here? Is it because their food is so good?
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Source: The space unboxing video is here! The Shen 19 astronaut crew began to "dismantle the express"2024-11-16 10:27·CCTV News
The mystery of "puffiness".
On October 30, 2024, the Shenzhou-19 manned spacecraft pierced the night sky and embarked on a journey with three astronauts, marking another rotation of personnel on the space station and a "meeting" between two generations of astronauts in space.
After the Shenzhou 18 crew completed the set tasks, they handed over the work with the new Shenzhou 19 crew, and the military flag fluttered slowly in the weightless environment, symbolizing the passing of the torch of China's aerospace industry.
However, in the public's attention, in addition to the anticipation of the mission itself, an interesting phenomenon has also sparked heated discussions, the Shenzhou 19 astronauts' faces seem to have become "rounded" in less than a month in space.
In fact, this "getting fat" is not because astronauts "eat fat", but a normal physiological response of the human body in a weightless environment.
On Earth, gravity concentrates our blood mainly in the lower body, while in weightlessness in space, body fluids are no longer constrained by gravity and are redistributed, especially to the head and face, which can lead to facial puffiness.
This phenomenon is known as "fluid transfer" and is a physiological adaptation process that astronauts must face in their life in space.
The weightless environment will not only make the astronaut's face appear "plump", but also trigger a series of deep physiological changes, which may pose a potential threat to the astronaut's health.
In addition to facial swelling, it can also cause uncomfortable symptoms such as head congestion, nasal congestion, and chest tightness.
In a weightless environment for a long time, people's bones and muscles will slowly thin and shrink, lack of exercise, bones can not withstand gravity, calcium loss will become faster, so it is easy to get osteoporosis.
The muscles also gradually atrophy due to the lack of load exercise, and the strength decreases, affecting the astronaut's mobility.
After a long-term stay on the space station, the American female astronaut showed obvious emaciation, showing the characteristics of an "awl face" and showing a certain state of exhaustion, which is a direct reflection of the potential risks to human health caused by the long-term weightless environment.
However, these physiological changes are not irreversible, and eating right, exercising regularly, and using the right medications can help reduce the downsides of weight.
Therefore, the space station is equipped with a variety of fitness equipment, such as treadmills, stationary bicycles, tension machines, etc., and astronauts need to do two to three hours of physical training every day to maintain muscle strength and bone density, and improve cardiopulmonary function.
"Space Home"
Space is a stage for human beings to explore the unknown, and it is also a challenge to the limits of life.
In order to allow astronauts to work and live safely and efficiently in space, China Aerospace has established a set of all-round support system, from the selection and training of astronauts to the clothing, food, housing and transportation in space life, every link reflects the meticulous care and scientific and technological strength of Chinese astronauts.
And the process of selecting astronauts is very strict, and it has to go through several stages of screening and rigorous training.
However, life in space is not as easy as imagined, in addition to completing scientific research tasks, astronauts are also responsible for maintaining the normal operation of the space station, including equipment maintenance, material management and other daily work.
In order to ensure the health of astronauts and improve work efficiency, China's aerospace has fully considered ergonomic and psychological needs in the design and operation of the space station.
The development process of China's aerospace food is from simple to rich, from a single taste to a variety of choices, from the initial compressed biscuits to the current variety of delicious space meals, astronauts' food types and tastes are becoming more and more abundant.
When the Shenzhou-13 astronauts celebrate the New Year in space, they can also eat dumplings of various flavors, and even dip them in vinegar, which was unimaginable before.
Mental health is also crucial, as the unique environmental conditions in space often leave astronauts feeling heavy and lonely.
The ground command center provides psychological counseling and emotional comfort to astronauts through video chats and other forms to help them relieve stress and maintain an optimistic mood.
This close attention will not only detect the psychological problems of astronauts in time, but also provide the necessary help and support to ensure their mental health in space.
In addition to diet and psychological support, China Aerospace also attaches great importance to the physical training of astronauts.
Astronauts spend two to three hours a day exercising on the space station using a variety of high-tech exercise machines, such as treadmills, spinning bikes, and weight-resistant trainers, mainly to prevent problems with the body's muscles and bones in weightlessness.
These training plans are not set in stone, but are individually tailored to each astronaut's physical condition and mission needs to achieve the best training results.
In addition, the space station's cabin environment has been carefully designed to maximize the comfort and safety of astronauts.
From temperature and humidity control to air purification to radiation protection, every detail has undergone rigorous scientific demonstration and repeated tests, striving to create a safe and comfortable "space home" for astronauts.
Challenges and responsibilities
Astronauts go into space not only to experience life in a weightless environment, but more importantly, to carry out a series of complex scientific research tasks.
These works span from basic research to actual technological testing, and are of great benefit to promoting the mainland's scientific and technological development and the progress of human civilization.
One of the missions of the Shenzhou-19 astronauts was to carry out multiple out-of-cabin activities in space in order to install protective devices for the space station.
In space, many discarded spacecraft debris and strong radioactive particles may pose a safety hazard to the space station, and astronauts should be careful to operate in outer space and install protective equipment to ensure the normal operation of the space station.
This job is physically and psychologically demanding for astronauts, who must be able to withstand a lot of pressure and be able to cooperate well with their teammates.
Astronauts also have to carry out a lot of scientific experiments and technical tests in the space capsule, which cover many fields such as materials science, life science, fluid mechanics, etc., which are of great significance to promoting scientific research and technological progress.
Experimenting with materials in low-gravity conditions in space allows us to develop better new materials; Life science tests in space can also give us a deeper understanding of the mysteries of life, and maybe we can even find clues to life in outer space.
To accomplish these challenges, astronauts need to have a solid technical foundation and a lot of practical experience, and they need to conduct years of ground training before departure, and be familiar with various experimental operation procedures and emergency response plans.
In space, they also need to adjust and optimize according to the actual situation to ensure the smooth progress of the experiment.
The author thinks
The successful handover of Shenzhou-18 and 19 has made an important step in the construction of China's space station.
In the future, we will carry out more manned space missions, explore farther deep space, and make greater contributions to the peaceful use of space by mankind.