At 0:23 Beijing time on October 16, 2021, the Long March 2F YaoXI carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft was accurately ignited and launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center according to the predetermined time, and about 582 seconds later, the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft was successfully separated from the rocket and entered the predetermined orbit, successfully sending Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu into space, the flight crew was in good condition, and the launch was a complete success.
This is the 21st mission since the implementation of China's manned space project, and it is also the second manned mission in the space station stage. What are the moving details before and after launch? And what is the story behind it? Xinhua News Agency reporter brings you records and observations from the scene.
On October 16, the Long March 2F Yao 13 carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft was ignited and taken off at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. (Photo by Xinhua news agency reporter Li Gang)
Expedition: A coincidence that spans time and space
On the night of the 15th, Dongfeng Aerospace City asked the Heavenly Pavilion. The moon is high, and the moon is sparse. The cold wind could not stop the enthusiasm of the people, and everyone came from all directions to march for the Shenzhou Thirteenth group.
"Learn from astronauts, salute to astronauts" "I wish you success and look forward to your triumphs"... A shout and a banner represent the most heartfelt wishes in people's hearts.
On the evening of October 15, the astronauts of the Shenzhou 13 manned mission were held in the Qingtiange Square of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Zhai Zhigang (left), Wang Yaping (center) and Ye Guangfu (right) are about to embark on a six-month mission. (Photo by Xinhua news agency reporter Li Gang)
This is a manned space mission destined to go down in history.
About a month ago, the first batch of Shenzhou XII mission astronauts stationed in the core module of the space station successfully concluded the 90-day space journey and successfully returned to Earth.
18 years ago, also on October 16, the first astronaut Yang Liwei returned after flying around the earth 14 times in the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft, completing the first flying feat of the Chinese.
What is even more coincidental is that the day of the launch of Shenzhou XII is the anniversary of the successful explosion of China's first hydrogen bomb. On October 16, the launch of Shenzhou 13, this day is the anniversary of the successful explosion of China's first atomic bomb.
Because of the heritage, so romantic. Because of the struggle, so the great shore. If the miracle has color, it must be "Chinese red".
At the expedition ceremony, the daughter of astronaut Wang Yaping shouted "Mother, Mother", which was particularly eye-catching in the crowd, while as a mother, astronaut Wang Yaping had a firm look in his eyes and sonorous steps, but at the last moment before getting on the car, his eyes flashed with moving tears, and this scene made people moved.
The sun, the moon and the stars are all love words. Wang Yaping once told his daughter that she was going to pick stars in the sky, and at this moment, she had rushed to the stars and become "the closest person to the stars."
The home is the smallest country, the country is tens of millions, and the dream of the home country at this moment is realized.
Escort: How to achieve the emergency rescue launch in the fastest 8.5 days?
At the same time as the successful launch of Shenzhou 13, the Shenzhou 14 manned spacecraft developed by the Fifth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Group has also completed all the work before launch and entered a state of emergency launch standby. The Shenzhou team of the Five Academies withstood the arduous test of the parallel development of the three ships in 6 months.
As an astronaut to achieve the "boat of life" between heaven and earth. The development team created an emergency rescue mission model that combines heaven and earth, that is, two spacecraft enter the field at a time, and the latter spacecraft acts as a life rescue ship for emergencies, with the ability to carry out space rescue in 8.5 days of emergency launch.
How to achieve an emergency rescue launch in the fastest 8.5 days? In fact, the 8.5-day emergency rescue launch process, which also includes 48 hours of personnel assembly and preparation time. 48 hours may not seem short, but in a test team of several hundred people, the members are from the north and south of the sky, and it is far more difficult than expected to transport so many people to the front line in two days.
On October 16, the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft and the Tianhe core module successfully rendezvoused and docked successfully at the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center, and together with the previously docked Tianzhou-2 and Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft, they formed a four-cabin (ship) combination. (Photo by Xinhua news agency reporter Tian Dingyu)
The Long March 2F carrier rocket dispatch system has specially drawn up a list of all those who are ready to serve as members of the emergency rescue launch test team. According to the emergency rescue plan, the dispatchers should be on the post within two hours to form a test team, and one hour should be notified to all employees.
In addition, the timing of receiving orders is highly uncertain, which may be difficult for the management of the emergency launch process when everyone is at work during the day, late one night, or on a holiday. In order to solve this problem, the dispatching system has formulated various route plans on the basis of the basic assembly route of the planners. For example, if a team member is in a city with fewer flights, arrange a vehicle in advance to send him to a nearby big city to ensure that every team member can arrive at the post within the specified time.
At the same time, the dispatcher also needs to organize all kinds of necessary materials such as backup products, test equipment, office supplies, protective supplies, etc., and coordinate the preparation of the launch site in advance. That is to say, within 48 hours from the time of receiving the command, the dispatch system will make all the test team members wear work clothes and put into the launch site.
During this process, the rocket team is counting cycles of 30 minutes, with every two hours as a working phase. Not only that, each work step is detailed to the working hours, the cumulative working hours, the required positions and numbers, the squadron to which the personnel belong, and the positioning plant, and the arrangement is "clear and clear".
In particular, the "cumulative working time" will count the continuous working hours of each person, and when the preset maximum is reached, the personnel must be replaced to avoid "fatigue war".
Eye-catching: It will set a new record for China's space residency
After the spacecraft enters orbit, it will conduct an autonomous and rapid rendezvous and docking with the Tianhe core module and the Tianzhou-2 and Tianzhou-3 combinations in accordance with the predetermined procedures. Astronauts stationed in the Tianhe core module, opened a 6-month on-orbit residency, carried out robotic arm operation, cabin departure activities, cabin transfer and other work, and further verified a series of key technologies such as astronauts' long-term orbital residency and regeneration life protection.
According to the predetermined plan, after the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft completes radial rendezvous and docking with the space station's tianhe core module, the docking time will be extended from 3 months to 6 months for Shenzhou 12, and the 180-day combination long-term residence mission will be carried out, which will be the longest manned flight in China so far, and the long-term on-orbit residency ability of astronauts on the space station mission will be assessed and verified for the first time.
Footage of astronauts Zhai Zhigang (center), Wang Yaping (right), and Ye Guangfu (left) stationed in the Tianhe Core Module waving to the people of the whole country on October 16 at the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center. (Photo by Xinhua news agency reporter Tian Dingyu)
About a month after the successful return of the Shenzhou XII manned space mission, the Shenzhou XIII manned spacecraft once again took astronauts into space, it has completed further optimization and upgrading, and the new skills will further enhance the comprehensive capabilities of the Shenzhou manned spacecraft.
Among them, the most eye-catching is that the Shenzhou XIII manned spacecraft carried out radial rendezvous and docking for the first time in space, staging a "space waltz". With the cooperation of the space station's constant adjustment of posture, it rendezvouss and docks with the space station through the interface under the tianhe core module. Although the direction has only changed by 90 degrees, the difficulty of docking is much greater.
In the process of radial docking, the communication between the spacecraft and the ground after standing upright will become a space station as a base station, through the space communication circuit between the space station and the aircraft, and then through the relay star to establish a communication connection with the ground. In this way, it is possible to achieve uninterrupted communication between the spacecraft and the ground during the radial rendezvous and docking process.
The entire process of this radial rendezvous and docking is completed intelligently and autonomously by the spacecraft under the command of the guidance navigation and control (GNC) system. Radial rendezvous and forward rendezvous are both normal rendezvous methods of Chinese space station manned spacecraft, which will be used alternately in future space station manned rendezvous and docking missions.
Coordinator: Wang Yu, Chen Fang, Wang Min
Reporter: Hu Zhe
Editors: Huang Yao, Niu Hao