Illustration: Xiaoli
Liu Yang in space station fitness
Liu Yang in the space station bedroom
China Space Station's first Mid-Autumn Festival
■ China Women's News all-media trainee reporter Fan Yuchen
"I will never forget the palace in the sky, but I will miss my motherland even more." These words said by astronaut Liu Yang when he exited the capsule after the Shenzhou 14 manned spacecraft successfully landed on December 4, 2022, made countless Chinese people cry. Building a home in the mysterious sky has been a romantic dream of the Chinese people since ancient times. Today, the "Celestial Palace" is no longer an image in poetry, but a real and warm "space home" - the Chinese space station that is about to be fully completed.
China Women's News All-media reporter recently learned from the China Manned Space Office that from the successful launch of " Tiangong-1 " in 2011, to the Tianhe core module, the Wentian experimental module, and the Mengtian experiment The capsules were launched and docked one after another. In November this year, the Shenzhou 15 manned spacecraft successfully docked with the space station assembly. The Chinese space station ushered in the full load of 3 cabin sections, 1 cargo spacecraft and 2 manned spacecraft . By the end of this year, the Chinese space station will be officially completed and will be officially operational next year.
Zhu Guangchen, deputy chief designer of the space station system of the Fifth Institute of Aerospace Science and Technology Group, once said that if the Shenzhou spacecraft was a car, Tiangong-1 would be equivalent to a house with one bedroom and one living room, and the space station would be a "mansion" with three bedrooms and two living rooms. Before the Shenzhou 14th mission returned, the six astronauts from the Shenzhou 14th and Shenzhou 15th missions worked and lived together in this space "mansion" for five days.
Where does the electricity for this “mansion” in the sky come from? How to maintain a comfortable temperature in the house? How is the daily life of astronauts inside? Can crops be grown in a "space farm"? Let the reporter take you to find out.
"Space power station", "central air conditioning", "space sunscreen"... How can the Chinese space station achieve free power consumption and make it feel like spring all year round?
As the "space home" becomes larger and larger, astronauts need to live, scientific instruments need to operate, and electricity consumption must keep up.
Where does the energy for the space station come from? All things depend on the sun to grow, and the space station is no exception. According to the development team of the 811 Institute of the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, which is responsible for the development of the "space power station", large flexible solar cell wings are the main equipment for obtaining energy for the space station. Currently, the Chinese Space Station is equipped with a total of 6 sets of large flexible solar wings in 2 specifications. The solar wing on the Tianhe core module of
is the first large-area deployable and flexible solar wing built for my country's space station. The expansion area of a single solar wing reaches 67 square meters, which is equivalent to the size of a standard singles badminton court. The two sets of plus version large-scale flexible solar wings equipped on the Wentian experimental module and Mengtian experimental module have been upgraded. A single set of solar wings has an expanded area of 138 square meters. Four such solar wings can provide 80% of the energy of the three-module combination after the space station is completed. While supporting the normal operation of various scientific instruments carried in the cabin, it is also sufficient to ensure the daily life of astronauts on the space station.
Now, after the three cabins of Tianhe, Wentian and Mengtian are combined, the total area of flexible solar wings has reached about 700 square meters. They are like "Kunpeng spreading its wings", sending a steady stream of energy to the Chinese space station.
Why is it like spring all year round in the space station? One of the conditions that makes the earth suitable for human survival is that the thick atmosphere ensures a lukewarm temperature. The Chinese Space Station is about 400km away from the ground. There is no protection from the atmosphere. Under direct sunlight, the surface temperature of the space station can reach a maximum of over 150℃ and a minimum temperature of below -100℃. In the space environment where "ice and fire" alternate, in order to ensure a suitable temperature for astronauts, a set of "central air conditioners" are really needed to help.
The fluid circuit commonly known as the "central air conditioning" of the space station is the core of the space station's thermal control system.According to Zheng Hongyang, the technical director of the space station's thermal control fluid loop system, the fluid loop evenly wraps important parts of the space station. Through the reciprocating circulation of special liquids in the pipelines, the heat generated by the equipment in the cabin and the astronauts' lives is collected and brought to the corresponding equipment and structures to achieve heat dissipation and heat replenishment functions, while maintaining uniform and stable temperatures in different "rooms" of the space station.
In addition to "central air conditioning", the technical team also provided passive insulation for the spacecraft. The reporter learned from the thermal control technology team of the Fifth Academy of China Aerospace Corporation that starting from Shenzhou 12 , the Shenzhou series spacecraft have been coated with a new silver coating. This is the magical "space sunscreen" - a low-absorption-low-emission thermal control coating. As the name suggests, low absorption means that the coating material itself has low solar light absorption characteristics, which can effectively reduce the temperature increase caused by solar radiation; low emission means that the coating has low infrared emissivity, which can effectively block the radiation heat leakage from the inside of the spacecraft to the external deep-cold environment, and avoid the continuous reduction of the temperature inside the cabin. Special "sunscreen" and "central air conditioning" work together to make the space station "spring-like all year round" and always in a suitable temperature range.
Full coverage of bedrooms, restaurants, medical offices, gyms, and 5G WiFi... Revealing the daily life of astronauts in "Tiangong "
As the "space home" of astronauts, the Chinese Space Station not only has strong external support, but its internal structure also demonstrates the "people-oriented" design thinking.
Will the Chinese Space Station be too crowded? In December this year, after six astronauts reunited in the "Tiangong", many people were curious about whether the space station can accommodate six people? Zhou Haocheng, the system designer team of the Chinese Space Station, said that there are 6 bedrooms in the Chinese Space Station, 3 of which are in the Tianhe core module and 3 in the Wentian experimental module. The bedroom in the cabin is equipped with a separate sanitary area and storage area, and is equipped with air conditioning, lighting, alarm speakers, temperature and humidity meters and other equipment. There are also various handrails to help astronauts stabilize their bodies while floating. "Through the portholes in the bedrooms, astronauts can have a panoramic view of the earth's great rivers and mountains, as well as the vastness of the universe. Moreover, the noise here is much lower than in the workroom," Zhou Haocheng said.
How do astronauts eat in space? The live broadcast of the "reunion in space" of six astronauts having breakfast together that day made netizens call it "cosmic warmth." Zhou Haocheng introduced that the core cabin and Wentian cabin have specially divided areas next to the workroom to serve as restaurant functions. Folding dining tables, microwaves, hot air heating devices, refrigerators and water dispensers are all available. It is also equipped with storage cabinets that can meet the food needs of 3 people for 7 days. Different from the dining environment on the ground, the restaurant is not equipped with dining chairs due to the microgravity environment. Astronauts usually take food from the cargo ship every seven days. The garbage generated by astronauts' meals can be bagged in the dining area and finally put into the cargo spacecraft for destruction.
How do astronauts stay healthy and entertained in space? Starting from the Shenzhou 13 crew, the astronauts' time in orbit has been extended to 6 months. How do astronauts stay healthy after living in a zero-gravity environment for such a long time? What should I do if I get sick? According to the Astronaut Medical Supervision and Medical Insurance Research Office of the China Astronaut Center, the space station has set up a separate area responsible for the medical support of astronauts, which can complete routine examinations such as ECG, respiration, body temperature, blood pressure , and monitor the functions of various organs. For symptoms such as cardiac emergencies and limb fractures, the "medical office" also has emergency treatment methods, and can also provide remote psychological diagnosis and treatment through Tiandi Telephone.
In order to reduce the symptoms of long-term living in orbit such as bone loss, the space station is also equipped with gyms in three compartments, allowing astronauts to maintain 1 to 2 hours of physical exercise every day to maintain normal muscle and blood circulation. It includes space treadmills, space bicycles, freely usable tension ropes, microgravity resistance exercise equipment, etc.
In addition to working, eating, resting, and exercising, can astronauts play with mobile phones, watch TV shows, and talk to their families on the space station? The reporter learned from the China Manned Space Office that the space station has achieved full 5G WiFi coverage throughout the cabin, and has also added smart networks and smart homes. Astronauts can make video calls with their families every day.Not only that, astronauts also have a variety of entertainment activities in space. In addition to using their mobile phones to listen to music and watch dramas online, they can also receive TV signals from the ground and watch the Spring Festival Gala and the World Cup like us.
To build a "space home", it is also necessary to develop a "space farm". The Chinese Space Station has achieved the first time for humans to harvest rice seeds in space.
The first time for humans to harvest rice seeds in space. "Students, this is a life and ecology experimental cabinet. It is composed of small room-like modules, like a space hotel for animals and plants. The research results of this experimental cabinet can help us achieve long-term living on the moon and even Mars in the future." Today In the third lecture of " Tiangong Classroom " held on October 12, 2019, female astronaut Liu Yang introduced to the students a series of scientific experiments being carried out on the space station, the most eye-catching of which were the green rice plants in the life and ecology experiment cabinet. When the Shenzhou 14 astronauts returned to Earth on December 4, they also brought back seeds harvested from rice planting in space. This was the first time humans harvested rice seeds in space. After 120 days of cultivation and growth in the space station, China has completed the full life cycle cultivation of space rice "from seed to seed" for the first time in the world, which has also aroused strong repercussions internationally.
Why should we grow rice in space? Currently, in the process of exploring space, food and other essential supplies need to be transported from the earth, which is extremely expensive. An American scientist once revealed that it costs about $10,000 to send 1 pound (about 0.45 kilograms) of food to the International Space Station. In the future, if humans want to explore more distant deep space or live in space for a longer period of time, they will need to develop "space farms." Therefore, space planting has always been one of the important scientific explorations carried out by the Chinese space station.
How is the growth of rice in the microgravity environment of space different from that on earth? According to Zheng Huiqiong, a researcher at the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the "space rice" plant shape becomes looser in space, and the dwarf rice becomes shorter, while the height of the tall rice is not significantly affected; the flowering time of rice in space is slightly earlier than that on the ground, but the filling time is extended by more than 10 days; most of the husks cannot be closed. Zheng Huiqiong said that because rice flowering time and glume closure play an important role in ensuring the plant's adequate reproductive growth and obtaining high-yield and high-quality seeds, scientific researchers will further analyze the samples brought back by the astronauts.
In addition, astronauts also conducted regeneration rice experiments in the space station and obtained regeneration rice seeds. Zheng Huiqiong's team said that this is the first regenerative rice technology tried in space in the world. This technology can greatly increase the rice yield per unit volume. I believe that with the continuous advancement of my country’s space scientific research, having a “space farm” will no longer be a science fiction.
Free access to electricity and internet, comfortable temperatures all year round, astronauts’ lives are colorful, and scientific experiments are in full swing... The Chinese people’s “palace in the sky” has become more and more advanced and beautiful. According to China Manned Space Engineering spokesperson Ji Qiming, while the Shenzhou 15 astronaut crew is in orbit, they will also focus on carrying out more than 40 space science experiments and technology tests covering space scientific research and applications, aerospace medicine, aerospace technology and other fields. At the same time, the Chinese space station has always adhered to the concept of openness and sharing during the construction process. Currently, scientific experiment projects from 17 countries have been selected for the Chinese space station. In the future, the Chinese space station will not only be the Chinese people’s own space “mansion”, but will also be a “space home” that benefits all mankind.
