Pang Zhihao
Host: Good morning everyone, welcome to Sohu interview, welcome to pay attention to the "chase the dream, Shenzhou VII interview series". Today's interview is with Chinese space expert Mr. Pang Zhihao.
Pang Zhihao: Hello everyone.
Host: Mr. Pang was a guest on our interview last time, talking about spacewalks. As the time for the launch draws nearer, we are all in a state of great excitement and anticipation. Today, we asked Mr. Pang to talk about the astronaut's journey into space. What kind of person can become an astronaut?
Pang Zhihao: There are several basic conditions for astronauts: the first is a very good physical condition, including no underlying diseases, trauma and its sequelae, the surface of the body has no deformities and other physical obstacles that affect the wearing or use of space suits, instrumentation, and mental and neurological disorders, and even more so, because spaceflight is a very complex process, to experience a series of super-heavy, weightless, vibration, noise, and so on. The first is a very complicated process.
So first of all, the body must be very healthy. The second is that the psychological state should be very good. Because the astronauts are in a weightless environment, to do some complex work, so the requirements of the psychological quality, especially because there are two or three astronauts, but also have psychological compatibility, we can personality on the same, more easy-going. The third is to have more scientific and cultural qualities, and to be able to receive spaceflight skills training so as to be able to undertake complex spaceflight tasks. Generally speaking, it is required to have at least a university degree, and a master's degree or doctor's degree is even better. In addition, there is the adaptation and endurance to the external special physical environment such as overweight, weightlessness, low pressure, etc. The most important thing is the fearlessness. Most importantly, there is also fearless dedication, as spaceflight is still a risky endeavor, with 22 astronauts having already sacrificed their lives. Some people say that spaceflight is the most risky business. It was originally said that mountain climbers have the highest probability of death, which is 4%, but later on, some statistics showed that the probability of death of astronauts is twice as high as that of mountain climbers. The real selection is very complicated, it has to go through pre-selection, preliminary selection and re-selection. At first, it's a file review, looking at your previous basics, including family, and whether you have a genetic history. Also can not smoke, can not drink, because the cabin space is narrow, equipment, smoking will pollute the air, and prone to fire, drinking alcohol can induce potential diseases in the body, interfere with normal work. Review, one is an outpatient review, like a physical examination. Really strict is the hospitalization review, to do CT, nuclear magnetic **** vibration. There is also a psychological review, and finally there is a special environmental review, with a power bicycle and running platform to check the changes in its dynamic cardiac function; with a centrifuge to check the degree of tolerance of the human body to hypergravity; with a swivel chair, swing and rotating platform to check the function of its motor balance; with a low-pressure chamber environment to check the degree of tolerance of the human body to low pressure and hypoxia, etc.. Astronaut selection and training experts said that medical selection is the most critical level, physiological function selection is the most basic level, special environment tolerance selection is the most difficult level, and psychological selection is the most important level. In the end, astronauts go to heaven mainly to see the psychology, several astronauts may be qualified, and finally look at your psychological state, whether your pulse can be like before. Yang Liwei before going to heaven, in flight and after returning, the heartbeat is more than 70. The reason why astronauts are selected from Air Force pilots is because only Air Force pilots are closest to the requirements of spaceflight in terms of working environment and quality.
Host: Just now you mentioned the physical and psychological selection, including the endurance selection. I think the body can be reached through some medical instruments. What is the process of psychological review?
Pang Zhihao: There are also many means of psychological review. As far as I understand it, for example, if he is in the process of talking to you and suddenly a bottle of water is poured, how would you react? There is also through a variety of complex assumptions about the danger, let you solve a problem, to see how you are coping, is it panic or not panic, or to remain calm and collected, psychological review is very important, for example, the world's first person in space walk Leonov out of the cabin after he encountered a very urgent situation, but he is still very calm to deal with it. Of course there are many other means.
Host: In the ordinary our daily life can be reflected?
Pang Zhihao: Yes. Some people are very calm when they encounter problems, and some people panic when they encounter yes. For example, when the Russian Soyuz TMA-11 returned this year, there was a malfunction, and two of the veteran astronauts were calm and collected, while the other new Korean astronaut panicked, thinking he wouldn't be able to return. But seeing the other two astronauts very calm, he calmed down himself.
Host: I'd like to know what kind of person determines whether they are mentally fit or not? Is it a professional psychologist?
Pang Zhihao: There are aerospace experts who specialize in researching, testing, and training psychological qualities, and he can conduct psychological tests on people's personalities, basic intelligence, states of mental activity, and neurological and mental states. After they are selected, they can continue to be trained so that they can cope with a variety of special conditions with ease. Astronauts are selected from pilots, whose psychological quality is already better.
Host: Referring to the previous selection of Shen5 and Shen6, there are several echelons, a number of people, the last minute to decide which one to go up?
Pang Zhihao: Yes. In the earliest days when Gagarin went up, it was said that Gagarin was not the first choice. But when the first person was about to go up, he was over-excited, his heart was racing, and in the end he didn't go up. Gagarin was allowed to go up. I have also heard that Yang Liwei is not the first choice, but he is mentally tough, and finally he went up.
Moderator: Can you briefly compare Shen5, Shen6 and Shen7, all of which had astronauts in the sky?
Is there any focus and difference in the selection of these astronauts?
Pang Zhihao: There are differences. Because they are accomplishing different tasks. God 5 is a single person, single sky, so his requirements in all aspects are higher. To God 6 is a multi-person multi-day, on this basis the requirements further, must emphasize the psychological compatibility, the two people should be very good, very tacit understanding. To give you an example, the ISS Long Term Expedition Team is a mixed team of Russians and Americans. The Russians speak Russian English, but they are able to communicate with each other with a single look or expression. Of course they were all pilot selected. Fei Junlong of Shen6 is also a pilot extraordinaire. When the first astronauts were selected, there were many ideas, some said to select from divers, others from mountaineers, and still others from lumberjacks. In the end, the pilot was selected. High-performance jet fighters are fast and complicated to operate, which requires high coordination and reaction ability; the supersonic flight of fighter jets, high-altitude flights and various difficult combat stunts require pilots to be able to get used to the discomfort of the rapid changes in high and low air pressure, and to be able to correctly operate hundreds of complex instruments and switches on the aircraft while bearing a load of seven or eight times their body weight. Handling. This is quite similar to the work of astronauts. In addition, fighter pilots are generally dealt with airborne emergencies, such as many fighter pilots have had emergency parachute jumps in the air, emergency malfunctions, and other "special" experience, which are valuable experience in the future work in space.
Currently, the most professional astronauts are selected from pilots. Now China's female pilots are flying transport aircraft, the speed is relatively slow, and is now training a number of female pilots to fly fighter jets, so that they can slowly select astronauts. When it comes to Shen7, there will be three of them, and the requirement for psychological compatibility is a bit higher. The environment is smaller and the flight time is more. Its mission is more complex than that of Shen5 and Shen6, and the astronauts have to go out of the capsule, which requires the astronauts to have very strong upper limbs. Because spacewalking is not walking, but mainly using hands. Because there is no way to walk in space, and people are in a floating state. He has to walk in space through some handrails. Secondly, it requires physical dexterity and dexterity of the hands and feet. The highest number of activities out of the module is the Russian astronaut Soloviev, he went out of the module 16 times, one of the reasons is that the Mir space station at the time of the old failures, and the second is that his hands and feet are more numb, so every time he let him go. U.S. astronaut Linahan originally did a veterinarian, because the Hubble telescope to change the power supply, change the power supply can not be too long, must be done within an hour. Space 90 minutes is a day, the sun shines when it is more than one hundred degrees, the sun does not shine when it is more than one hundred degrees below zero, can not be too cold. Linahan is very handy. Thirdly, spacewalking is still dangerous, so you have to be mentally competent and be able to handle yourself in case of an emergency.
Host: Is it necessary to have all three conditions to select astronauts for Shen7?
Pang Zhihao: Yes. The other thing is that the psychological compatibility has to be good. Because there are three astronauts, you have to work well together. One of the orbital module inside another astronaut, to assist him, must be well coordinated. There was an incident in the history of spacewalks where one astronaut was inside the airlock module monitoring another astronaut's spacewalk. When the outbound astronaut stuck his head out of the hatch, his body was about to leave the station, but he forgot to fasten the safety harness. The space farther monitoring him at that moment had a quick hand and yanked him.
Host: When you go to space, it doesn't matter which country or which race you are. As long as you're in space, human beings are the same kind of creatures. So the requirement for psychological compatibility is very high?
Pang Zhihao: Yes. There must be a head in there, but the head doesn't have to be spacewalking. These three people must work well together, not each have their own advocate each make. To give a not very appropriate example, a few soloists together may not be able to sing a good chorus.
Host: Even though we have three astronauts going up, the astronauts coming out of the capsule are not necessarily the captains of those people?
Pang Zhihao: Not necessarily. More than two people, in foreign terms there must be a head, must listen to the head. We call the commander, the commander of the spacecraft is also called the captain, the commander of the space station is also called the station commander. We collectively call him the commander, he commands. The world's first spacewalker is not the commander
Host: Is he really just a hero behind the scenes?
Pang Zhihao: Yes. The real work are not necessarily the leader, the leader is the whole command.