The spacewalk on Shenzhou VII will require a higher level of assessment of the astronauts. Because the pressure inside the spacesuit is lower than normal, it may cause the release of nitrogen from human tissues and the formation of air embolisms in blood vessels, leading to decompression sickness and even endangering people's lives. Therefore, after the astronauts put on the space suits, they must fully absorb oxygen in the airlock cabin. The astronauts assisting in the work return to the inner cabin (i.e., the orbital module), close the door of the inner cabin, and then the airlock cabin begins to relieve pressure to vacuum, which is in line with the vacuum outside the spacecraft, and at this time, the astronauts can go out of the cabin to move around. And to complete the extravehicular task back to the cabin, but also to the space suit for some decompression, and then inflate the airlock chamber.
"The astronauts' out-of-cabin activity is a high-difficulty, high-risk activity." Experts introduced, "Shenzhou VII" when the spacewalk requires astronauts must be on the ground to do adequate testing and training, the ground training is generally in a specific gravity of a certain requirement of the neutral pool. This pool is usually built in a large test room inside the spacecraft in the pool, the use of water buoyancy to simulate the phenomenon of weightlessness in space, and then the astronauts in the pool inside the cabin and outside the cabin operation training.
Experts say Shenzhou-7 will have several conditions necessary for astronauts to walk in space. First of all, will provide astronauts in the cabin outside the living and working environment and conditions, the most important of which is the extravehicular space suit, which has a micro-meteorite, vacuum insulation shielding, airtight, pressure, ventilation, temperature and other functions, space suit gloves are both sealed and flexible, helmets transparent sealing. Second, out of the cabin backpack has a control system and communication system, its control system is equipped with a jet device so that astronauts can take this to control the walking direction. It is reported that the space suit and backpack construction is complex, technically difficult, expensive, the United States produced a set of space suits for about 1.5 million dollars. The third is, of course, the need to have technically proficient, physically healthy and psychologically stable astronauts.
In order to adapt to the vacuum environment, "Shenzhou" No. 7 spacesuit from the airtight, communication, excretion, communication, power supply, activity joints, etc., than the "Shenzhou six" have a greater improvement.
"Shenzhou V", China's manned spaceflight is still only one day on a person in space assessment, when Yang Liwei only stayed in the return module, the orbital module hatch is closed. The "Shenzhou VI" in appearance and "Shenzhou V" is almost the same, the difference is that the two astronauts will enter the orbital module from the return capsule, engaged in more than one day of space flight operations program. Experts made a graphic analogy, "the two astronauts are in 'a room and a hall' in the activities." And to "Shenzhou VII", astronauts in addition to "a room and a hall" in the activities, but also out of the "hall", from the side of the orbital module window out of the space walk! "Shenzhou VII has higher requirements for the astronauts' life support system, exit equipment, and structural airtightness, so Shenzhou VII will be significantly different from Shenzhou VI in appearance, and the related systems will also change. The related systems will also be changed, especially the orbital module.
Usually, after a spacecraft is launched into space, the astronauts will spend 2-3 hours in the airlock chamber for adaptive preparations before going out into space, wearing their extravehicular space suits, putting on their backpacks, and taking their supplies with them. The space suit worn by the astronauts practicing spacewalking is bulky, weighing 125 kilograms on the ground, and is not at all as easy as putting on clothes and hats on the ground, which must be done with the help of other astronauts. "So 'Shenzhou VII' when the astronauts in the sky must be at least two people, so that they can cooperate with each other, as for how many people will be out of the cabin activities are undecided, it is estimated that it will be one person for spacewalking."
Shenzhou VII will have three astronauts, one to walk out of the cabin, one to meet in the orbital module, the return module will have to stay. The out-of-cabin activities will include walking, maneuvering, screwing and other items such as installing equipment in preparation for the establishment of a space station in space in the future.
China will be implemented in the second half of this year, "Shenzhou VII" manned space mission, at present, the preparatory work is being carried out according to plan. It is reported that the "Shenzhou VII" will realize a number of technological breakthroughs, one is the number of astronauts will be increased to three; the second is the realization of China's first spacewalk astronauts; the third is the spacecraft into the intended orbit will be released after the release of an opportunity to accompany the flight of small satellites (hereinafter referred to as "companion star"), and so on. "), and so on.
"Companion star" can do? According to Hong Kong's Ta Kung Pao, the mission of this "companion star" is to use CCD stereo camera to take pictures of the "Shenzhou 7" in orbit at close range. At that time, we will get the first three-dimensional three-dimensional exterior photo of Chinese spacecraft flying in orbit, the photo with space as the background, showing the unique scenery of "Shenzhou" high-speed operation, will become a permanent historical witness of the Chinese people flying.
Did the "Shenzhou" just bring a machine "photographer" into space? Oh, of course not!
Prior to this, China has successfully launched several small satellites, small satellite technology has reached maturity, "Shenzhou" with "companion star" in space is more significant.
First of all, there is a change in the means of launching small satellites. Previously, China's small satellites are launched into orbit by carrier rockets; this time, the small satellites are placed in the front of the "Shenzhou" orbital module, when the spacecraft into the intended orbit can be automatically ejected from the spacecraft according to the instructions, but also by the astronauts manually "choose the opportunity" to release, more flexible delivery methods, "Shenzhou" to carry "companion stars" in space. The release method is more flexible, and the "opportunistic" release means that the spacecraft can be released at any time according to the needs.
Secondly, the "companion" can be used as a reconnaissance satellite. The Hong Kong media revealed that the "companion star" carried by "Shenzhou-7" is equipped with a CCD stereo camera similar to that of "Chang'e-1", which can take high-definition images of the earth's surface. The "companion star" by the "Shen Qi" opportunistically released into orbit on the surface of interest into the photographic reconnaissance.
Third, the "companion star" can become a very terrible space weapon. It can be released by the spacecraft to carry out the task of attacking the enemy's space targets; but also is the most powerful and faithful "bodyguard" of my spacecraft - when the enemy launched an attack on my spacecraft, my spacecraft can release the "companion star" in due course. ", with the weapons carried to destroy the enemy attack weapons or die with them.