China's aerospace project has implemented a "three-step" strategy: the first step is to send astronauts safely into low-earth orbit and return to the ground safely after observation and experiment, and Shenzhou 5 VI has been successfully realized; The second step is to build a complete space engineering system in China as soon as possible; The third step is to build a large space station with long-term manned and short-term autonomous flight. At present, Shenzhou VII is realizing the second step, focusing on two key technologies: astronaut extravehicular activity and space rendezvous and docking test.
"God One": Verifying the Feasibility of Manned Space Flight
1999165438+1On October 20th, the first unmanned spacecraft "Shenzhou-1" was successfully launched in Jiuquan, and the return capsule landed in the central area of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 3: 4 1 the next day.
The articles carried on board include: first, the national flag, National Flag of the People's Republic of China, regional flag of the macao special administrative region, the Olympic flag and so on. Second, various stamps and souvenir covers; Third, the seeds of crops such as green pepper, watermelon, corn and barley and Chinese herbal medicines such as licorice and isatis root are about 10g.
The main purpose of this launch is to investigate the feasibility of the overall design scheme of manned spaceflight project, especially the reliability of key technologies such as cabin separation technology of spacecraft system. Shenzhou-1 adopted the minimum configuration, only boarded eight subsystems closely related to the spacecraft return system, and the spacecraft orbital module was not tested.
The flight successfully verified the excellent performance of the spacecraft and new launch vehicle developed by China, and the newly-built manned space launch site and TT&C network were advanced, which also marked an important step for China's space industry.
"Shenzhou II": China's first unmanned prototype spacecraft
Shenzhou II was launched in Jiuquan on 200 1, 1, 10, and the return capsule successfully returned to the ground after seven days in orbit. "Shenzhou II" is the first unmanned prototype spacecraft in China, that is, the technical status of the spacecraft is basically the same as that of the manned spacecraft. It consists of three parts: orbital module, return module and propulsion module. During the orbital operation of the spacecraft,
Compared with the "Shenzhou I" experimental spacecraft, the system structure of "Shenzhou II" has been expanded and its technical performance has been improved. For example, "Shenzhou II" has been improved. First, the function of the "emergency rescue" subsystem of environmental control and life support has been tested, and the coordination between the spacecraft system and other systems has been further tested. At the same time, the orbital module was carried out for the first time for half a year.
In addition, Shenzhou II conducted experiments in the fields of space life science, space materials, space astronomy and physics for the first time in microgravity environment.
The launch of Shenzhou II is the second flight test of China's manned spaceflight project, marking another gratifying step for China to realize manned spaceflight.
"Shenzhou III": The World's First Space "Simulated Man"
Shenzhou III was launched on March 25th, 2002, and returned to the ground in April 1. The orbital module has been running in space for more than 180 days, * * * circling the earth for 282 1 circle, successfully completing a series of scientific experiments such as space environment monitoring and infrared detection, and obtaining a lot of valuable scientific research data.
Except for the absence of astronauts, the technical status of Shenzhou III is completely consistent with manned space flight, which optimizes and improves the performance of many subsystems and improves the safety and reliability of manned space flight.
The spacecraft's innovative move is to load a space "simulator". It consists of human metabolism simulator, anthropomorphic physiological signal equipment and physical dummy, which can quantitatively simulate the important physiological activity parameters of astronauts in space and be monitored by the ground command center at any time. It is the first time in the world to use "simulated human" instead of the inanimate load of animals to simulate and test the manned state of spacecraft.
Compared with "Shenzhou II", "Shenzhou III" has added escape and emergency lifesaving functions, which can be controlled by instructions from the ground or executed by the spacecraft itself to ensure the life safety of future astronauts.
"Shenzhou IV": a big drill before manned.
Shenzhou IV, which was put into orbit on June 30th, 2002, is the most perfect unmanned experimental spacecraft launched by China. According to the scheduled plan, on October 5, 2003, Shenzhou IV flew in space for 6 days 18 hours and circled the earth 108 times, and made earth observations successively.
Some functions, such as manual control and autonomous emergency return in orbit, have been added to the spacecraft to obtain the relevant data of astronauts' living environment and safety. In addition, the yaw maneuverability of the whole ship has been increased, the manned environment in the cabin has been improved, and the factors such as the seats used by astronauts to leave and enter the cabin and the convenience of operation have been fully considered. Before the launch, the joint test between astronauts and the ship was carried out.
In order to ensure the safety of future astronauts, "Shenzhou IV" installed two "simulated people" in the spacecraft, aiming at comprehensively inspecting the environmental control and life support system in the cabin, and designed a variety of life-saving modes.
According to the requirements of normal manned flight, this test flight set up a number of emergency rescue areas on land and at sea, and deployed emergency rescue boats and dozens of aircraft at sea. Rescuers have been in place and have conducted relevant drills.
"Shenzhou 5": The Millennium Dream is famous all over the world.
After launching four unmanned test spacecraft, experts repeatedly discussed when to launch China's first manned spacecraft. Before the Soviet Union began to carry people, it had launched seven unmanned spacecraft. The United States has launched more unmanned test spacecraft, while China has only launched four unmanned spacecraft. Can we do it directly before experimenting with animals such as orangutans and monkeys? How many people have you slept with? After repeated discussions, it was finally decided to be on the safe side that Shenzhou 5 only carried one person, but it was longer than the first manned space flight of any country in the world, about 2 1 hour.
June 5438+1October 65438+May 2003, Shenzhou 5 sent China's first astronaut Yang Liwei into space, which was successfully recovered after 14 laps. At 6: 23 the next day, astronaut Yang Liwei walked out of the return capsule healthily and normally, thus opening a new era of China's space flight.
Shenzhou V is basically similar to Shenzhou IV, but compared with the latter, Shenzhou V has carried out 39 improvements to improve reliability and 20 improvements to improve safety, and arranged 56 reliability tests and 9 safety tests. It is highly automated and equipped with a variety of safe flight modes. During the flight, the software and hardware products and electromechanical thermal design of the whole spacecraft were evaluated, which proved that the spacecraft has the ability of manned space flight.
"Shenzhou VI": a new chapter in the spectrum of many people and many days
June 5th, 2005+10/October 6th+February, 2005, China's second manned spaceship, Shenzhou VI, sent two astronauts into space from Nie Haisheng. After five days in space, they landed safely and accurately on June+10/October 65438+July 65438, and the two astronauts walked out of the return capsule healthily and normally.
Shenzhou VI optimized the design of the whole ship, reduced the structural weight and further improved the reliability and safety of the spacecraft. The orbital module transported about 200 kilograms more articles than the "Shenzhou 5". The food cabinet was placed in the orbital module and was equipped with electric heaters for hot meals, sleeping bags and space toilets for the first time. The additional segment was cancelled; The seat of the return cabin was changed from one to two; The types of food for astronauts have also increased from twenty or thirty to forty or fifty.
Shenzhou VI spacecraft has mainly completed three major tasks: First, it has continuously broken through the basic technologies of manned space flight, such as multi-person and multi-day space flight technology; Second, continue to carry out space science experiments, especially the first manned space science experiment in China; Third, we will continue to evaluate and improve the performance of various engineering systems to prepare for Shenzhou VII.
The complete success of Shenzhou 5 and Shenzhou VI broke through the key technology of manned space flight and achieved the mission goal of China's first manned space flight project.
"Shenzhou VII": Three breakthroughs will be achieved.
"Shenzhou VII" will not only continue the flight assessment test, but also achieve three breakthroughs: first, I am the first astronaut to go out of the cabin and break through the technology of extravehicular activities; Second, the spacecraft is fully loaded with three astronauts for the first time, and the three-person flight test can last for more than five days; The third is to carry out experiments on new satellite communication technologies.
According to experts, during the spacewalk, one of them has been on duty in the return capsule, responsible for the normal operation of the whole spacecraft. The other two astronauts first put on their outdoor spacesuits, then began to absorb oxygen and expel nitrogen, then deflated the airlock to a vacuum state, and finally opened the outer door leading to the cosmic vacuum. At this time, one astronaut got out of the cabin and another astronaut waited for his return. After leaving the cabin, the astronauts will complete the scientific experiment of space materials and release the accompanying small satellites.
In addition, in 2008, China launched the first relay satellite "Tianlian No.1", which can increase the coverage of "Shenzhou VII" from 12% to 60%. At that time, the first spacewalk of Chinese astronauts will be broadcast live.
"Shenzhou VII" manned extravehicular activity is a great pioneering work in China's space history, which lays a foundation for astronauts to complete on-orbit assembly and maintenance tasks in the future. At the same time, China astronauts' first extravehicular activity marks that China's manned space technology will reach a new level, becoming the third country in the world to complete the spacewalk completely independently.