The China Manned Space Engineering Office revealed on the 4th that the Shenzhou 14 flight crew will be composed of astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe, and the three astronauts will be stationed in the core module and in orbit. Residency for 6 months. This is the construction stage of China's space station, the second mission after the successful launch of the Tianzhou-4 cargo spacecraft in May 2022, and the first manned mission at this stage. The assembly and construction of the space station will be completed in orbit. From the implementation of the "three-step" development strategy of the manned spaceflight project in 1992 to the time when the Shenzhou 14 is ready to go, the Chinese people's dream of flying has reached farther into the sky.
What is the main mission of the Shenzhou 14 flight crew? What are the selection criteria? What's new in the necessities of life in space? Huang Weifen, chief designer of China's manned space project astronaut system and researcher of China Astronaut Research and Training Center, was interviewed by a reporter from Xinhua News Agency.
9 combinations of body configurations, 5 rendezvous and docking... The Shenzhou 14 crew has a complicated and arduous task
Reporter: What is the main mission of the Shenzhou 14 flight crew? Is the mission of building the space station more demanding for astronauts?
Huang Weifen: This year we will have two manned missions, which are manned missions in the construction phase of our space station. The flight crew of Shenzhou 14 will perform the first manned flight mission during the construction phase of the space station. The link between the previous and the next is of great significance and very difficult for them.
During the 6-month flight, the astronauts had to experience extremely complex flight conditions, including 9 combined body configurations, 5 rendezvous and docking, 3 separation and evacuation, and 2 inversion missions. During this process, they have to monitor the state, and when necessary, implement manual operation for rendezvous and docking; they also need to enter the two experimental cabins of the Wentian capsule and the Mengtian capsule for the first time to complete the establishment of the manned environment; The cabin completes the unlocking and installation of more than a dozen scientific experiment cabinets; as well as daily assembly, construction, maintenance and other aspects of work.
It is worth noting that they will use the airlock cabin for the first time out of the cabin. We plan to do 2 to 3 trips out of the cabin. This is the first time to use the small robotic arm of the Wentian experimental cabin to do so. In the back, the combined arm of the forearm and the big arm will be used for out-of-cabin activities. These are all new states that are challenging for astronauts. They will also conduct space lectures and carry out some other space education activities and public welfare activities.
Therefore, the mission of the Shenzhou 14 crew this time is extremely complex, and the requirements for the astronauts' emergency and fault handling capabilities are also higher than before.
The commonality of the three astronauts is that they are very serious and will select the fourth and fifth batches of astronauts in the future.
Reporter: What are the rules for the selection of Shenzhou 14 crew astronauts, and what are the considerations?
Huang Weifen: According to the overall planning of the project, there are 4 manned flight missions in the key technology verification and construction stage of the space station. Based on summarizing the previous selection experience, we also adjusted the selection strategy according to the mission characteristics of the space station stage. The determination and selection of flight crews for these four missions are carried out based on the principles of overall planning, new and old matching, inheritance and development. We selected astronauts with flight experience to serve as commanders, every crew member.
When selecting crew members, we analyze the characteristics of each mission and the requirements for astronauts in key missions, such as out-vehicle activities. At the same time, the compatibility of each astronaut's individual characteristics with the mission, as well as their psychological compatibility with each other, is considered to form a suitable crew. We have to consider age, as well as various factors such as flight experience, and finally make a comprehensive determination.
The three astronauts have in common that they are very serious, very meticulous, love to learn and study, have great team spirit, and are very compatible.
The three of them also have different characteristics. As the commander-in-chief, Chen Dong is particularly self-confident, courageous and resolute. I often put forward my own opinions and suggestions in training and experiments. Liu Yang is very friendly and has strong language skills. Cai Xuzhe is very smart, has a relatively strong comprehension ability, and is quick to accept new things and new knowledge.
At present, we have selected three batches of astronauts, and we will select the fourth and fifth batches in the future. The construction of the astronaut team must always consider the overall plan of the national manned spaceflight project, the corresponding mission requirements and the current situation of the astronaut team itself. We will regularly select new astronauts to join the space team at regular intervals.
According to the needs of the mission, we will expand the candidate group and train astronauts of various types of experts, so that the astronaut team will always maintain a moderate size, reasonable structure and excellent overall quality, which can meet the needs of current and future development.
Focusing on Risks for Targeted Training and Continuous Improvement of Astronauts' Space Clothing, Food, Housing and Transportation
Reporter: You just mentioned that the Shenzhou 14 mission is arduous and complex. What kind of targeted training have we carried out for the astronauts? What's new in food, clothing, housing and transportation?
Huang Weifen: We started training in March 2017 to prepare for the construction of the space station. Some trainings are common. On the basis of the training of more than 100 subjects in eight categories, we have carried out intensive training focusing on the new characteristics, new tasks, new status and new changes of the Shenzhou 14 mission, focusing on key tasks for training, such as Low-pressure environment exit activity training, exit activity program simulator training, use virtual reality trainer and robotic arm operation training platform to conduct collaborative training and drills, so that they can master the skills of exit activity.
There is also targeted training on focusing risks, because with the completion of the space station, the combination becomes more and more complex, the flight time is also very long, and the probability of problems will increase. In response to these risks, we need to carry out emergency and fault handling training. For example, through deduction of fault plans, practical training and drills, we have carried out intensive training on emergency fault handling capabilities, so that astronauts can respond to these emergency situations. Deal with it calmly, calmly, and effectively.
The last is to carry out continuous intensive training for long-term flight residency, such as material management, physical training, psychological adjustment training, etc.
In addition, both crews work and live on orbit at the same time. I think it's mainly a challenge to space station systems, such as regenerative support systems.
For astronauts, there is a 180-day manned comprehensive verification experiment on the space station when conducting experiments on the ground assembly, and each crew member lives and works for 30 days in an experimental cabin of the space station. We also carried out the rotation work experiment of Shenzhou 14 crew and Shenzhou 15 crew.
Crew rotation will be the norm in the future. Through the on-orbit rotation of the Shenzhou 14 crew and the Shenzhou 15 crew, a certain foundation will be laid for the future and experience will be accumulated.
Furthermore, astronauts' clothing, food, shelter and transportation in space must be continuously improved, because clothing, food, shelter and transportation have a great impact on flight. Astronauts must live well, live well, and work well, and provide them with various good guarantees and conveniences.
For example, raisins are added to the food this time, because raisins are more convenient to eat, the juice is not too much, and the meat is relatively dense. Wash it up and eat it.