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Shenzhou V
Launch time: 9 p.m. on October 15, 2003
Launch rocket: The new Long March 2F strap-on rocket, this is the 71st flight of the Long March series of carrier rockets, and it is also the 29th consecutive successful space launch since October 1996.
The flight time required for the spacecraft to enter the orbit: at 9:10, the ship and arrow separated, and the Shenzhou V manned spacecraft accurately entered the scheduled orbit.
Return time: 16 October 2003, 6:28 a.m
Launch site: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
Landing site: Amugulang Grassland area in central Inner Mongolia
Flight time\/laps: 21 hours \/14 laps
Cargo: In addition to Yang Liwei, the first person to fly in China, \"Shenzhou\" 5 manned spacecraft return cabin also carried a special significance of the Chinese national flag, a Beijing 2008 Olympic Games emblem flag, a United Nations flag, the main currency of the renminbi sample, China's first manned space flight commemorative stamps, China's manned space project commemorative cover and from the motherland's treasure island Taiwan crop seeds.
Test project: Shenzhou 5 will minimize the experimental items and instruments in the cabin, in order to free up more space for astronaut activities and scientific observation missions, it can be said that this mission is mainly to examine the astronaut's adaptability in the space environment.
New technology application: automatic fault detection system and escape system are added for the first time. Among them, hundreds of fault modes are set up, and automatic alarms are immediately reported in case of danger. Even after the spacecraft has been airborne for some time, it can be rescued by an escape rocket.
Shenzhou VI spacecraft is still a propellant module, return module, orbital module of the three-module structure, the shape and structure of the whole ship is the same as the original, the weight is basically maintained at about 8 tons. After entering orbit, the spacecraft first ran five times on an elliptical orbit of 200 kilometers perigee and 350 kilometers apogee, and then changed orbit to a circular orbit of 343 kilometers from the ground. It takes 90 minutes to fly around the Earth, and the flight trajectory is projected on the ground as a sine curve that continues to move east. The orbital characteristics are the same as Shenzhou V.
Due to the lack of rendezvous and docking mission this flight, Shenzhou VI cancelled the additional segment for this function, in addition, the spacecraft added more than 40 equipment and 6 software, so that the spacecraft's equipment reached more than 600 units, 82 software, and more than 100,000 components.
The improvement of Shenzhou VI can be roughly summarized into four aspects:
First, the improvement of multi-day flight missions around two people. First of all, a sufficient amount or even a surplus of astronaut consumables, including food, water, sleeping bags, etc. The pantry is located in the orbital module, which was previously vacant. According to the water consumption of one and a half warm POTS per person per day, the astronauts are prepared by two ways: water tanks and separate flexible packaging. Secondly, the environmental control ability of the cabin is improved. With one person exhaling nearly a liter of water a day, Shenzhou VI has improved its ability to condense water, expanded its condensing tanks, and coated all exposed pipes with absorbent materials to keep the spacecraft's humidity below 80 percent. The oxygen, temperature and humidity in the cabin can be automatically sensed and adjusted.
2. Improvements in the use of orbital module functions. There are many necessities for astronauts' lives, such as food heating devices and tableware. There is a sleeping bag hanging in the orbital module for the two astronauts to take turns to rest. Weightless people can actually float in the air to sleep, but considering the habit of people on the ground, so through the sleeping bag to artificially create a \"bed\" feeling, otherwise the astronaut may have the illusion of falling into the abyss when sleeping. There is also a special cleaning supplies cabinet in the orbital module, the astronauts can use the wet wipes and other items to clean. The urine and feces collection device was also used for the first time.
Third, to improve the safety of astronauts. The astronauts' seats in the re-entry module are designed to cushion the landing, which is to keep the astronauts safe in the event of a failure of the reverse rocket. Only Yang Liwei's seat in the Shenzhou V spacecraft has a landing cushion function, and there is a small defect, that is, it is difficult for astronauts to see out of the porthole after returning to the front seat. Shenzhou VI has redesigned the buffer and carried out repeated tests combined with the whole ship, and the three tests dropped from the tower and the plane were successful each time. If the door between the re-entry module and the orbital module is not tightly closed during the return, it will threaten the safety of astronauts. Three Russian cosmonauts have been killed. Shenzhou 6 researchers successfully developed a rapid automatic inspection device for the closure of the cabin door, and spent several months developing a special cloth, which does not produce fiber, static electricity, odor, and is specially used to clean the cabin door.
Fourth, continuous improvement. China's manned space project was officially started in 1992, and it has been 13 years, and some of the components and raw materials originally used on the spacecraft are no longer produced, and some technologies are slightly outdated. Shenzhou VI has made some continuous daily improvements. The \"black boxes\" on Shenzhou-1 to 5, for example, were developed in 1994 and have a storage capacity of only 10 megabytes. The current black box is not only 100 times larger than the original storage capacity, but also the data writing and reading speed has increased by more than 10 times, but the volume is less than half of the original.
The composition of the Shenzhou VI spacecraft
Orbital Module: \"Multi-function Hall\"
The orbital module of the Shenzhou spacecraft is a cylinder with a total length of 2.8 meters and a maximum diameter of 2.25 meters, one end of which is connected to the return module and the other end is connected to the space docking mechanism. The reason why the orbital module of the \"God Six\" is called the \"multi-function hall\" is that the two astronauts are in the orbital module except for liftoff and return to enter the return module. The orbital module integrates many functions such as working, eating, sleeping, washing and convenience.
Escape Tower: Keep the ship safe
Escape Tower: Located at the very front of the ship, 8 meters high. It itself is actually a small launch vehicle consisting of a series of rocket engines. Between 900 seconds before the rocket carrying the spacecraft and 160 seconds after takeoff? The rocket runs at a distance of 0 to 100 kilometers, and in case of an emergency, the rescue tower will be activated in an emergency, dragging the return module and orbital module of the Shenzhou 6 spacecraft to separate from the rocket, quickly escape from dangerous places, and use parachutes to land to safety.
Astronauts' home in orbit
Orbital module: also called working module. Its shape is a cylinder with cone angles at both ends, and it is the astronaut's \"space bedroom\" and \"work room\". It also has two functions of astronaut living module and orbital laboratory module, so it is also called orbital module. The orbital module is equipped with a variety of test equipment and experimental instruments, which can be used for earth observation, and it is equipped with large reportable solar cell sails, sun sensors and various antennas and various docking structures on both sides, which are used to convert solar energy into spacecraft energy and communicate with the ground. As the \"space bedroom\" of astronauts, the environment of the orbital module is very comfortable, and the temperature inside the cabin is generally between 17 and 25 degrees Celsius.
Re-entry module: astronauts' 'cab'
Re-entry module: also known as the cockpit, it is the \"cab\" of the astronauts. It is the cabin that astronauts travel to and from space, and it is a closed structure with a hatch at the front. After the Shenzhou VI completes its mission around the Earth, the two astronauts will also return to Earth in the re-entry module.
Propellant module: also called instrument module. Propulsion systems, power supplies, orbital braking, and oxygen and water are usually installed. The two sides of the propellant module are also equipped with main solar cell sails with an area of more than 20 square meters.
Why choose autumn launch?
Two years ago at this time, China's first manned spacecraft Shenzhou V was successfully launched. Is it a coincidence that the launch of God Six this year coincides with the golden autumn season? Not really. This is because the weather conditions in autumn are the most suitable for China to launch manned spacecraft.
The choice of the launch season of spacecraft should take into account various factors that may affect the launch, among which meteorological conditions are the most direct and critical determinant.
After the spacecraft is launched, the spacecraft should be measured and controlled by the space TT&C network. If the Shenzhou spacecraft is compared to a \"kite\" flying in space, then the space TT&C network is the important \"kite line\". China's space TT&C network consists of several ground TT&C stations and four Yuanwang space tracking ships. The four survey vessels are Yuanwang 1 and Yuanwang 2 in the Pacific Ocean, Yuanwang 4 in the Indian Ocean and Yuanwang 3 in the Atlantic Ocean. Of these, three survey ships are in the southern Hemisphere at relatively high latitudes.
The seasons in the southern Hemisphere are the opposite of ours. China's spring and summer season in the southern hemisphere is the autumn and winter season, the sea conditions are very bad, even if normal navigation is difficult to ensure safety, let alone the implementation of measurement and control tasks at sea, so it is not appropriate to launch spacecraft. China's autumn and winter seasons are spring and summer seasons in the southern hemisphere, and the sea conditions are better, which is convenient for navigation and surveying tasks. Therefore, the launch time of China's Shenzhou 1 to 5 spacecraft is selected in the opposite autumn and winter season of the southern hemisphere.
In addition, compared with the autumn and winter, although the Shenzhou 4 launched on December 30, 2002, has broken the historical record of China's low temperature launch, but in manned space flight, people-oriented and fully protect the safety of the astronauts have become the biggest feature of the launch, so the meteorological conditions of the launch section are also very important. Obviously, autumn is more suitable than winter. Therefore, the Shen-V spacecraft two years ago and the Shen-VI manned spacecraft this year have chosen to launch in the autumn.
\"This year is close to the bottom of the cycle, and solar activity is expected to be stable during Shenzhou 6's flight, which is suitable for human space activities,\" said Gong Jiancun, a researcher at the Space Environment Forecasting Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Gong said people already know that the sun's activity cycle is 11 years, with the peak in 2000 and the bottom in 2006. Therefore, the frequency of solar abnormal activities is low this year, and the general trend is conducive to human space activities. God VI will fly in \"fine weather.\"
About Special milk
From the rise of Shenzhou V to achieve the breakthrough of China's manned space flight zero, to the two-person multi-day outer space flight of Shenzhou VI, the special milk of Chinese astronauts Mengniu milk accompanied the astronauts from the sweat covered training ground to the vast space, witnessing the hardship and brilliance of China's manned space industry. What are the special requirements for the selection of astronaut food, and how does Mengniu milk become \"Chinese astronaut special milk\"? With the successful return of Shenzhou VI, the mystery shrouded in the astronaut's diet has been gently lifted by nutrition experts.
In China, a pilot of the air force is selected from 1,000 soldiers, and only one of the 100 air force pilots has the opportunity to become a fighter pilot, and the astronaut is selected from these fighter pilots one thousand miles, after comprehensive investigation and comparison in all aspects of the final selection. In order to ensure that these \"national treasures\" shouldering the heavy responsibility of the motherland maintain good physical and psychological quality, as early as Shenzhou V's first manned space mission, a nutrition group composed of experts from all sides began the rigorous selection of special food for astronauts. In order to ensure the safety, green and nutrition of space food, the Space Medical Engineering Institute's regulations on astronaut food are as long as eight pages! The investigation and selection of \"whole nutrition food\" milk is the first.
Milk source is the first key to determining milk quality, and therefore has become the primary factor for experts to assess. Taking into account that the western grassland of China with Inner Mongolia grassland as the core is located in the internationally recognized mid-temperate monsoon climate of high-quality dairy cattle breeding belt, which is unmatched in China and has leading significance in the world, the Mengniu dairy industry, whose main milk source base is all in this zone, has entered the field of view of experts. In Mengniu's production base, they have seen the world's leading \"model factory\
After rigorous testing, the national space department believes that the indicators of Mengniu milk have reached or exceeded domestic and international standards. With pure natural, high quality, rich nutrition and good taste, Mengniu milk eventually became the only \"Chinese astronaut special milk\" designated by space nutrition experts. Since then, \"three cups of milk a day\" has become a \"white movement\" in the training, work and life of astronauts.
Every morning, while enjoying other carefully matched foods, astronauts drink a glass of Mengniu milk to effectively ensure energy and nutrition throughout the day.\" After lunch, the nutritionist at the training base will send a cup of Mengniu yogurt to each astronaut in time. Originally, lactic acid, acetic acid and other organic acids contained in yogurt not only give yogurt a refreshing sour taste, but also help milk to form a tender curd, thereby reducing intestinal PH, promote gastrointestinal peristalsis and digestive fluid secretion, inhibit the reproduction of harmful microorganisms, so that the astronauts are in good spirits for an afternoon. \"Mengniu has changed the number of probiotics in its yogurt products from two to four, which not only significantly improves the nutritional value of similar products, but also strengthens its role in helping digestion and inhibiting harmful bacteria, which is very popular among astronauts.\" The base's dietitian commented.
After an intense day of training, the astronauts will also have a glass of milk with dinner. Nutrition experts pointed out that on the one hand, the milk that drinks for dinner, its soothing effect promotes the deep sleep of the astronauts, on the other hand, the human body is in a sleeping state, and it is easier to absorb the protein in milk.
\"Three glasses of milk a day, 500-800ml a day. This scientific diet ensures nutrition without causing fat accumulation, not only for astronauts, but also for ordinary people!\" Nutrition experts believe that the scientific collocation of milk in the astronauts' diet is worth vigorously promoting in the whole society.
To become the \"special milk for Chinese astronauts\" is not only a noble honor, but also a kind of expectation and responsibility. While China's space industry is \"inspiring the Chinese heart\" with one brilliant achievement after another, every Mengniu person is also committed to the great mission of \"strengthening the Chinese people\". In 2003, when Shenzhou No. 5 rose from the ground to achieve the breakthrough of China's manned space industry, Mengniu milk quickly became the leader of China's liquid milk market, and in 2004 became the special milk for athletes training Bureau of the State General Administration of Sport, contributing its strength to the Chinese athletes to win the world competition. Subsequently, Mengniu took the lead in building the largest \"Australia-Asia International Ranch\" in China, and was the first to introduce robot milking facilities in China to plant high-quality pasture from 12 countries in the world and raise high-quality global dairy cows, opening the road of milk source upgrading in China's dairy industry. In 2005, when Shenzhou VI circled our beautiful planet with a perfect attitude, Mengniu had sold 7,000 tons of liquid milk every day, surpassing many century-old multinational dairy giants and becoming a global leader in the field of liquid milk. As the first \"partner of China's space industry\
Classic moment two: Stabbing nine days straight
Low gray clouds lay on top of each other, and Commander Zero's countdown order echoed across the empty launch field. At 9 o 'clock on the 12th, amid the roar, the Long March 2F carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou VI spacecraft sprayed a golden tail flame and steadily left the launch pad. A few seconds later, the rocket broke through and disappeared into the clouds. For the first time, a camera installed on a rocket transmits images of the rocket's flight to a screen in the flight control center in real time. \"Booster separation successful!\" \"The first and second stage separation is successful!\" With every perfect move of the rocket, applause broke out and people shouted. 583 seconds later, the arrows separate and the spacecraft is in orbit. Twice golden autumn, twice flying. After Yang Liwei, two Chinese people once again open the sky.
Classic moment three: Love from heaven and earth
An invisible network of measurement and control communication connects heaven and earth, and also connects two families. At 21:30 on the 12th, the two astronauts, who were on the ninth lap of the flight, started a phone call with their relatives who came to the flight control hall in Beijing.
\"Xiao Fei\
Classic moment Four: Breakfast in space
At 6:10 on the 13th, the spacecraft flew the 15th circle. Nie Haisheng holds a spoon, scoops a piece of food from a food box and lets it float in the air. Fei Junlong touched it lightly with his hand, and the food flew into his mouth. The two men smiled happily for the camera. The breakfast was heated in the orbital module. During the Shenzhou V flight, Yang Liwei ate small mooncakes. Shenzhou 6 is equipped with food heaters, and the two astronauts can not only taste more than 50 kinds of food, but also eat hot meals.
Every action of heating, eating, and eating by the astronauts is not simple, and it announces a new step in China's manned space flight. Continuing to examine the basic technology of manned spaceflight is the first major task of Shenzhou VI. The so-called \"basic technology\" includes environmental control and life support technology to ensure the multi-day space life of many people.
Classic moment five: Hatch test.
Few words more accurately describe the motion of an astronaut in space than \"floating\" and \"swimming\". At 14:25 on the 13th, Fei Junlong got up from the seat, pulled the handrail and the power rope, entered the orbital module head first and feet back, and then returned to the re-entry module, while Nie Haisheng carried out two similar movements from the orbital module to the re-entry module. In the position of fish swimming gently in the water, the astronauts successfully completed three experiments through the capsule.
\"The test shows that the astronauts' activities have little impact on the spacecraft's attitude, and the spacecraft can maintain normal flight without correcting the spacecraft's attitude,\" said Zheng Songhui, spacecraft system consultant. China has become the third country in the world capable of conducting manned space science experiments since its astronauts first entered the orbital module on December 12.
Classic moment # 6: Shave and somersault
At 16:11. Fei seems to be in a good mood, after applying a special shaving cream, holding a razor to begin the \"beauty\". He looks very intently ahead and the camera cuts - there is a mirror on the bulkhead in front of him. Like any movement of the ship's operation, Fei Junlong was careful and relaxed when shaving. Does shaving in space require special training?
Twenty minutes later, the more exciting scene began: Fei Junlong half crouched on the ground, supported the two anchors on the cabin floor with his hands, and then suddenly forward, completed the first Chinese forward roll in space! As if not enough, Fei Junlong turned three somersaults. Nie has been taking photos of him, and the two men smile at each other from time to time.
Zhang Bainan, the chief designer of the spacecraft, said that the four somersaults were not arranged, but the astronauts played their own games after knowing the results of good attitude control of the spacecraft. It may be difficult to resist the desire to float freely in the weightlessness of space. After the completion of the three tests, the astronauts can now free their hands and feet and enjoy the freedom from Earth's gravity. Sun Wukong a somersault thousands of miles, Fei Junlong in 3 minutes turned 4 somersaults, a somersault 351 kilometers.
Classic moment seven: Warm dialogue Shenzhou Skyrocket space, heaven and earth heart connected.
At around 4 PM on the 15th, General Secretary Hu arrived at the Beijing Space Flight Control Center. At 4:28, the spacecraft entered the measurement and control area, and the images of Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng in the spaceship cabin were clearly displayed on the large screen. The general secretary picked up the phone and had a cordial conversation with the two astronauts. Nie Haisheng reported to the general secretary: Shenzhou VI flight is normal, our bodies feel very good, space science experiments are proceeding smoothly according to plan. General Secretary Hu said that we are very happy to hear that you are in good health and that all the experiments are going smoothly. As astronauts in this mission, you have made outstanding contributions, and the motherland and the people are proud of you. I hope you will be calm, careful and complete the mission. The people of the motherland look forward to your triumphant return. Fei Junlong excitedly expressed his sincere thanks to the general Secretary's care and heartfelt thanks to the support of the people of the motherland. We will bring the task to a successful conclusion. At 4:33, the live call ended and the hall burst into applause. Classic moment eight: Greetings from space
At 19:59 on the 16th, Chen Shanguang, director of the Chinese Astronaut Research and Training Center, spoke with the two astronauts. \"In the past few days, we have received calls from people from all walks of life in China and from compatriots around the world, expressing cordial greetings and wishes to you and looking forward to your safe return,\" Chen said. \"We thank the people of the whole country, our compatriots in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, and overseas Chinese for their care and love for us.\" Nie Haisheng's powerful voice came from the space 343 kilometers from the ground.
Two years ago, for the first time, the voice of the Chinese people sounded in space, when Yang Liwei, who was alone on the ninth Heaven, sent greetings to the earth on Shenzhou V. Just two years later, China made the big leap from one person a day to more than two people in manned space flight. Today, Chinese astronauts once again send greetings to their compatriots from space.
At this moment, the window of the Shenzhou 6 is a blue, on the 71st orbit of the Earth, the Shenzhou 6 is passing over the southern Indian Ocean. Before that, the Shenzhou VI spacecraft has flown over Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau several times.
Recalling his Shen-V flight two years ago, Yang Liwei said that after the 21-hour space journey, he had a deeper understanding of the country and the nation. Perhaps, at this moment, the two astronauts who send greetings to their compatriots in space are receiving the same spiritual baptism.
Classic moment nine: Shenzhou home
Stars were shining brightly at the main landing ground at Amugulang Ranch in Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia, early Sunday morning. It was an anxious time, the spacecraft after a voyage of 3.25 million kilometers, is following the established return trajectory, flying to the arms of the motherland.
At 4:08, Kashgar test and control station found the target, the spacecraft flew into the motherland. A \"colorful cloud\" appeared on the vast grassland, and under the traction of the main parachute of 1200 square meters, the spacecraft slowly fell to the scheduled landing site. When the spacecraft is 1 meter above the ground, the reverse thrust engine fires accurately. The speed of the reentry capsule dropped rapidly from 8 meters per second to 1 meter per second, like a feather, falling gently on the grassland. At 4:33, the spacecraft's re-entry module landed and the astronauts reported feeling well.
Applause rose at the Beijing flight control center. Fei Junlong's father Fei Changbao sincerely praised: \"The motherland is really great!\"
At 5:38, Fei Junlong, dressed in a space suit, exited the capsule independently, and Nie Haisheng walked out later, waving flowers to greet the search and rescue personnel, and cheering woke up the dawn of the grassland. At this moment, 115 hours and 32 minutes have passed since the launch of Shenzhou VI. It has been two years and 22 hours since Yang Liwei returned from China's first manned space flight. It has been 13 years and 26 days since the launch of China's manned space program.