astronauts – Spress https://en.spress.net Spress is a general newspaper in English which is updated 24 hours a day. Sun, 27 Jun 2021 10:35:10 +0000 en-US hourly 1 191965906 Dream job astronaut More than 22,000 applications for space Once in space – many have that dream. More than 22,000 people want to become astronauts and have applied to the European space agency ESA. However, this dream will only come true for six candidates. https://en.spress.net/dream-job-astronaut-more-than-22000-applications-for-space-once-in-space-many-have-that-dream-more-than-22000-people-want-to-become-astronauts-and-have-applied-to-the-european-space-agency-esa-h/ Sun, 27 Jun 2021 10:35:10 +0000 https://en.spress.net/?p=27649

Dream job astronaut More than 22,000 applications for space

Status: 23.06.2021 3:43 p.m.

Once into space – many have the dream. More than 22,000 people want to become astronauts and have applied to the European space agency ESA. However, this dream will only come true for six candidates. More than 22,000 people want a job in space: That’s how many applications the European Space Agency ESA received for astronaut training, the ESA announced. Among them are 3700 applicants from Germany. By the deadline last Friday, 5,400 women applied, which is a share of 24 percent – nine percentage points more than in the last call in 2008.

interview 11/30/2010

Interview on space strategy “Everyone should fly into space”

More commercial than before and without shine – this is how Ulrich Walter, professor of space technology, assesses the new space strategy of the federal government.

A “tough competition” for the dream job

The number of applicants also increased overall: in 2008 around 8,400 people were interested in training at ESA, less than half as many as now. The space agency now wants to select four to six candidates for astronaut training from the pool by October 2022 – but also a “reserve” of up to 20 people. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher spoke of tough competition. “It is a dream job to be an astronaut.”

The selection process has six stages – the skills of the candidates are examined with, among other things, tests in the cognitive and technical areas. Applicants must have at least a master’s degree in natural sciences, engineering, mathematics or computer science. There are requirements for height, the age limit is 50 years. The new space crew should not be known until the end of next year.

March 31, 2021

Missions in space ESA is looking for new astronauts

The selection process is tough. Even the moon and Mars beckon as targets.

For the first time also “para-astronauts”

For the first time, the space agency also wants to train so-called para-astronauts – those with physical impairments such as short stature or a handicap of the legs. More than 200 applications were received for this.

The role model for many is the German astronaut Alexander Gerst, who became known as “Astro-Alex”. He spent around half a year on the International Space Station ISS in 2014 and 2018. On his second mission, he was the first German to take command of the space station

]]> 27649 The Twelve Shenzhou astronauts showed off their extravehicular space suits, and netizens called the “space suit” too cool! https://en.spress.net/the-twelve-shenzhou-astronauts-showed-off-their-extravehicular-space-suits-and-netizens-called-the-space-suit-too-cool/ Sun, 27 Jun 2021 08:40:05 +0000 https://en.spress.net/the-twelve-shenzhou-astronauts-showed-off-their-extravehicular-space-suits-and-netizens-called-the-space-suit-too-cool/ Modern Express News (Reporter Chen Yanlin) On June 23, during the live broadcast of the Shenzhou 12 astronauts and the ground, the astronauts Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo carried out the installation and testing of the gloves of the extravehicular spacesuit. This live broadcast was very eye-opening for netizens, especially when they saw the extravehicular aviation suits with “China Red” elements, netizens all admired the cool and good-looking “space jerseys”. “I look forward to astronauts dressing up.” !” It is reported that the Shenzhou 12 astronauts will work and live in space for three months, during which they plan to carry out two outings. △Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo are referring to the manual to carry out the installation and testing of extravehicular space suit gloves Extravehicular space suits show their true appearance, a touch of “China Red” lights up space The Shenzhou 12 flight crew’s three-month work schedule in space is well-arranged, and one of the most important tasks is to get out of the cabin. Astronauts must wear extravehicular space suits for exiting activities. According to CCTV News, at 9:40 in the morning on June 20, Tang Hongbo was taking out a large blue package from the cabin, which was taken from the node cabin lens of the Tianhe core cabin at 9:40 in the morning. Space suit. With a gentle pull by Tang Hongbo, the extravehicular space suit weighing 120 kg floated into the node compartment. Afterwards, Liu Boming entered the node module and cooperated with Tang Hongbo to remove the blue wrapping cloth. The white extravehicular space suit finally revealed its true appearance. On June 23, CCTV announced the astronauts’ working images in the China Space Station. The in-cabin images showed that astronaut Nie Haisheng was using simulation software to cooperate with the console to conduct the first training of manipulator control subjects for moving out of the cabin. In the node cabin, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo are conducting extravehicular space suit gloves installation and testing, clothing size adjustment and other work based on the manual. A reporter from Modern Express saw in the picture that this space suit was swollen and swollen, and the design incorporated “China Red” elements. The overall look was full of technological sense and very cool. Many netizens commented, expecting astronauts to put on space suits and change their clothes, letting a touch of “China Red” light up space. Astronaut Nie Haisheng said in an interview before, “The biggest change of the spacesuit this time is the increase in the time for out-of-vehicle support. In the past 4 hours or so, this time it can stay for 7-8 hours; the second is the joint modification. Now, the mobility is better. Then some other electronic devices, including cameras, are added, which may be more helpful to complete the task.” Astronaut Liu Boming pointed out that some corresponding adjustments have been made to the clothing this time, and some materials have been replaced, making it more comfortable to wear than the original. “It turns out that grasping the safety hook is very difficult when crawling outside the cabin, because most of the physical energy is consumed on it. This time I feel that it is time-saving and labor-saving than before. So it is the improvement of this clothing. Compared with Shenzhou VII, we feel that the comfort level is higher.” Interpretation: A new generation of extravehicular spacesuits has a more technological sense Compared with the previous extravehicular spacesuits, the new generation of “Flying” extravehicular spacesuits has added many new elements to the design. A reporter from Modern Express learned that the new-generation outerwear has a total of 6 layers, with functions such as radiation protection, temperature regulation and pressure regulation, as well as a complete life support system. There is only one model of the new extravehicular spacesuit, regardless of gender and size, which can be adjusted to suit the body shape of each astronaut. Under the premise of satisfying wearing comfort and saving energy, it can ensure that the astronauts carry out a series of complex operations and related load tests in an absolutely safe environment when they exit the capsule. Wen Xin, a professor at the School of Astronautics, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, introduced that the space environment is unpredictable and very complex. The characteristics of the extravehicular operating environment such as strong cosmic ray radiation, temperature difference of more than 300 degrees, microgravity, and high vacuum will have a direct impact on astronauts. It even threatens lives. “Without the protection of the extravehicular spacesuit, the out-of-vehicle operation cannot be achieved. Therefore, the design of the extravehicular spacesuit has a lot of considerations and requires high-tech support. Wen Xin said that space suits are divided into two types: outside and inside. The in-vehicle spacesuit is mainly used to protect the astronauts during the launch and return of the manned spacecraft. When the spacecraft loses pressure, it will automatically fill with oxygen and pressure to ensure the safety of the astronauts. The extravehicular space suit is the key equipment for exiting activities. It is a miniature manned spacecraft and personal protective equipment in space that guarantees the working ability and life safety of astronauts during exiting activities. “This time the extravehicular spacesuit is more mobile for astronauts. This detail seems small, but the actual breakthrough is still very difficult. Because if the joints are flexible, they may not be sealed enough to ensure safety. But the seal is sealed. The performance is guaranteed, but there may be no flexibility.” Wen Xin said, “The new generation of extravehicular spacesuits incorporates high-tech aerospace technology, extends the’standby time’, strengthens the life protection of astronauts, and is not only more humane, It is safe and reliable, and has a sense of science and technology. It is an important manifestation of our country’s manned spaceflight capabilities.”

]]> 27647 Inside the Chinese space station, what are the three astronauts up to? Do you know how dangerous a spacewalk is? https://en.spress.net/inside-the-chinese-space-station-what-are-the-three-astronauts-up-to-do-you-know-how-dangerous-a-spacewalk-is/ Sat, 26 Jun 2021 07:10:05 +0000 https://en.spress.net/inside-the-chinese-space-station-what-are-the-three-astronauts-up-to-do-you-know-how-dangerous-a-spacewalk-is/ Calculating the time, the three astronauts of Shenzhou 12 have been staying in the Chinese space station for a week. During this time, their every move has become the focus of the world. The space station camera recorded their “warm” shots in the space station and signed for it. The “space express” from the ground ate the “space meal” from the ground, while working while drying the food. During this period, they also made video calls with the most important people in their lives via wireless WiFi, and reported to their families the first safety after entering the space station. What are the three astronauts up to?The lens screen shows Although the internal space of the China Space Station is not large, only 110 square meters, the three astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming, and Tang Hongbo can be said to be very busy. The installation and start-up of scientific instruments, the conduct of space scientific experiments, and the external manipulators of the space station Use, and more importantly, shortly after, two astronauts will leave the capsule for the first spacewalk. Recently, the camera of the space station returned a picture showing that Nie Haisheng in the core module of Tianhe is using simulation software on the computer to simulate the astronaut’s exit activity process and the cooperation of the space station manipulator. Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo are installing and Testing out the space suit gloves, which means that they are not far from the day of carrying out the mission. “Spacewalk” is a test of astronauts’ hand strength I believe you have paid attention to the daily life of the three astronauts in the capsule through the lens of the Chinese Space Station, eating, moving, disassembling express delivery, surfing the Internet, etc., have you found that they are inconvenient to walk, moving from one location to another? , Similar to underwater swimming, stretch out your hands in front and put your feet behind, and then you need to control the direction, speed and strength. Moving in a microgravity environment does not require much effort, but it is very troublesome to stop the body suddenly, and it may cause unnecessary rotation of the body, hitting the bulkhead and scientific instruments, so how to get in the cabin Moving and controlling the body can be regarded as a “technical activity”, just like swimming, it is technical. But when exiting the capsule, astronauts must wear space suits weighing tens of kilograms, because there are vital life support systems, suitable air pressure and breathing oxygen, and more importantly, The outside of the cabin is the real outer space, so no one dared to be like inside the cabin: aim at the target point and fly over, but grab the handrail and move step by step. Hands are the most used part of walking out of the cabin. Not only do they need to move and fix the body, they also need to be used for work. The whole process is inseparable from hand activities. On the contrary, they are strong feet, whether in the cabin or in the cabin. In addition, there is basically no amount of activity, and the feet have almost become “furnishings”, so every time the spacewalk is over, the astronauts will feel soreness in the muscles of their hands. Do you know how dangerous a spacewalk is? Ensuring sufficient light is the first condition to ensure spacewalking. Astronauts cannot act in the dark. This is the first issue that astronauts should consider and choose a suitable time to exit the capsule. Of course, the most terrifying thing in a spacewalk is space debris. Even though the extravehicular spacesuit is very heavy, it is still afraid of the impact of space debris. Do you know how terrible space debris is? The speed of each piece of space debris is almost 7.9 kilometers per second. If you open your eyes to see clearly, it will fly 7.9 kilometers per second, which is several times faster than the speed of a bullet just out of the muzzle. It can be regarded as a super bullet. Encounter, let alone a few millimeters of steel, even a few centimeters of steel may break down. Spacewalks should also take into account the temperature difference outside the cabin. The sun should be moderately illuminated and the temperature difference should be minimized, because the temperature facing the sun can be as high as 120°C, but the temperature facing the sun may drop to minus 100°C. This is the cruel outer space environment. Without the protection of a space suit, no one can survive in such an environment. In addition, there are two other aspects that need to be considered. Solar storms and the South Atlantic radiation anomaly zone. During solar storms, the sun produces a large number of charged particles, which can break through the earth’s protective magnetic field and not only affect the electronic equipment in the spacecraft. It will also affect the health of the astronauts, which is a type of space radiation. Many people may not have heard of the “South Atlantic Radiation Anomaly Zone”. What is going on and what it has to do with the space station, but astronauts must know it. The South Atlantic Radiation Anomaly Zone means that a large area of ​​the South Atlantic has an anomaly in the Earth’s magnetic field, which is 50% weaker than normal, and weakens 10 times faster. The earth’s magnetic field is used to resist solar storms and protect the living environment of the earth. When the magnetic field in this area is weakened, charged particles will naturally increase, and space radiation will naturally increase, which is not conducive to the health of astronauts. Therefore, astronauts avoid passing through space stations. Spacewalk during the time over the South Atlantic. to sum up Although astronauts floating in space seem to be very enjoyable and enviable, but in fact it is physically exhausting and there is a great risk. This is really a tiring and dangerous “drought job”, but there is no way. For the development of my country’s aerospace industry, they are willing to suffer no matter how hard it is. Chinese astronauts on Shenzhou 12 will take two spacewalks in three months. The latter group of astronauts may have more space activities, and foreign astronauts are also working hard to learn Chinese and prepare to join China. Come from the space station, because the Chinese space station will soon be the only space station.For interesting scientific content, please pay attention to the only WeChat public account: interesting exploration

]]> 27494 Revealing the secret: the astronauts call between the world and the earth, and their credit is behind them! https://en.spress.net/revealing-the-secret-the-astronauts-call-between-the-world-and-the-earth-and-their-credit-is-behind-them/ Fri, 25 Jun 2021 14:10:09 +0000 https://en.spress.net/revealing-the-secret-the-astronauts-call-between-the-world-and-the-earth-and-their-credit-is-behind-them/ According to Xinhua News Agency, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, President of the State, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission Xi Jinping came to the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center on the morning of the 23rd. Together with the Shenzhou 12 astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo who were on mission in the core module of Tianhe. call. In this world call, video and audio are transmitted in real time between the core module of the space station hundreds of kilometers above the ground and the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center. The whole process has clear images, clear voices, and smooth transmission! Behind all of this, my country’s relay satellite system is indispensable. What is a relay satellite system? “Keywords: real-time, high-speed, full coverage” The pointer went back to 2003, when Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei successfully entered space for the first time. In the meantime, he conducted “world-to-earth calls” with the ground control station several times, but each time he had a strict time window. To put it simply, a relay satellite is a space data “transit station” that can provide space-based measurement and control and data relay services for mid- and low-orbit spacecraft. This is equivalent to raising the ground measurement and control station to an orbital altitude of tens of thousands of kilometers. According to the different data application departments of various spacecraft and aircraft, the various data generated by them are forwarded in real time. This improves the timeliness of data return. It also enhances the ability of emergency coordination and linkage. At that time, the effective communication time of observation stations in our country was quite limited. The birth of the “Skylink” series of relay satellites solved this problem well. One “Skylink” satellite can observe half of the orbits of mid- and low-orbit spacecraft, 2 “Skylink” satellites can cover most of the orbits, and 3 “Skylink” satellites can be networked to achieve global coverage. With them, the embarrassment of the “black barrier” of measurement and control communication outside the field of view that we are facing will be gone forever! Greatly improve the safety and reliability of manned space missions. What can the relay satellite system do? “Wi-Fi in space, astronauts watching “News Broadcast”, and space teaching… all rely on it!” On September 27, 2008, the astronaut Zhai Zhigang’s phrase “I’m out of the cabin, I feel good!” From outside the cabin of the Shenzhou-7 spacecraft in the distant space, it was transmitted back to the ground, and it was broadcasted all over the world through live news, detonating an unprecedented number of people in the country. The enthusiasm for dreaming in space, the live audio and video broadcast of the world during this mission is the “first show” of the “Tianlian” series of relay satellite systems in manned space missions. Since then, while witnessing the development of my country’s manned space industry, the relay satellite system has been constantly optimizing itself and providing better and better services for missions. Shenzhou VII manned spacecraft mission Zhai Zhigang out of the cabin live broadcast During the Shenzhou VII manned spacecraft mission, astronaut Jing Haipeng reported to the people of the country through the world’s audio and video calls In 2013, during the manned space missions of Shenzhou 10 and Tiangong 1, astronaut Wang Yaping gave a 51-minute space lesson to primary and middle school students across the country. These 51 minutes are the companionship of the “Skylink” satellite to the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft over 30,000 kilometers, and it is also the “Sky Road” team. Based on this task for several years of special research-compared with the previous world call, The live broadcast in space takes longer and the spacecraft flies over more arcs. How to ensure that the relay tracking is true and seamless? How to ensure that the inter-satellite switching is true and real-time? How to ensure that the mission plan is true and efficient? Every technical breakthrough is a real and difficult point. It not only involves the design of the top-level task model and process deduction, but also the optimization and improvement of the underlying software and hardware equipment and the optimization of the protocol specifications. The “Tianlu” team issued the task from the task demonstration. From a moment on, a journey of countless fierce battles and countless trials began. From Beijing to Xi’an, from Xi’an to Kashgar, from Kashgar to Whale Bay, there are mountains, rivers and trees measured by the “Tianlu” team in both the south and the north. Finally, when the live broadcast of the Shenzhou 10 sky teaching was successfully implemented, the ancients chanted “The End of the World” “If you are neighbor”, it becomes a reality with the support of the Tianlu team and the relay satellite system. In the Shenzhou 12 mission this year, my country’s self-developed second-generation relay satellite “Tianlian-2” 01 satellite made its debut for manned space missions. The second-generation relay satellite system has a wider range of panoramic beams. , Higher transmission speed, stronger multi-target support and other characteristics, the two-generation system relay networking has become one of the important measurement and control methods for the autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking of the spacecraft and the core cabin. Install wireless WIFI in space, use mobile APP, use wireless headset to call… All this is supported by the “Skylink” relay satellite system. According to the China Space Station’s orbit construction plan, a number of manned spacecraft, experimental cabins and other spacecraft will be launched in the future. The “Skylink” series of satellites will better provide high-speed, wide-area, and stable space-based measurement and control for these spacecraft. And data relay services, set up the “information road” between space and the ground. Who is operating the relay satellite? “A lovely group of people.” Nowadays, astronauts in the “Heavenly Harmony” on Nine Heavens can conduct real-time, two-way world-to-earth calls with the ground anytime and anywhere, which means that the information transmission between the world and the earth in my country has entered a situation of normalization, high efficiency, high speed, and global coverage. The behind-the-scenes heroes who set up this “information sky road” and empowered the world call are the unknown Beijing Space Information Transmission Center “Sky Road” team! From the project demonstration of the first-generation “Tianlian” relay satellite system in 2003, to the network operation of the first and second-generation relay satellites, for 18 years, they have weaved an “information road” with the “Tianlian” satellite as the core. , Has been helping my country’s manned spaceflight industry continue to advance, and has been helping my country’s space-based measurement and control communication system to continuously improve. In order to activate the “Tianlian” system’s abilities, and to empower the “Information Tianlu” to connect the world with the earth, they have always adhered to the belief that “the success does not have to be with me, and the success must have me”. Steadily move forward on the journey to the sea of ​​stars! Source Beijing Daily Client | Reporter Zhang Hang Correspondent Zhang Nan Zhou Yonggang Wang Ran Guo Haoran Zhang Mengmei Zou Fang Chen Fei Li Yuanlong Editor Zeng Jiajia Process Editor Wu Yue

]]> 27401 The Chinese astronauts under the camera, what are they up to, do you know how dangerous spacewalks are? https://en.spress.net/the-chinese-astronauts-under-the-camera-what-are-they-up-to-do-you-know-how-dangerous-spacewalks-are/ Fri, 25 Jun 2021 08:30:06 +0000 https://en.spress.net/the-chinese-astronauts-under-the-camera-what-are-they-up-to-do-you-know-how-dangerous-spacewalks-are/ Calculating the time, the three astronauts of Shenzhou 12 have been staying in the Chinese space station for a week. During this time, their every move has become the focus of the world. The space station camera recorded their “warm” shots in the space station and signed for it. The “space express” from the ground ate the “space meal” from the ground, while working while drying the food. During this period, they also made video calls with the most important people in their lives via wireless WiFi, and reported to their families the first safety after entering the space station. On the morning of June 23, they also had a brief talk with the leaders of the country. In the video call, the content of the call is warm and exciting. Some netizens said: Show me crying. What are the three astronauts up to?The lens screen shows Although the internal space of the China Space Station is not large, only 110 square meters, the three astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming, and Tang Hongbo can be said to be very busy. The installation and start-up of scientific instruments, the conduct of space scientific experiments, and the external manipulators of the space station Use, and more importantly, shortly after, two astronauts will leave the capsule for the first spacewalk. Recently, the camera of the space station returned a picture showing that Nie Haisheng in the core module of Tianhe is using simulation software on the computer to simulate the astronaut’s exit activity process and the cooperation of the space station manipulator. Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo are installing and Testing out the space suit gloves, which means that they are not far from the day of carrying out the mission. “Spacewalk” is a test of astronauts’ hand strength I believe you have paid attention to the daily life of the three astronauts in the capsule through the lens of the Chinese Space Station, eating, moving, disassembling express delivery, surfing the Internet, etc., have you found that they are inconvenient to walk, moving from one location to another? , Similar to underwater swimming, stretch out your hands in front and put your feet behind, and then you need to control the direction, speed and strength. Moving in a microgravity environment does not require much effort, but it is very troublesome to stop the body suddenly, and it may cause unnecessary rotation of the body, hitting the bulkhead and scientific instruments, so how to get in the cabin Moving and controlling the body can be regarded as a “technical activity”, just like swimming, it is technical. But when exiting the capsule, astronauts must wear space suits weighing tens of kilograms, because there are vital life support systems, suitable air pressure and breathing oxygen, and more importantly, The outside of the cabin is the real outer space, so no one dared to be like inside the cabin: aim at the target point and fly over, but grab the handrail and move step by step. Hands are the most used part of walking out of the cabin. Not only do they need to move and fix the body, they also need to be used for work. The whole process is inseparable from hand activities. On the contrary, they are strong feet, whether in the cabin or in the cabin. In addition, there is basically no amount of activity, and the feet have almost become “furnishings”, so every time the spacewalk is over, the astronauts will feel soreness in the muscles of their hands. Do you know how dangerous a spacewalk is? Ensuring sufficient light is the first condition to ensure spacewalking. Astronauts cannot act in the dark. This is the first issue that astronauts should consider and choose a suitable time to exit the capsule. Of course, the most terrifying thing in a spacewalk is space debris. Even though the extravehicular spacesuit is very heavy, it is still afraid of the impact of space debris. Do you know how terrible space debris is? The speed of each piece of space debris is almost 7.9 kilometers per second. If you open your eyes to see clearly, it will fly 7.9 kilometers per second, which is several times faster than the speed of a bullet just out of the muzzle. It can be regarded as a super bullet. Encounter, let alone a few millimeters of steel, even a few centimeters of steel may break down. Spacewalks should also take into account the temperature difference outside the cabin. The sun should be moderately illuminated and the temperature difference should be minimized, because the temperature facing the sun can be as high as 120°C, but the temperature facing the sun may drop to minus 100°C. This is the cruel outer space environment. Without the protection of a space suit, no one can survive in such an environment. In addition, there are two other aspects that need to be considered. Solar storms and the South Atlantic radiation anomaly zone. During solar storms, the sun produces a large number of charged particles, which can break through the earth’s protective magnetic field and not only affect the electronic equipment in the spacecraft. It will also affect the health of the astronauts, which is a type of space radiation. Many people may not have heard of the “South Atlantic Radiation Anomaly Zone”. What is going on and what it has to do with the space station, but astronauts must know it. The South Atlantic Radiation Anomaly Zone means that a large area of ​​the South Atlantic has an anomaly in the Earth’s magnetic field, which is 50% weaker than normal, and weakens 10 times faster. The earth’s magnetic field is used to resist solar storms and protect the living environment of the earth. When the magnetic field in this area is weakened, charged particles will naturally increase, and space radiation will naturally increase, which is not conducive to the health of astronauts. Therefore, astronauts avoid passing through space stations. Spacewalk during the time over the South Atlantic. to sum up Although astronauts floating in space seem to be very enjoyable and enviable, but in fact it is physically exhausting and there is a great risk. This is really a tiring and dangerous “drought job”, but there is no way. For the development of my country’s aerospace industry, they are willing to suffer no matter how hard it is. Chinese astronauts on Shenzhou 12 will take two spacewalks in three months. The latter group of astronauts may have more space activities, and foreign astronauts are also working hard to learn Chinese and prepare to join China. Come from the space station, because the Chinese space station will soon be the only space station.For interesting scientific content, please pay attention to the only WeChat public account: interesting exploration

]]> 27375 The original 3 astronauts realized the world-to-earth call, can they still watch videos on the space station? It’s not that simple! https://en.spress.net/the-original-3-astronauts-realized-the-world-to-earth-call-can-they-still-watch-videos-on-the-space-station-its-not-that-simple/ Thu, 24 Jun 2021 05:20:10 +0000 https://en.spress.net/the-original-3-astronauts-realized-the-world-to-earth-call-can-they-still-watch-videos-on-the-space-station-its-not-that-simple/ With the successful launch of the Shenzhou 12 spacecraft carrying 3 astronauts, it will be docked with the Chinese Space Station. The three astronauts started a three-month space life and work. Now the three astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo have been stationed in the space station for a week. During this week, they were able to dismantle the express delivery and ate delicious space delivery. Not only that, they also installed wifi, conducted world-to-earth calls, and could video call with family members at any time.

So the question is, how does the Chinese space station realize the wifi network connection at an altitude of 400 kilometers, and how does it realize the communication between the astronauts and the ground?

Communication system of manned space station

The China Space Station is located on a near-circular orbit of 340 to 450 kilometers, with a design life of 10 years and a rated crew of 3 people. In addition, there are cargo spacecraft, experimental cabins and other structures. It is a huge challenge to realize the task of measurement and control communication. There are five main challenges:

  1. More than 90% high measurement and control coverage;

  2. Long-term continuous high-reliability measurement and control must be maintained for at least 10 years;

  3. High data transmission rate, the maximum downlink data transmission rate is not less than several hundred megabytes;

  4. Simultaneous measurement and control of multiple targets can support measurement and control support for 3 targets at the same time;

  5. Efficient scheduling of measurement and control resources.

How to solve these five challenges? In the process of manned space flight missions, it relies on land-sea-based measurement and control equipment to achieve measurement and control tasks. When the Shenzhou 12 and China Space Station rendezvous and dock, it will be handed over to the relay satellite to realize the measurement and control communication. Before the construction of China’s space station, three “Tianlian-1” relay satellites had been successfully launched, and a space-based measurement and control network covering the world was initially realized. At present, the three “Tianlian-1″ relay satellites are respectively set at 77°E, 176.8°E, and 16.8°E. Their configuration combination can achieve more than 90% coverage of measurement and control, which is a challenge. High measurement and control coverage above %”. Not only that, the “Tianlian No. 1” relay satellite can support a single channel of up to 100 megabytes of data transmission, as well as support for simultaneous measurement and control of dual targets in the same antenna beam. But only relying on “Tianlian No. 1” is not enough. Therefore, on April 9, 2019, the “Tianlian II 01” relay satellite was launched. It is China’s second-generation relay satellite with powerful performance and can also achieve reverse single-channel maximum data of several hundreds of megabytes. Transmission, while also being able to multiplex. The “Tianlian II 01 satellite” is equipped with inter-satellite antennas. Each inter-satellite antenna can support simultaneous measurement and control of dual targets. Therefore, two inter-satellite antennas can achieve simultaneous measurement and control of 3 targets. After the “Tianlian-2 01” relay satellite is launched into the sky, it will be networked with the “Tianlian-1” 03 and 04 satellites, which can support the space-based measurement and control and data relay support of the China Space Station. At the same time, the “Beidou” satellite navigation system can determine the orbit with high coverage and high accuracy, which can help the Chinese Space Station to provide necessary support when implementing rendezvous missions. To realize the communication between the ground and the Chinese space station, the support of the ground-based measurement and control station is indispensable. In order to better communicate with the Chinese space station, the basic measurement and control station (ship) includes 7 domestic stations, 5 foreign stations, and 3 international stations. Website and 3 survey ships. In order to achieve efficient resource mobilization, scientists also coordinated space-based and ground-based measurement and control resources and integrated scheduling, which solved the five major challenges.

Space Wi-Fi?

This time the China Space Station is also equipped with Wi-Fi, allowing astronauts to have video calls with their family members in space, surf the Internet, and use Douyin. How is this done? In the initial stage of the construction of the International Space Station, no Internet service was configured, so 4 two-way e-mails could be sent. This makes the life of astronauts working on the International Space Station very monotonous. Later, after being equipped with the Internet, the Internet was not safe enough, which caused viruses in the computers of the astronauts. Our National Space Station has learned from this experience, so the astronauts are equipped with Internet services. To be equipped with this service, the main thing is to enable the two-way transmission of Internet business data between the space station and the Internet on the ground. This process requires a series of communications such as the space station’s local area network, space communication links, aerospace ground measurement and control communication network, and ground Internet. Link, and the communication equipment used is the relay satellite. Due to the TCP/IP protocol running on the ground Internet, if the space station also uses TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), the transmission performance will be affected by physical factors, resulting in large delays and high bit error rates. In order to solve this problem, scientists can only formulate the AOS protocol of CCSDS based on the TCP/IP protocol. Using this protocol is not only safe, but also can solve the problems of high bit error rate and large instability and delay. So, don’t look at it as just a matter of installing wifi to configure the network, the technology required behind it is also very cutting-edge. This also allows us to understand from the side how difficult the construction of China’s space station is

]]> 27195 After seeing the true background of the three astronauts on Shenzhou 12, I understood what the so-called shortcut is. https://en.spress.net/after-seeing-the-true-background-of-the-three-astronauts-on-shenzhou-12-i-understood-what-the-so-called-shortcut-is/ Wed, 23 Jun 2021 14:34:12 +0000 https://en.spress.net/after-seeing-the-true-background-of-the-three-astronauts-on-shenzhou-12-i-understood-what-the-so-called-shortcut-is/ The most exciting news during this period is probably the successful launch of the Shenzhou XII.

The three astronauts have therefore become the “hottest men in recent days.”

There are endless reports about them, and what surprised me most was the family background of the three astronauts.

Nie Haisheng, who flew into space three times, was born in a small village in Yangdang Town, Zaoyang, Hubei. His parents depended on farming to make ends meet.

Liu Boming, 55, was born in an ordinary farmer’s family in Dongsheng Village, Hongxing Township, Yi’an County, Heilongjiang.

The youngest Tang Hongbo was born in a small village in Xiangtan, Hunan. His parents are the most simple farmers.

Not only the family background, but the life experiences of the three astronauts are also strikingly similar:

All were born in the “bad family”, grew up in the countryside, and suffered a lot of life when they were young;

Overcome many difficulties and persist in studying, and go out of hometown by studying hard;

Relying on excellent physical fitness, tenacious willpower to become a pilot, and finally an astronaut.

Moreover, the three of them have never stopped reading. Now Nie Haisheng has a doctorate degree with the rank of major general; Liu Boming has a master’s degree with the rank of major general; and Tang Hongbo has a master’s degree with the rank of major general. What is a good way out for ordinary children? I think the three astronauts gave the answer with their own life experiences. Reading is the only shortcut for most ordinary people to “counterattack.” 01About life Yan Yan: In the eyes of many people, perfectionism is a compliment. The perfectionist tendency also has positive value. For example, pursuing high standards, paying attention to details, being serious and responsible, and striving for perfection. These positive values ​​can increase the probability of success, but in fact, perfectionists will not be easier to succeed. The reason is that perfectionism requires a price and has many negative effects. These negative influences offset and exceed the positive value, which will reduce the probability of success of the perfectionist. For example, perfectionists often procrastinate due to anxiety about making mistakes and failures, and are unable to start something, let alone succeed. Yan Yan: Information and intelligence are messengers of money. How much you can get depends on how much you can know. Yan Yan: People with different cognitions see different worlds. 02About self Yan Yan: Modesty can make people feel awe. Only with awe, perfection will truly understand: part of the success achieved is due to ability and hard work, but a greater part is due to luck. Yan Yan: As Einstein said: “Not every thing that can be calculated is meaningful, and not every meaningful thing can be calculated.” Learn to live at your own pace. Gain true comfort and freedom. Yan Yan: Psychologist Schwartz has a “Swartz thesis”, saying: All bad things can truly become unfortunate events only when we think they are bad. In many cases, things are not that bad, and they think they are bad, so things really get worse. 03About social Yan Yan: American comedian Bill Kos once talked about the secret of his success. He said, “I don’t know the secret of success, but I can be sure that the secret of failure in life is to please everyone.” Enriching oneself is more powerful than pleasing others. Yan Yan: There is a line in “Beijing Meets Seattle”: “Even if he doesn’t take me on a yacht and eat French food, he is willing to cross three streets every morning and buy me my favorite soy milk fritters. “The true and long-lasting love is not the earth-shattering weeping, but the small details that flow in daily life. Yan Yan: The poet Gu Cheng said: “The wind is growing its leaves, and the grass is growing its seeds. If we stand and don’t speak, it will be very beautiful.” Getting along well with others is also an ability. Organizer: Yan Yan, intensive reading of the main creation, there is a limit in life, but there is no limit in knowing

]]> 27018 Xia Ke Island: In addition to the astronauts, “they” also took missions to the sky https://en.spress.net/xia-ke-island-in-addition-to-the-astronauts-they-also-took-missions-to-the-sky/ Tue, 22 Jun 2021 18:35:08 +0000 https://en.spress.net/xia-ke-island-in-addition-to-the-astronauts-they-also-took-missions-to-the-sky/ In the past two days, the news of the Shenzhou 12 manned spacecraft has been very exciting to everyone. Sharp-eyed netizens have discovered that this big country’s heavy equipment is still “a little expert in carrying cargo from space.” What’s the matter? Daomei will take you to see it together. Shenzhou 12 launched into space (Source: Xinhua News Agency) One In the 1960s, the Soviet Union and the United States sent astronauts into space. At that time, Mao Zedong said with emotion: “How can we be considered a powerful country? We can’t even send a potato into space.” Over the past few decades, China’s aerospace can not only “take the moon in nine days,” but also take many “goods” into space by the way, but it’s not just a potato. What’s all there? Wheat, corn, soybeans, pumpkins, rice, tomatoes, peppers, cotton, and even “black eggs” that are dormant. Some netizens said that growing vegetables and raising chickens is a traditional skill of the Chinese nation. However, bringing these agricultural and sideline products to the sky is not to improve the astronauts’ food. The real purpose is to use the power of space to cultivate better varieties and increase production and income. How does it work? First, the crop seeds or test-tube seedlings are loaded into the return space capsule and into space. then, Utilizing the high vacuum of space, cosmic rays, microgravity and other co-mutations, the seeds produce genetic mutations. When they return to the ground, researchers will go through multiple generations of selection and cultivation, and finally form new varieties with stable characteristics. Compared with traditional ground mutation breeding, the special space environment makes space breeding have the characteristics of high mutation rate, large mutation range, multiple beneficial mutations, and strong stability, so it can breed high-yield, high-quality, early-maturing, and multi-resistant varieties. Space breeding (Source: China Digital Science Museum official website) Of course, not all seeds can be turned into high yield and high quality. Only a few percent or even a few thousandths of the seeds carried by satellites may mutate; breeding experts must undergo at least 4 to 6 years of selection, elimination, trial planting, and approval before they can finally select high-quality and high-yield products. . Since the 1980s, China has embarked on the road of “aerospace breeding”. At first, the seeds were carried only to detect the influence of the space environment on plant genetics. Who expected that after returning from heaven, Some radish seedlings grew strong, and the garlic seeds actually grew up to 150 grams of garlic! Therefore, since the Shenzhou-1, rice, wheat, corn, soybeans, cotton, pumpkin, rape, cotton, peanuts, sesame, tomatoes, green peppers, alfalfa, etc. have “experienced in heaven.” With the development of space breeding technology, the scope of breeding has now become wider and wider. In addition to grains, vegetables, fruits, and oils, flowers, Chinese herbal medicines, and brewing microorganisms are also covered. What’s the effect? Liang Xiaohong, chairman of the Aerospace Breeding Industry Innovation Alliance, gave a set of data: Up to now, China has cultivated more than 700 new lines and varieties of aerospace breeding. The cumulative planting area is 150 million mu, and the promotion of industrialization has created economic benefits of more than 200 billion yuan , Practically making contributions to improve the comprehensive grain production capacity. Researchers planted seedlings of space rice carried by Chang’e-5 (Source: Xinhua News Agency) two So, what happened to the black eggs going into space? It turned out that the staff wanted to study the influence of space environment on embryo growth and genetic variation in order to select new breeds, and silky fowls were successfully selected because of their high degree of homozygosity and high economic value. Regardless of the inconspicuousness of the black eggs, as early as 19 years ago, when the Shenzhou-3 was successfully launched, it had already been in the sky. The black eggs that entered the space this time came from Wushanfeng in Taihe County, Jiangxi Province. They are not industrially polluted and are pure and environmentally friendly. The staff originally imagined that these black eggs hatched chickens on the space station, and they also developed a space incubator for this purpose. However, limited by the weight of the carrier, they can only be put into a dormant state in space, and then hatched after returning to the ground. The Shenzhou-3 space black eggs hatched successfully (Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences official website) In the history of human spaceflight, it is not uncommon for animals to go to the sky. Animals such as monkeys, dogs, rabbits, cats, mice, and fish have all entered space and participated in space experiments. Such as animals, crop seeds, etc., are important content of space biological experimental research, the purpose is to observe the phenomenon and essence of biological activities in the special environment of space. For example, biological research accounts for 32% of the application projects in the Russian and American experimental modules of the International Space Station. In addition to biological research, new materials, biofuels, antibody proteins, and anti-tumor strains have also been sent into space. For example, Shenzhou-3 is equipped with a space cell bioreactor capable of producing many therapeutic antibodies, and four types of cells with pharmaceutical prospects are selected to study the effects of microgravity on cell growth, proliferation, synthesis and secretion of active factors. Among them, 2 cell samples can produce anti-trichosanthin antibodies — This protein has a certain effect on AIDS treatment. Shenzhou VII has set a record for the loading of new materials and medical strains: there are new biological materials used in industrial biotechnology research, biofuels, medicine and food important microbial strains; there are also excellent anti-malignant tumors used in the medical field. Strains and so on. According to incomplete statistics, Among China’s more than 1,000 new materials in recent years, 80% have been developed under the traction of space technology. More than 2,000 achievements in space technology have been applied to all sectors of the national economy. Therefore, the development of manned spaceflight projects can, to a considerable extent, drive the development of basic scientific research and technologies in materials, electronics, machinery, and chemical engineering. For example, the US “Apollo” plan invested tens of billions of dollars, which directly gave birth to and strengthened a large number of high-tech industrial groups in the United States, such as liquid fuel rockets, microwave radar, radio guidance, synthetic materials, computers, and wireless communications. Later, more than 4,000 patents obtained by the plan were converted to civilian use, which further drove the development of science and technology and industrial prosperity in the United States. Today, China is also facing the same space opportunity. The aerospace industry includes many cutting-edge technologies and has become an important part of a country’s high-tech industry. It not only serves national defense, but is also widely used in the development of the national economy, resulting in more and more significant economic benefits. Around 2022, the Chinese space station will officially complete its on-orbit construction task. By then, China will deploy high-level experimental equipment in the fields of space medicine, space life and biology, materials, microgravity combustion and fluids, physics, astronomy, etc. on the space station. Scientists can carry out a lot of research work in the frontier fields of space science on the space station. Interior view of China Space Station (Photo source: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation) By then, more scientific and technological achievements will “fall from the sky” and enter the homes of ordinary people. This day is not far away. Text/Cloud Song (Source: Xinhua News Agency, Science and Technology Daily, Guangming Daily, AVIC Group, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, etc.)

]]> 26784 The era of my country’s space station is coming! How should the three astronauts take a bath, and how should they protect their privacy? https://en.spress.net/the-era-of-my-countrys-space-station-is-coming-how-should-the-three-astronauts-take-a-bath-and-how-should-they-protect-their-privacy/ Tue, 22 Jun 2021 02:24:09 +0000 https://en.spress.net/the-era-of-my-countrys-space-station-is-coming-how-should-the-three-astronauts-take-a-bath-and-how-should-they-protect-their-privacy/ The era of my country’s space station has come! Three astronauts are working and living in my country’s space station for a three-month mission. In these three months, how should the astronauts solve personal cleaning problems such as bathing, and how should they protect their privacy? How to take a shower in the space station? Before understanding how Chinese astronauts take a bath, let’s start with how the astronauts of the International Space Station take a bath. Samantha, a female astronaut on the International Space Station, once showed how to take a bath in the space station. Samantha said that taking a bath in space cannot be like on Earth, standing under the shower head to take a shower. Because in a microgravity environment, water does not flow downwards, but floats in the space station. When taking a shower in the space station, you can only wipe your body with a wet towel. When you want to wash your hair, squeeze water on the towel or the surface of your hair, and then moisten your hair. After that, the hair will be washed with a no-rinse shampoo, and then dried with a towel. Before the International Space Station, the US “Sky Lab” and the Soviet Union’s Mir space station had bathrooms. The bathroom is a cylindrical shower cover made of impermeable strong nylon cloth. After the cover is closed, the water cannot escape from the bathroom. It’s just that the astronauts must wear respirators, earplugs, and goggles before taking a bath to avoid suffocation. In the microgravity environment of space, water cannot flow downwards. Scientists pressurize the water in the tank to make the water flow out through the sprinkler. After the bath, the waste water will be recycled. Only because of the limited water storage in the space capsule, astronauts rarely enjoy the shower, and most of the time they still use wet towels to wipe their bodies. Although our astronauts cannot take a shower on the space station, they can “Wrapped shower room” Inside, hold the spray gun to wipe yourself clean. How do astronauts protect their privacy? How to protect privacy when bathing, going to the toilet, and sleeping on the space station? Designers have already thought of this. The first is the bathing area. Astronauts can spray in a wrapped shower bag to ensure their privacy. There are special toilets in the space station, just like the surface of the earth, you can also guarantee your privacy. Sleeping in space is a nuisance. In a microgravity environment, you may float to any place, and the quilt may separate from you. So in the space station, you need to enter the sleeping bag before going to sleep, and the sleeping bag is fixed to On the space station, ensure that you will not sleep in disorder. In the past, astronauts slept in a “stand” position. After the astronaut entered the sleeping bag, they would hang on the wall to sleep. Of course, you could also sleep backwards. Nowadays, in order to allow astronauts to rest more fully, our space station has specially arranged sleeping areas so that every astronaut can “lie down and sleep.” More importantly, the designers of my country’s space station have also reserved one for the astronauts. Private voice channel , Astronauts can use this channel to talk privately with their family members and share what they have seen and heard in space. This private voice channel not only solves the astronaut’s suffering of missing relatives, but also protects their privacy as much as possible. The work of 3 astronauts It is that my country’s space station is currently in the construction phase, and the three astronauts have to perform a lot of work in the space station. It is understood that there are 1243 pieces of equipment in a single core module. Assembling and debugging of these equipment requires astronauts to complete in space. In addition to work inside the cabin, astronauts have to carry out many activities outside the cabin. The environment outside the cabin is harsh, without the protection of the ozone layer and geomagnetic field. Astronauts are easily exposed to excessive radiation. In order to protect the lives and health of astronauts, they must Work in a space suit weighing up to 120 kilograms. In addition to the assembly and debugging of the equipment, the astronauts have to carry out corresponding scientific experiments in space and routine maintenance of the space station. It can be said that the three astronauts are busy in space. In order to allow the three astronauts to get adequate rest, my country’s space station Synchronize world and earth at work and rest time , The working hours of ground and space station astronauts are the same; and No night shift is required. In the past, astronauts had to take turns in the night shift in space, but nowadays, a new type of sound and light alarm system can promptly notify the astronauts to deal with the situation quickly

]]> 26521 Chinese astronauts are called taikonaut in English: it has been widely used and has a high degree of recognition https://en.spress.net/chinese-astronauts-are-called-taikonaut-in-english-it-has-been-widely-used-and-has-a-high-degree-of-recognition/ Mon, 21 Jun 2021 18:46:08 +0000 https://en.spress.net/chinese-astronauts-are-called-taikonaut-in-english-it-has-been-widely-used-and-has-a-high-degree-of-recognition/ After the successful launch of the Shenzhou 12 manned spacecraft on June 17, the English word “taikonaut” entered the Chinese people’s field of vision.
The European Space Agency congratulates the China National Space Administration on the successful launch of the Shenzhou 12 manned spacecraft, which is used in the text. Currently, the term taikonaut has been officially included in the Oxford Dictionary.

The European Space Agency congratulates the China National Space Administration on the successful launch of the Shenzhou 12 manned spacecraft, which is used in the text. The term taikonaut has been officially included in the Oxford Dictionary. On June 18th, at the launching ceremony of the online themed publicity and interactive guidance activity of “Write Youth Huazhang on the Motherland” held by Peking University, the “Space Hero” Yang Liwei, who had just arrived from the launch site, said: “Everyone still remember that the international astronaut was called astronaut, but we succeeded in creating a new term. We called the Chinese astronaut taikonaut.” “The word taikonaut was included in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1998.” Ma Haolan, director of the English editorial office of the Commercial Press, told The Paper that at that time, the development of Chinese aviation technology, foreign scientific magazines and some media had already adopted it when reporting. The word “taikonaut”. However, they have not yet verified whether the word was originally created by the Chinese or by foreigners from Pinyin when they reported on China’s spaceflight. Ma Haolan introduced that “taikonaut” is a word composed of “pinyin + English ending”. The first half of “taikon” comes from the Chinese pinyin of “space”, and the second half of ending “naut” can represent “astronauts” in English. People, “In my understanding,’taikon’ is equivalent to a title, because it comes from the Chinese pinyin, so it specifically refers to the identity of Chinese astronauts. It has a national symbol and distinction, and’naut’ represents professional identity. , Put it together to form the word.” In fact, as the only three independent manned space nations, the US, Russian and Chinese astronauts all have specific English names. The name of astronauts in the United States or other countries is generally “astronauts”, and Russian (or Soviet) astronauts are called “cosmonauts”, which is derived from the word “universe” in Russian. Ma Haolan said, “taikonaut” is a typical “intervention word”. In English, there are many intervention words of this kind. “For example, tofu (tofu), jiaozi (dumpling), etc., are all intervention words.” But she also admitted that words like “taikonaut” are not entirely pinyin, but “pinyin+English” combined words are rare in English. “At present, I can only think of this one.” “This reflects the development of our country’s space technology. At first, only the United States had a vocabulary specifically referring to its own astronauts, followed by Russia, and then China. This shows that China’s technology has developed to this level and its national strength has reached this level. China has This type of technology is unique to this country, and English will use a word to reflect it.” Ma Haolan said that language is the embodiment of real life. In Western societies that use English, it is generally recognized that the three countries of China, the United States and Russia The powerful space and aerospace technology simply created three words specifically referring to the astronauts of these three countries, so that the expression is clear and concise, and can be read without any other signs. “This word also reflects the importance of this country. Respect.” The staff of the “English-Chinese Dictionary” compilation office said that “taikonaut” is a way of “combining Chinese and Western” words. “The appearance of this word shows that our country’s aerospace development is getting better and better, and it has become a major aerospace country. The English-speaking world believed that there should be a special word to refer to Chinese astronauts, so they added Chinese elements to English and created the word taikonaut.” Ma Haolan said that “taikonaut” is already a commonly used word in the English-speaking world and has a high degree of recognition. But this term is not very popular among Chinese people who learn English. The reason is that on the one hand, the application range of “taikonaut” is not wide, on the other hand, “taikonaut” has not yet entered the field of vision of textbook writers. In elementary and middle school textbooks, the term “astronaut” is still used when referring to space-related content. This phenomenon is also reflected in other Chinese intervention words, such as “dumpling”. Nowadays, “dumpling” is commonly used in English textbooks for elementary and middle schools in China. However, this word means food with “noodles wrapped in stuffing” and cannot be used exclusively. Refers to Chinese dumplings, so “jiaozi” is now mostly used in the English-speaking world. “I think with the development of China’s space technology and the enhancement of national power, these words that reflect China’s unique social culture and history and borrowed from the past in Chinese should also be taken seriously in English teaching. We very much hope that these words will be regarded as formal Put these words in English teaching. As a Chinese, you should know these words in particular.” Ma Haolan said.

]]> 26383 In microgravity: How are astronauts’ eyes affected? https://en.spress.net/in-microgravity-how-are-astronauts-eyes-affected/ Tue, 08 Jun 2021 18:33:25 +0000 https://en.spress.net/in-microgravity-how-are-astronauts-eyes-affected/ Astronauts in space for more than 6 months are likely to experience changes in eye structure. If this condition persists, their vision will be affected.

Kelly performed a spacewalk outside the space station on November 6, 2015. Time – an important “link” When humans have the opportunity to explore Mars, the crew members will carry out the mission and travel to places millions of miles away from our planet. Scientists want to understand as much as possible about the potential effects of microgravity and radiation on the human body. A big step towards this goal is the One-Year Mission, when NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko spent 340 days aboard the International Space Station from March 2015 to 2020. 2016. Space explorers have spent nearly a year living in zero gravity. The data collected before, during and after their flight made a big contribution. This will help researchers better understand what happens to the human body in space. One concern has arisen regarding astronauts, when their eyes change over long periods of time in space. This change is thought to occur when astronauts are in space for six months or more. Time spent in space also has potential impacts on their vision health. According to researchers, crew members typically spend four to six months on the space station. However, future planned missions lasting a year or longer should be considered. The effect on astronauts’ visual health as a result of long-term flight was previously known as visual impairment and intracranial pressure, or VIIP syndrome. The researchers are now referring to ophthalmic and neurological findings in astronauts after long-duration spaceflight, such as spaceflight-associated optic nerve syndrome, also known as SANS. A new study focusing on eye changes and problems astronauts Kelly and Kornienko experienced has been published in the journal JAMA Opthalmology. “About six months after astronauts began their space missions, we started to observe changes in the eyes of some people. Those changes didn’t show up during their roughly two-week mission aboard the space shuttle,” said study author Brandon R. Macias, director of the Cardiology and Vision Laboratory at NASA Johnson Space Center. in Houston said. According to Macias, the team’s preliminary findings suggest that the duration of the space mission could be responsible for changes in eye structure for the worse, such as swelling of nerve ending tissues. vision. This change has been noticed in some astronauts who have been on missions longer than a year in space. The premise for the future American astronaut Scott Kelly (left) and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko (right) spent a year on the space station. The changes in astronauts Kelly and Kornienko were compared with crew members who spent about six months on the station. Both of these astronauts experienced many changes in eye structure. One of them developed mild optic disc edema. “Disc edema can occur when the nerve fibers at the back of the eye swell or when CSF (spinal fluid) builds up around the nerve fibers. If the swelling is severe and persists for a long time, visual function can be affected,” explains Macias. Meanwhile, the other astronaut suffered from optic disc edema and the growing growth of choroidal folds. Both of them used to not realize the changes they were going through. “The retina at the back of the eye is a smooth layer,” says Macias. Folds develop when this tissue becomes wrinkled and uneven. These folds can have different patterns depending on their location and severity. This condition has the potential to impair visual function.” Two astronauts recovered from optic disc edema after returning from space. However, the choroidal folds do not always fully recover. These structural changes did not result in any significant functional changes to the eye. “There is a concern, however, that longer space missions could contribute to more structural changes to the eye. The longer these structural changes take place, the more likely they are that they can cause damage to the retina,” warns Macias. The researchers believe the new findings are a reliable measurement for monitoring the crew members’ eye structures, as well as their long-term health upon their return to Earth. At the same time, the scientists also wanted to understand why some crew members had more eye changes than others. That information could help the team figure out how to prevent neuro-eye syndrome associated with space flight. The team will measure eye activity before, during and after the task by electromechanical methods. Simultaneously, the electrical response of the light-sensitive cones and rods of the eye is measured. Scientists will also look at changes in blood flow in the retina. This may provide more insight into why some crew members undergo more changes than others.

]]> 21602 How are astronauts dying in Mars missions handled? https://en.spress.net/how-are-astronauts-dying-in-mars-missions-handled/ Thu, 13 May 2021 21:05:10 +0000 https://en.spress.net/how-are-astronauts-dying-in-mars-missions-handled/ According to experts, missions to bring people to Mars in the future cannot avoid the loss of life. However, NASA does not currently have a process to handle corpses in space.

Astronaut in space. Illustration. Many plans have been proposed, such as “launch” ill-fated astronauts into space, burial on Mars, even used as food for the crew. If there is a problem on the flight itinerary We are entering an exciting space era, in which many hope human’s first step on the surface of Mars will not be far away. However, as SpaceX CEO Elon Musk once said, “If you want to go to Mars, prepare for death.” About 21 astronauts have been killed since humans first set foot on a spacecraft and flew into space 60 years ago. According to experts, the death toll will inevitably increase as space agencies prepare for missions to send humans to Mars. To get to the Red planet, astronauts spend at least seven months living inside a cramped spaceship, traveling long distances, deep. If they survive this journey, they will have to endure the harsh environment of the Martian world. When a crew member dies while on a mission, it will take months, even years, for their bodies to be brought back to Earth. This situation raises a question: What happens to the body of a dead person in space? NASA does not have procedures to handle corpses in space because the astronauts selected for the mission are guaranteed physical and mental health. However, researchers around the world have thought of this situation and proposed measures to handle when an astronaut accidentally dies. During the mission on the journey to Mars, can the astronaut’s body be placed in cold storage or freeze-dried until the spacecraft returns to Earth? The process of freezing drying in space is much different from that on Earth. On Earth, people would use liquid nitrogen to freeze bodies, but in space, a robotic arm would hang the body wrapped in a bag on the outside of a spacecraft. The body will freeze for an hour, become brittle, then the arm will shake, breaking into small pieces. This process will theoretically turn an astronaut weighing 90kg into a mass of only 22kg, which can be stored on a spaceship for many years. But if this freeze-drying isn’t an option, the crew can send off their deceased companion to stay forever in the vast universe. Catherine Conley of NASA’s Office for the Protection of the Planet told Popular Science: “At the moment, there are no specific guidelines in the plan to protect the planet, either at the NASA level or internationally, regarding” bury “a deceased astronaut by throwing the body into space”. The solution of releasing the dead into space seems to be the easiest option, the body will stay on the spacecraft’s journey and linger on the place where it was released. And if more missions choose this approach, future spacecraft heading towards Mars will likely collide with many corpses. The robotic arm holds the dead body in space waiting to freeze. Illustration. Bad situation going to Mars If you are lucky enough to survive on a journey that lasts approximately 7 months and reach Mars, astronauts will face new challenges that threaten their survival, radiation. Previous data showed that Mars is 700 times more contaminated with radiation than Earth. Radiation can alter the cardiovascular system, damage the heart, harden and narrow the arteries, or remove some of the cells in the lining of blood vessels, leading to cardiovascular disease and may end with the death of the astronaut. In this case, burial on Mars would be necessary, but NASA has strict laws about contaminating other planets from microorganisms on Earth. NASA scientist Conley told Popular Science: “Regarding the disposal of organic matter (including corpses) on Mars, we are not imposing any restrictions as long as all are eliminated. microorganisms on Earth. So it is necessary to cremate ”. However, not every dead astronaut can be buried, but in some emergency situation, such as when the remaining crew runs out of food and in order to survive, the corpse of the human. The team can help them sustain life on their way back to Earth. It sounds barbaric, but there has been such a case in the past, when a plane crashed into the Andes in 1972. The survivors had no food and no way to communicate with them. outside, so in order to sustain life, to find someone to come and save, they made the difficult decision to eat the dead as soon as the plane crashed. Biologist Paul Wolpe said: “Although we give our bodies a lot of respect, life is everything. If the only way a human could survive was to eat a body, then that would be acceptable, even if no one wanted it.

]]> 13938 Japanese rice balls for astronauts to the International Space Station https://en.spress.net/japanese-rice-balls-for-astronauts-to-the-international-space-station/ Sun, 09 May 2021 01:55:08 +0000 https://en.spress.net/japanese-rice-balls-for-astronauts-to-the-international-space-station/ Salmon rice balls provide nutrients for astronauts during long days working on the ISS International Space Station.

Japanese rice balls for astronauts to the International Space Station Onigiri rice ball in Japan is one of the dishes with bold unique culinary culture of Japanese people. Even when Japanese astronauts on a mission on the ISS International Space Station, in zero gravity, they bring this dish with them but with a more special preparation. Japanese rice balls created by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency JAXA and Onishi Foods to prepare nutritious, easy-to-carry meals for astronauts in extraterrestrial environments. Since these astronaut rice balls are available in the Japanese market, there is an opportunity for everyone to know about food for astronauts on the ISS International Space Station in zero gravity. force. There are instructions for use on the back of the rice ball package Desiccant bag inside the rice ball package The product is called Space Onigiri, which makes special rice ball product without cooking it. The steps to do include tearing open the package, taking out the moisture-proof bag, filling the bag with water to the dotted line and shaking about 20 times, then waiting. Basically rice is hydrated, you can use cold water or boiling water. Rice ball can be eaten after 60 minutes. The resulting product is the plump rice with a bit of salmon. For the convenience of handling and enjoying the food, the user will cut the dotted line to create a triangle. Smart design from the product helps users to always be clean, have a beautiful shape as well as easy to eat. Ingredients rice ball has more salmon with enough nutrients Space Onigiri can be stored for one year, without refrigeration. Each meal costs about 378 yen, equivalent to about 80,000 VND. Currently, Japanese astronaut Hoshide Akihiko is the only person working on the ISS International Space Station. Recently, Hoshide Akihiko was selected as the commander of the space station and will assume the position for about six months. Astronaut Hoshide Akihiko is the second Japanese to command the ISS station, before that, Mr. Wakata Koichi held the position in 2014.

]]> 12554 For the first time ever, recycled boosters send astronauts into space https://en.spress.net/for-the-first-time-ever-recycled-boosters-send-astronauts-into-space/ Fri, 07 May 2021 13:39:11 +0000 https://en.spress.net/for-the-first-time-ever-recycled-boosters-send-astronauts-into-space/ On April 23, NASA and commercial rocket company SpaceX launched a missile carrying a group of four new astronauts to the International Space Station. This is the first crew to be put into orbit with a recycled rocket from an earlier flight.

Photojournalists installed remote cameras to be ready to record the missile launch image on April 22. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon space shuttle, set to take off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. It will take almost 24 hours to reach the space station, whose orbit is about 250 miles (400 km) from Earth. It was originally scheduled to launch on April 22 but had to be delayed for a day due to unfavorable weather forecast. This rocket launch marks NASA’s second return to service after nine years of stopping the shuttle from space in the United States. It is also the third crew flight to be launched into orbit under a public-private partnership between NASA and SpaceX, the rocket company founded and owned by billionaire high-tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. The crew this time has 4 members including two NASA astronauts, commander Shane Kimbrough (53 years old) and pilot Megan McArthur (49 years old), along with Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide (52 years old) and specialist Thomas Pesquet (43 years old), a French engineer with the European Space Agency. 6 months of space experiment Crew 2 is expected to spend about six months conducting scientific experiments and maintenance before returning to Earth in the fall. The four members of Crew 1, sent to the space station in November, are scheduled to return to Earth on April 28. Crew 2’s mission is also special in that the Falcon 9 launch vehicle using the same early stage booster has put Crew 1 in orbit. This is the first time that a proven booster device has been used again during a crew launch. Reusable booster vehicles, designed to fly back to Earth on their own and land safely after they separate from the missile’s remains a few minutes after launch. SpaceX’s reusable rocket strategy has pioneered more economical space travel. SpaceX has so far recorded more than 45 successful Falcon 9 landings, and the company has refurbished and reused the majority of them for multiple flights. However, all previous flights only carried cargo, not people, into space. The pilot of Crew 2, McArthur, will make history as the first female Pilot of the Crew and the second in her family to ride a shuttle. She is married to NASA astronaut Bob Behnken, who took a SpaceX demonstration flight last year. If all goes according to plan, they will arrive at the space station on Saturday. McArthur and her three friends and crew will be greeted by four astronauts of Crew 1 (three from NASA and one from Japan JAXA Aerospace Exploration Agency) and two crew members. Russian family and an American astronaut were on a Soyuz flight to the space station.

]]> 12172 Astronauts started towards the ISS https://en.spress.net/astronauts-started-towards-the-iss/ Thu, 29 Apr 2021 04:43:08 +0000 https://en.spress.net/?p=10095 The start had to be postponed due to bad weather, now the third manned mission of the private space company SpaceX has successfully started. The international crew is on their way to the ISS.

Three men and a woman set off for the International Space Station in a “Crew Dragon” from the private space company SpaceX. The four astronauts were launched in the morning with the help of a Falcon 9 launcher from the Cape Canaveral spaceport in the US state of Florida, announced SpaceX and the US space agency NASA. Due to unfavorable weather forecasts, the start originally planned for Thursday had been postponed to today. The four astronauts are expected at the ISS on Saturday.

For the first time an ESA astronaut on board

The “Crew-2” consists of the two US astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur as well as their Japanese colleague Akihiko Hoshide and the French Thomas Pesquet. Pesquet is the first astronaut from the European space agency ESA to fly to the ISS on board a “Crew Dragon”. This is the second crew to be promoted to the ISS by SpaceX. The first docked with the ISS in November. They are scheduled to return to Earth at the end of April. “Crew-1” was the first to fly regularly with the “Crew Dragon” to the ISS after a manned test last spring was successful. After a break of almost nine years, the test was the first time astronauts were launched into orbit from American soil. And it was the first time ever that they were promoted by a private space company. SpaceX had previously only transported cargo to the ISS.

NASA no longer builds missiles

SpaceX is the space company of Elon Musk, who wants to open up space as a new field of activity. The US agency NASA has withdrawn from building rockets.

]]> 10095 An astronaut’s heart shrinks 25% after a year in space https://en.spress.net/an-astronauts-heart-shrinks-25-after-a-year-in-space/ Tue, 20 Apr 2021 00:46:13 +0000 https://en.spress.net/an-astronauts-heart-shrinks-25-after-a-year-in-space/ After spending nearly a year on the International Space Station (ISS), the largest cavity in the heart of astronaut Scott Kelly has been reduced to more than 25%.

Mr. Scott Kelly while living on the ISS Station. Photo: NYT In a study published in the journal Circulation on March 29, scientists found that during 340 days in space, Mr. Kelly’s heart was reduced in size even though he still exercised hard for 6 days. week. Luckily, the smaller heart did not seem to have any effect on the health of Mr. Kelly when he returned to Earth in 2016. This finding has added to the list of the types of transformations the human body has to undergo in an unstable environment of gravity. Astronauts also tend to have head edema, eyeballs crushing, leg shrinkage, and bones become more brittle. According to the New York Times, Dr. Benjamin D. Levine, study author and professor of internal medicine at the Southwestern Medical Center at the University of Texas (USA), said: “Kelly’s heart has changed to adapts to reduced gravity conditions. It does not have any dysfunction. He is still healthy. Without gravity, the heart doesn’t need to pump blood fully, and like any other muscle, it is altered by decreasing the intensity of the activity. For Mr. Scott Kelly, the shrinking phenomenon still occurs regardless of the regular exercise 6 days / week on the ISS. This regimen has been shown to be effective in reducing brittle bones and reducing muscle mass. After 340 days in space, Mr. Kelly’s heart weight dropped by about 27%, from 190 grams to 140 grams. Mr. Kelly shared that his body also underwent some other changes, such as bone loss, and these phenomena have almost returned to normal. However, the miniature heart phenomenon could be a concern for future missions to Mars. Based on the experiences of Mr. Kelly and other astronauts on the ISS, Dr. Levine thinks that the upcoming visitors to Mars will remain in good health. However, problems can arise if an astronaut is injured, becomes ill and cannot exercise, or if the exercise equipment is damaged. With weaker hearts, they can be dizzy and faint as they step onto the red planet after months of weightless travel. Swimmer Benoit Lecomte. Photo: CNN In the study, Levine and his colleagues compared the heart of astronaut Scot Kelly to that of long-distance swimmer Benoit Lecomte, when he tried to swim across the Pacific in 2018. The buoyancy in the water has the same impact on the body as the weightless environment. Lecomte athletes spend most of the day in the horizontal position: 8 hours of swimming and 8 hours sleeping on a support boat. Scientists think that extended swimming hours will be strenuous enough to maintain Mr. Lecomte’s heart size. But instead, it shrinks at a rate nearly as fast as Mr. Kelly’s time in space. After more than 159 days, the Lecomte athlete abandoned the plan after swimming two thirds of the planned 5,650 miles because the boat was destroyed by a storm. Through ultrasound, it was found that his left ventricle was about 28 grams lighter. The left ventricle is the heart’s largest and most powerful chamber, pumping blood to the aorta and throughout the body. Dr. Levine expressed surprise when she learned the results. “I thought his heart would get bigger. That is a huge amount of training ”. In an interview, Benoit Lecomte estimated his heart rate could be below 100 while swimming, and described the intensity of long-distance swimming as walking briskly, or running very slowly. Now, the US Aerospace Agency (NASA) can design better training programs for astronauts. In space, Mr. Scott Kelly has been exercising 6 days a week, 30-40 minutes walking on the treadmill or cycling. In addition, he also uses a resistance machine to lift weights. “This practice regime is quite strenuous. I have to push weights quite hard. The weight is definitely heavier than I can lift at home, ”said Kelly, now retired at NASA, in an interview. Dr. Benjamin D. Levine said there is another study to track the hearts of 13 astronauts before and after 6 months on the space station. This unpublished study will provide a broader amount of data.

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