At the end of last month, the China Space Station Tianhe Core Module, which was developed by the Fifth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, was successfully launched. After a month of on-orbit waiting, the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft was welcomed and the first space replenishment was obtained.

simulation map of Tianzhou No.2 Photo courtesy of the Fifth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Group

Food is divided into main and auxiliary, and meat and vegetables are emphasized.

The military and horses have not moved food and grass first, and Tianzhou No.2 has set up a lifeline for material support between heaven and earth. So what will Tianzhou-2 bring to Tianhe core cabin this time?

In the future, astronauts carrying Shenzhou manned spacecraft to Tianhe core module will live in this space home for several months to half a year, so it is necessary to provide them with all kinds of materials to facilitate their "clothing, food, shelter and transportation" and work in space. The "takeaway" sent by Tianzhou No.2 this time has all kinds of living materials.

As the saying goes, "Food is the most important thing for the people". The food in the space station can be described as a must in space, which makes people covet from a distance. There are many traditional Chinese dishes in China's space food, which have obvious Chinese characteristics. Food is not only divided into main and auxiliary foods, but also has a unique flavor. Even the well-known fish-flavored shredded pork and kung pao chicken all appear in the astronaut's food list.

besides the daily necessities, Tianzhou-2 also brought propellant. During the docking, Tianzhou-2 will refuel and control the attitude of the core cabin. It is worth mentioning that the propulsion system of Tianhe core cabin has been completely supplemented independently, and there is no need for ground command intervention or astronaut assistance.

In addition, Tianzhou-2 will also bring experimental equipment, experimental materials and other materials, and the astronauts will be taken out and installed in orbit after the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft sends them to the Tianhe core module. After the return of the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft, Tianzhou-2 will also perform some acrobatics in space-separating from the rear docking interface of the core module and autonomously maneuvering to the axial docking interface of the node module of the core module to further verify the key technologies.

scan the QR code to get the location information of the goods

Unlike the Shenzhou manned spacecraft, the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft only carries goods and does not give them away. Everyone affectionately calls it the "courier brother" of the space station. As the first spacecraft to dock with China's space station, Tianzhou-2 will verify a number of key technologies for space station construction in orbit.

"If the core cabin is a hardcover model room, the cargo ship is responsible for transporting daily necessities to the room before the astronauts carry their bags." Yang Huaxing, the overall chief designer of the spacecraft model of the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, introduced it. "Express Brother" Tianzhou-2 carried many people's daily necessities, including air, food and extravehicular spacesuits, as well as a large number of propellants and space station experimental equipment, providing services such as propellant replenishment and orbit maintenance for the space station. During the on-orbit flight of Tianzhou-2, astronauts will take the shenzhou spaceship to China's space station Tianhe and the core module, and enter the cargo spacecraft to experience the pleasure of "unpacking express".

how will the space station be managed in the face of so many goods and so complicated processing work?

Yang Sheng, chief designer of the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft system in the Fifth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Group, introduced that the space station also applies the ground logistics technology, drawing on the advanced management technology of domestic logistics, astronauts can obtain the location information and product information of the goods by scanning the QR code, and at the same time, the system can dynamically control the inventory quantity of the product information, so as to record the minute-by-minute changes of the goods in the space station, thus ensuring that the work and life of astronauts are easier and more convenient.

upgrading Ethernet to provide "spiritual food" for astronauts

Tianzhou-2 upgraded the Ethernet communication in an all-round way. Under the research of the research team of the Eighth Institute of Electronics of Aerospace Science and Technology Group, it added the functions of data transmission and multicast distribution of the space station's Internet between heaven and earth, so that the ground and the space station can receive and send video and audio data at the same time without increasing the channel bandwidth. In order to improve the reliability of network communication, the research team also specially added the function of setting network security policy to ensure that illegal data could not pass.

In order to achieve this skill upgrade, designer Deng Songfeng said, "Aerospace is a hard road, and there are more and more new technologies that need to be tackled. We can't stick to the rules and apply innovative technologies to aerospace reliably."

It is with this "artifact" that the life of astronauts in the "space home" will no longer be boring. With it, the distance between heaven and earth will be closer. Astronauts can make video calls, access mobile terminals instantly, surf the Internet, listen to music and watch videos.

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Besides delivering meals, what is the most important function of Tianzhou-2?

The core module is the first module to enter space, the most basic and core part of the whole space station, and the core of the control function of the whole space station. In addition, it is equipped with a full set of life support devices and a certain scale of test facilities to support the astronauts' long-term residence and all the material conditions needed for scientific research. It can be said that it is available from residential areas, work areas to scientific research areas.

after the core module is launched and successfully put into orbit, the next step is to launch the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft.

in an interview with CCTV, Yang Hong, the chief designer of the manned space station system of the Fifth Academy of Astronautics and the chief designer of Tianhe core cabin, said that the cargo ship Tianzhou-2 brought astronauts' living supplies, spare parts for maintenance and scientific experimental equipment. After the transported goods entered it, the astronauts put them in place or did scientific experiments.

another important function of the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft after docking is to refuel the space station. After docking with propellant and fuel, it is like aerial refueling. This process is completed automatically. After docking, the pipelines are automatically connected, and the space station can run stably in orbit for a long time.

After the Tianzhou-2 cargo ship has delivered the grain and fuel to the space station, the manned Shenzhou-12 spacecraft will be launched next. It is understood that the flight crew composed of three astronauts will become the first "check-in personnel" of Tianhe core cabin and stay in orbit for three months.

Editor Luo Xiaojing proofreads Li Xiangling.