Photo courtesy of the Fifth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Group
There are two kinds of food, the main and the auxiliary, and they pay attention to the collocation of meat and vegetables.
The soldiers and horses did not move food and grass first, and Tianzhou II set up a lifeline of 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 cabin will live in this space home for several months to half a year, so it is necessary to prepare all kinds of materials for them to facilitate their "clothing, food, housing, 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", and 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.
In addition to 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. When Shenzhou-12 spacecraft sends astronauts to Tianhe core cabin, they will be taken out and installed in orbit by astronauts. 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 obtain the location information of the goods.
Unlike the Shenzhou manned spacecraft, the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft only carries goods and does not give people 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, then the cargo spacecraft 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 such 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 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 product information, so that the changes of the goods in the space station can be recorded, 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 Institute of Electronics of the Eighth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Group, it added the function of data transmission between the space station and the Internet, and the function of multicast distribution between the space station and the Internet, so that the ground and the space station can send and receive 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, "The road to aerospace is very difficult, 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.
Know a little more
Besides delivering meals, what is the most important function of Tianzhou-2?
The core cabin is the first cabin 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 astronauts' long-term residence and all the material conditions needed for scientific research, which can be said to be 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 space station system of the manned spaceflight project of the Fifth Academy of Sciences and the chief designer of the Tianhe core cabin, introduced that the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft brought astronauts' living supplies, maintenance spare parts and scientific experimental equipment. After the transported goods entered it, the astronauts installed them in place or did scientific experiments.
Another important function of 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 pipeline will be automatically connected, and the space station will be refueled continuously to make it run stably in orbit for a long time.
After the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft has delivered 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.